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23/05/2008


http://www.londondailynaturephoto.co.uk/index.php

SPARROWS FEEDING

Whilst I sit on my PC I have the privilege of being able to look out into my garden, and for the past fortnight or so the sparrows have been a huge distraction to me. Every year is the same, I sit marvelling at the spectacle of parent feeding their quivering young who are begging for food. Then watching the little inexperienced flyers attempt to take off, struggling to get their undercarriage off the ground. It just brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Young sparrows leave the nest when fully feathered and are not able to fly for a couple of days. The parents generally look after them for a fortnight. I hope the majority survive in my garden although predators are always lurking, the magpies have been making their presence known.

Unfortunately what was a once a common sparrow has now found itself on the red list here in the UK, although I must say there seems no shortage in our garden. I put this down to the fact that we have a very wildlife friendly garden with lots of hedging, shrubs and trees which goes to encourage wild food for the very young, aphids, flies, grubs and spiders. I top up the birdbaths and I put bird food out all year, although I don't use peanuts, sparrows will eat seeds and grain.

The image I have used for this post is called Feed Me, courtesy of Nic from London Daily Nature Photo. Please click on the link to discover his great photography, but please do not use any of Nic's images without his permission.

21 comments:

Simone said...

That is a wonderful photo. We don't get as many sparrows in our garden now as we used to. We have mainly wood pigeons and thrushes. We occasionally see a robin or blue tit but magpies definitely seem to be on the increase.

life in red shoes said...

I love your site and check it almost daily. The pics are wonderful and the prose is music to my American ears!

Anonymous said...

Lovely entry Louise! Sadly I don't see many sparrows at all which is a shame.
I see you're another fan of NiC's wonderful wildlife photos.
Have a good weekend. xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Louise, The sparrows are busy in my garden too, but my study only looks onto the fold yard which is great when I am cattle watching!
Sara from farmingfriends

Threadspider said...

Lovely post Louise-my sparrows have taken a great liking to the newly replaced guttering all around our house so have a nest at each corner! It's a great picture.

Anonymous said...

I sit looking into my garden more than I watch tv lately! There is so much going on out there. My little rabbits are always getting up to no good and today I caught sight of the first baby Jay this spring! Now I just have to wait for them to crash into the conservatory window a few times and everything will feel normal! (They normally don't seem to hurt themselves...just their pride I think!)

Anonymous said...

It's lovely to be able to see into one's garden whilst working isn't it?

I was watching a starling calling feed me earlier today from my PC too.

Barbara said...

I love to see sparrows, I get one or two in my garden, my sister gets lots including the hedge sparrow which is supposed to be rarer.

BumbleVee said...

We have more smaller birds now as the large, messy and dangerous old poplar trees are being taken down. So, consequently we have more smaller birds...and it is only the past two years I have noticed some little red headed guys... which I have decided are House Finches. Their singing is amazing and they go on forever some days.. .. I, too, love to sit on my patio and watch robins, sparrows, finches and chickadees all come to the little bird bath in my garden. I laugh right out loud at the antics happening in and arount it....I love the little birds.

BumbleVee said...

hmmm ...somehow, I forgot to add about the magpies not having the big trees to build nests ... therefore the reason for more smaller birds. ...

Glo said...

A lovely entry and very informative, too! I also am captivated by the London Daily Nature Photos ~ each one is a "prize" photo.
I am becoming a bit more familiar with the names of the birds here, thanks to my Field Guide to North American Birds ... at the moment we seem to have a resident hummingbird, a bird house with nuthatches, and a rufous sided towhee that seems appreciative of any digging I do in the garden. We also have robins hopping all over the place :)

VP said...

Unlike Threadspider 'up the hill', sadly we have no house sparrows here. I love their antics, so your post's gone some way to making up for their absence! xxx

Elizabeth said...

Exbury azeleas smell like heaven!
I also love your sparrows.

Lavinia said...

Hi Louise; so pleased to visit your site and hear about your birdbath, wonderful!

I have never seen a mama bird feed its young; I think it would be marvelous. How on earth can you concetrate on your PC , with all that wonder going on outside the window?

shadows and clouds said...

i adore sparrows. to be honest i had no idea that they're becoming rarer. big boo to that...

Niesz Vintage Home said...

Oh, isn't that the sweetest thing.

We have a nest of birds right outside our bedroom window. So cute but, let me tell ya, those little babies are LOUD when they're hungry. LOL

Kimberly :)

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely that your sparrows are doing so well. I think the problem for them in a lot of places is lack of suitable nest sites

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

There are several families of sparrows in the guttering and roof eves along our terrace.. I love to hear the chattering and chirping every morning on waking.... so does Pickles.. he sits on the window sill and gives them a lot of verbal.. not strictly polite either!

Michelex

sheila said...

I'm glad to hear that about your sparrows, because I saw an article in the newspaper about the dearth of them in Kensington and thought "WHAT?" We have zillions of them here.

Lovely lovely orange rhodo, too. Gorgeous. I love that orange. I'm just getting some lewisia photos up on my blog of them. They are a similar pinky-orange. Very striking, Louise. Oh, and my Louise poppy bloomed today! Hurrah!

cd&m said...

I too watch the birds from my desk, wonderful aren't they. No shortage of House Sparrows here in our garden we have flocks of them and the little hedge sparrows, Dunnocks.

Little Blue Violet said...

This is so super sweet ! What a great photo.
smiles,
DarLy*~