sparrow maybe

An adult one I think Fran. I had the young ones swarming in the Hawthorn and they ate the long metal perch feeder from top to bottom in about 3 days! Greedy lot. If it gives them a good start and grow them on a bit, as amazingly they are supposed to be threatened. Their numbers have dropped a lot over the years. Never saw so many as this year.

I haven't seen a sparrow in my garden for over 25 years. Can G.O.Y members living in the greater London area tell me whether they see sparrows in their gardens? I used to see many of them in my previous garden, but that was nearly 35 years ago. The only birds I now see in my garden are robins (many of them), wood pigeons, black birds and the noisy magpies. May be a few tits during the winter months.
Other creatures I see in my garden are a great number of grey squirrels, foxes, rats, mice and may be some night visitors who I never met.

That's a lot of wildlife Costas! I think all the London sparrows came up to sunny Dundee and are now living in my house eaves! We are absolutely infested with them! Stand anywhere in my house and you can hear the young crying to be fed. They are on their second brood now, if not third. They spent the winter in the hedge, and in the spring they moved in under the roof tiles! It's lovely really, but they do poo everywhere. But on the plus side, I have virtually no holes in my Hostas, and have had no pests on my plants at all this year except for a very few aphids which I washed off in the early summer. I'll tell them to go back to London shall I? ;)

thanks Dorjac. Think I've seen a few of them last couple of days, but it's getting the camera while they're still there! just a whirr of wings and a small bullet flashing across the garden mostly.

Don't know if they're Hedge or House Sparrows, not sure what the difference is, and even if I did, not sure I'd be able to spot it - this was taken from my kitchen doorway on max zoom.

Time was when sparrows were THE garden bird - times have certainly changed.

@ Kokkinotriantafyllo - I lived in East London up until last November, didn't see very many sparrows - there was the occasional tiny flying bullet that I assumed to be one, but was never able to get any clear pics

Don't think I've seen robins yet - I believe the red is more pronounced in the mating season? I've got some pics of birds with red-ish breasts, but not so much that I can immediately idetify it as a robin. And not sure what the females look like; usually more dowdy for camouflage when hatching.

I've seen a squirrel and maybe a magpie, but that's about it - I really need to set up a hide, or a webcam!

@Karen - think that was the problem in London - they became pests, or to be seen as such, and treated as such.

lol swings and roundabouts; re no garden pests but lotsa poo!

I live on the outskirts of London. I am so surprised when people say they never see sparrows. My brother lives in Cheshire and he says no sparrows. Same with friends in Wiltshire. They are all over our garden. They certainly like hulled sunflower seeds which are pretty pricey and heavy to carry from the shop. I only have 2 seed feeders on 12 ports on the go over soil under a large hawthorn. They love the hawthorn and are sheltered from hawks on the feeders. I am 7 minutes walk from the centre of town.

That's what I feed mine with in winter too Dorjac. In the summer, they feed off my garden :)

hmm, i have lots of seeds that i bought for baking - adding to bread etc: sunflower, poppy, and several others that i can't remember. wonder if they'd like hose?

I'm sure lots of birds would like your seeds, Fran. I like the sound of your bread too :) I have a sparrow 'flats' bird box and they nest most years and overwinter in the box too. The 'multi-occupancy' bird boxes are quite expensive but seem popular as they like to nest in a community.

there was one box here when i moved in, but it was on a fence facing south, and the rspb site says they should face north; the only north facing area i have is behind the sheds, and my coming and going might disturb them. there's the whole blank end wall, but that faces south too. I could put some in the trees at the bottom of the garden - by the sound of it, there's nests a-plenty there already, so would that do any good?

not heard of "multi occupation" nest boxes, sound interesting, will check it out!