Environment

Dr Will Peach of the RSPB has commented on the results of a study performed by a combination of RSPB, De Montfort University and Natural England. The study concluded that the population of house sparrows in Britain has fallen by 68% in the past three decades with the greatest declines being in cities like Bristol,London and Edinburgh!

"Honeysuckle, wild roses, hawthorn or fruit trees are perfect for insects and therefore house sparrows.

"The trend towards paving of front gardens and laying decking in the back, and the popularity of ornamental plants from other parts of the world, has made many gardens no-go areas for once common British birds."

He said gardeners could help sparrows by "being lazy, doing nothing and allowing the garden to be a little bit scruffy".

Sparrows need to produce around 5 chicks each year in order to maintain the population and the chicks need a steady supply of live insects like aphids, flies etc.
Putting out seed is fine for adults but if there are not enough insects the chicks will die of starvation.