When I was a little girl growing up in Stratford in the East End of London, the soundtrack to a trip to the park was the monotone chirping of House Sparrows. They had only one call, and they used it to express everything from agitation to anger, from amorous intention to outright disdain. They hopped around my feet when I went to feed the ducks in Victoria Park, and skipped between the pigeons in Trafalgar Square. But the best place of all to see sparrows was in St James’s Park, where an elderly homeless man stood at one end of the main bridge, his outstretched hands and arms covered in the birds. Sometimes they landed on his head, or pecked seed from his beard. He reminded me a little of St Francis of Assisi, for, in addition to the sparrows, he had squirrels and various waterfowl clustered around his feet, and an audience of pigeons watching the action from the low fences that aimed to keep tourists off the lawns.
A few weeks ago, a walk in St James’s Park yielded not a single sparrow.
Sparrows are the ultimate ‘little brown jobs’. They are not brightly coloured like tits or finches, they are not melodious like blackbirds. And yet, there is a subtle beauty to their mottled wings, and much to admire in their toughness and adaptability.
Unfortunately, space is at such a premium in London that many gardens have also been disappearing under concrete, to provide parking spaces or just because people have no time to garden. In a report titled ‘London – Garden City?’, it was found that hard surfacing (which also has an impact on flooding) has increased by some 26% over the past 8 years, and ‘vegetated surfaces’ (lawns, beds and trees) have decreased by 12% in the same period. All this has an impact on the plant and insect food available for many creatures, not just sparrows.
Fortunately, some of the more enlightened councils are developing ‘sparrow-friendly’ plots in their parks and greenspaces, like the one below. There is one in Whittington Park in Archway, and the variety of annual and perennial ‘weeds’ is not only attractive but a real magnet for all kinds of pollinators, so the whole natural community benefits.
I am troubled by the decline of the sparrow. It has happened during my lifetime and, as an Eastender myself, it seems particularly sad that the ubiquitous ‘cockney sparrer’ is now, if not as rare as hen’s teeth, certainly an uncommon sight. I am much heartened, though, by the way that so many people in London (and elsewhere) are becoming aware of their impact on the environment, and are trying to do something to make recompense. People are putting out birdfeeders, growing plants for pollinators, putting up nestboxes. Is it too little, too late? Possibly. But from these little seeds, surprising things can grow. It is astonishing how much people can change things when they really want to.Shakespeare has Hamlet say that ‘there’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow’. Maybe, the fall of the sparrows of London will serve as a wake-up call for all of us.
We have several large families here in South London in the back gardens. despite many houses having new roofs. I have counted upto 20+ individuals at the feeders the suburb gardens have many old trees and mature shrubs and most people feed with a variety of foods on offer. Of course this does encourage Sparrow hawks although it seems that they have a preference for wood pigeon. Great articles as usual Thanks.
That is really good news….I’m sure the combination of mature gardens and people putting out food helps local populations to grow. And you’re right, most of the sparrowhawk attacks around here are on woodpigeons – I guess if you’re going to go to the bother of all that swooping you might as well get a good dinner out of it.
such an informing post – heartbreaking, too. still, it bucks the spirit to know that many share such sensitivity toward our fellow creatures by making the effort to contribute toward their wellbeing.
Thanks Katya – yes, there are so many people who do care about the creatures around us, and take the time to try to help them. It isn’t all ‘doom and gloom’ though sometimes it feels like it….
An excellent post highlighting a decline that has gone largely unnoticed by most, maybe due to the sparrow being such an unassuming little bugger. I guess I’m fortunate that in my present abode I have about fifteen regulars and yes, they are heralded by just one checking the feeders out.
And I have to agree that if we lose the ‘common’ sparrow what chance do have of preserving a world for other wildlife?
Oh by the way m’dear I’m not using the WordPress blog but my grumbling may be found here……http://john1965.blogspot.co.uk
I’m glad you still have some sparrows – they are such tough, characterful birds. It’s difficult to hear that persistent chirping without feeling a little better about the state of the world. Heading over to your blog to read your grumbling right now!
Our tall Victorian corner house in E.Finchleyhas had roosting and breeding sparrows for several years, high up in a small roof space accessed under the guttering and fascia board. In the spring we hear them tapdancing about and chirruping in the early morning (our bedroom’s just below them) and are charmed. Trouble is, several times we’ve had to rescue babies via an airbrick when they’ve tumbled down the old chimney.
That’s wonderful, Ann! There are a few in my road as well, as several people have lovely thick hedges and old roofs. At one point I thought some sparrows were going to try to nest just under our roof, but maybe there wasn’t enough space. What always surprises me is the complete lack of sparrows in central London, where there used to be thousands….
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Does anyone think the increase in Magpies in the inner city might have something to do with the decline? last year I saw Magpies often take baby birds, very sad..
Hi Celia, there is some suggestion that predation might have had an impact on sparrow numbers – I’ve certainly seen magpies taking fledglings as large as a starling, and there has also been an increase in city sparrowhawks. However, the consensus seems to be that they haven’t caused the decline – the biggest single factor for the drop in numbers of sparrows is habitat loss, so that the birds have nowhere to roost or nest. The magpies and other predators are simply the cherry on the cake.
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