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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 20, 2008 22:22:10 GMT 1
It said in my paper that Leylandii hedges ( and their ilk) have also contributed to the drop in numbers as the close leaved nature of the trees meant that sparrows couldn't get in build nests. There are plenty of sparrows about here though, I have to say....  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 20, 2008 22:59:01 GMT 1
I blame Groundforce........(only joking!) People should have a financial incentive to stay green and unconcreted I think but I doubt if any city council has the balls to do it...
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Post by maggyd on Nov 20, 2008 22:59:37 GMT 1
I had noticed they were talking about the sparrow population dropping!! my back garden is all of a twitter come spring there is no shortage here! maybe in the cities its down to the birds of prey that are rumoured to be making nest there.
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 20, 2008 23:08:54 GMT 1
I expect it's a combination of many factors, as ever...but the bottom line is sadly that many people put wildlife way down their list of priorities don't they? And Government and Councils do too unfortunately...despite all their talk.
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Post by madonplants on Nov 20, 2008 23:24:25 GMT 1
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Post by maggyd on Nov 20, 2008 23:37:51 GMT 1
I blame Groundforce........(only joking!) People should have a financial incentive to stay green and unconcreted I think but I doubt if any city council has the balls to do it... A lot of people are paving there fronts out of necessity 4Ps because there isnt anywhere else to park you cant count on you having a space outside your house these days. |
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Post by maggyd on Nov 20, 2008 23:43:40 GMT 1
No you do have something there Keith I am forever chasing them especially when the birds are nesting they are holes in the hedges where they are going in and ot the little beggars!! my Sons cat brings the birds inside and drops them the same with mice. :
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Post by madonplants on Nov 20, 2008 23:58:11 GMT 1
I know it is older, but I've been told it for years now, even since I was a child, that cats were going to be a problem in years to come, by the RSPB in fact. Over the years the cat has taken over from the dog, as man's best friend, due to lazziness of people not wanting to take them for walks, amongst other things. That paragraph contradicts itself though, saying only sick birds will get taken, but if cats are a problem, then try this and that to help the birds!!  Pike are added to trout fisheries to weed out the weak ones, but we all know, that's not always the case. This isn't a go at cats, I used to have them, but it IS one of the factors, true? Cheery says she keeps hers locked in over night, so she is a 'responsible' cat owner. Sorry going to be hated here again!! Fluff we kept in overnight, when I was a child and Smokey was the same, which is why I knew something was wrong, when he didn't come in, when called. Well box shaken!! Sorry, bringing back some bad memories, now! I did say cats were one of the reasons, not the only one. www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/index.asp
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 21, 2008 0:00:26 GMT 1
I blame Groundforce........(only joking!) People should have a financial incentive to stay green and unconcreted I think but I doubt if any city council has the balls to do it... A lot of people are paving there fronts out of necessity 4Ps because there isnt anywhere else to park you cant count on you having a space outside your house these days. They don't have to use concrete though do they? Gravel is nothing like as environmentally unfriendly (well, sort of..) and it doesn't cause the water to run off.... |
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Post by madonplants on Nov 21, 2008 0:05:23 GMT 1
A lot of people are paving there fronts out of necessity 4Ps because there isnt anywhere else to park you cant count on you having a space outside your house these days. They don't have to use concrete though do they? Gravel is nothing like as environmentally unfriendly (well, sort of..) and it doesn't cause the water to run off.... Concrete should be the last resort, as there are so many options nowadays. Gravel is quite a good burglar deterrent, as well!  |
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Post by debbiem on Nov 21, 2008 17:53:41 GMT 1
When I was camping in Chertsey at half-term there was a newspaper cutting on the notice board, about a certain type of parakeet, I can't remember the name but these were becoming rampant in certain areas and the RSPB are worried that they'll have to start culling them if they start pushing out the native bird population. The rumour is that a few escaped from Shepperton Studios in the fifites during the filming of the African Queen(I think), something like that, and they just bred and bred and now their numbers are getting out of control. That can't help our sparrows either.
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Post by madonplants on Nov 21, 2008 18:01:39 GMT 1
When I was camping in Chertsey at half-term there was a newspaper cutting on the notice board, about a certain type of parakeet, I can't remember the name but these were becoming rampant in certain areas and the RSPB are worried that they'll have to start culling them if they start pushing out the native bird population. The rumour is that a few escaped from Shepperton Studios in the fifites during the filming of the African Queen(I think), something like that, and they just bred and bred and now their numbers are getting out of control. That can't help our sparrows either. Bill Oddie on a Springwatch, mentioned them as well. I could see them doing a grey squirrel over here. I wonder whether a few good winters would reduce their numbers a bit, not that that is much likely!! |
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