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Science/nature/environment

Do Sparrows Bounce?

(21 Posts)
Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 16:02:07

I was woken by a very loud bang this morning. DS was in the kitchen and said that he had not banged the window at a cat performing its ablutions in the garden.

Then I saw a very clear imprint of a small bird on the window, so I think it was probably a sparrow crashing into the glass. We cannot find a little body anywhere; I am now hoping that their feathers make them resilient and it bounced and flew off again safely.

Where do birds go when they die? I never see any little bodies around the garden. Does anyone know?

It may seem frivolous, but I have spent quite some time looking for it to see if it needs emergency treatment.

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 16:03:16

Sorry, it is not a very uplifting thread, it is sad

grannylyn65 Thu 30-Jun-16 16:19:59

No ,but exactly the same here, noise makes me jump out my socks, but no corpses this far!

Pittcity Thu 30-Jun-16 16:22:41

We have seen them crash into the glass, fall to the floorfor a split second and then fly off into the nearest bush. What happens then is anyone's guess.

ninathenana Thu 30-Jun-16 16:23:56

I've had pigeons bounce off the patio doors a couple of times and fly straight off. Sadly I suspect a sparrow may not have survived. Usually they shuffle off under a bush or in a corner and fade away. If there are cats around..............
draw your own conclusions sad

grannylyn65 Thu 30-Jun-16 16:25:35

☹️

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 16:27:49

oh dear sad
I have had a pigeon slam into the patio door, sit on the patio looking stunned then it was taken off by a sparrowhawk and .... well you don't want to know.

Sorry not to cheer everyone up; I will go and look amongst the rose bushes. I haven't seen any cats around today.

breeze Thu 30-Jun-16 16:33:24

Jalima! Sorry about the bird (happens with my conservatory on occasion) but, was only chatting to OH whilst watching Spring Watch a while ago and I said 'Where do birds go to die?'. OH gave me 'his look'. I said 'No, really. I have never been hit by a bird that died on the wing. And I've lived a fair old time and there are a lot of birds up there. And, I've not even seen one drop off a branch'. Only dead birds I've seen, the cats have got. One of life's little mysteries! Where is Chris Packham when you need him! Any ornathologists our there?????

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 16:38:36

Where do all the small (and large!) animals go when they die?(no, that is not a question about Heaven or Hell). There are hedgehogs, badgers, foxes, rabbits on the road sometimes, but I have never seen one just lying there in a hedgerow.

Sorry, this was meant to get away from the political threads and it is really depressing!

On the other hand, we seem to have lots more sparrows, they must be have been nesting and bringing up young somewhere nearby!!

breeze Thu 30-Jun-16 16:42:31

It's not depressing. It's interesting! Think that's easier to understand with the ground dwelling mammals. Presumably they crawl under things, then nature takes it course, or bodies disposed of by crows etc. But why don't birds drop out of the sky? They must die on wing surely?

GandTea Thu 30-Jun-16 16:48:25

Well that was an eye catching title for a thread.

I suspect they do, so long as they do not hit head on. We had a sparrow hawk hit the window very hard 9or so it sounded) It lay stunned on our conservatory roof for about 15 min, then flew into a tree and sat there for a long while before eventually flying off.

On the other hand, there was a shoot opposite my office, a pheasant flew into the window and was killed. When I prepared it (not going to waste a good pheasant) it's neck was totally shattered, must have died instantly.

Elegran Thu 30-Jun-16 16:55:43

Perhaps the birds do an emergency landing then creep under a bush somewhere? Foxes do a great job clearing up dead things. Insects demolish corpses amazingly fast.

LullyDully Thu 30-Jun-16 16:56:47

They do that when they are flying in to eat insects on the edge of window( maybe your Windows are cleaner than mine.)

breeze Thu 30-Jun-16 16:59:26

Nice to see sparrows making a come back Jalima. At risk it seems due to destruction of their habitat. We have a group that hang around a shrubby area next door and visit our bird feeders. They make me chuckle when they dart in and out of a shrub I have to hide. Hope you enjoyed the pheasant GT. At least you won't break a tooth on any gunshot pellets!

rosesarered Thu 30-Jun-16 16:59:56

it's usually pigeons [they fly off again none the worse] but a bluetit flew into the conservatory glass last week and lay dead on the patio.It was there for hours, so had to dispose of it.

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 19:29:33

Have been out in the garden and looked under a few shrubs, behind pots etc and can't see it anywhere.

From the imprint it didn't hit head on, more sideways so perhaps it landed on the vine and recovered!

I like to think so, anyway.

The windows aren't that clean but not too bad!

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 19:31:31

I haven't cleaned the imprint off, it looks rather sweet, beak, little head, round body and tiny feet.
Think I'll call it Stanley.

hildajenniJ Thu 30-Jun-16 19:52:59

Same happened at my house yesterday Jalima. I opened the curtains to find the outline of a bird on the glass doors. Bigger than a sparrow, I think it might have been a little owl by the shape of it's wings. I looked all round, but couldn't find a body anywhere. The blackbird that flew into my conservatory door didn't care so well though. It was killed outright.

hildajenniJ Thu 30-Jun-16 19:54:13

Fare, not care!

Jalima Thu 30-Jun-16 20:09:21

Hope the little owl was all right hildajenni.

It's a good reminder not to clean the windows

Stansgran Thu 30-Jun-16 21:08:09

Yes it happens immediately after the window cleaner. Sometimes ,mostly, it's pigeons but last week it was very dead ( broken neck) and we didn't recognise the bird. DH rushed to get the bird book went back and it had been removed in seconds. If they're stunned we have a designated shoebox to sit them on the car roof out of fox/ cat reach until they revive. We are sad twitchery types.
The pigeons leave a rather impressive Germanic crest