Do the sparrows go on holiday?

Pigeons missed 99% of most lessons, they have 100% attendance at procreation classes and eating patiently grown vegetable plants.
Now you mention it, our sparrows have disappeared in the last couple of weeks.

Many sparrows living in the trees on my boundary, along with one robin who pops in occasionally. Sparrows are loving it at the moment, little beaks pecking the food appearing from the ground after removing paving slabs. Twice a day they come to eat. A joy to watch. Others appearing, pigeons, very large, blackbirds and the odd starling.

I’m not seeing any birds these days as I’ve had to stop putting food out due to a family of rats that have taken over that part of the garden. I have put one of those mouse and rat deterent plug ins in the shed though and I’m hoping it covers a large enough area to allow me to put food out again. It’s only a small garden.

Yes, they're on holiday here, at least a couple of dozen of them.

I think they're enjoying themselves, , they are emptying the feeders here faster than we can fill them!

Croeso y Cymru!

unfortunately i found one dead one on Sunday under the hedge but since then there have been lots of youngsters messing about in the hedge, all day really. Still none by the barn but at least we have lots of youngsters

Oh good this has made my day x

Ignore the last word ?.

Sparrows nest all around our house, in the roof, and the bushes. They have all gone, no cheeping in the hedges opposite.
Fear not! The will return. This is all part of their natural behaviour.
The following is from a bird magazine.

"House Sparrows are among the most sedentary British birds with even juveniles nesting not too far from their parents.

In late summer, after the breeding season, House Sparrows often disappear from their colonies for a few weeks to feed on grain and weed seeds in nearby farmland or grassland. behaviour. "

We’ve had loads of sparrows nesting in the eaves, loads of starlings, few blackbirds but it is noticeably very quiet this week. I have seen a blackbird on occasion. Garden very quiet. Pigeons still “building” nests but obviously they missed those lessons on how to make a proper nest.

fairfraise

We had an absolute tragedy a few weeks ago. Wondering why one box had gone quiet so DH went up ladder to look inside and found three little dried up corpses. I think it must have been the intense heat as perhaps the box was in wrong spot or perhaps a cat had got parents. It made us feel quite sad.

That is sad

I have put some fresh water in the bird bath and some seed in the hope that Mr Nosey might make an appearance and show his naked scruffy body. Fingers crossed

It helps to feed them.
I have been feeding birds in front and back gardens for many years now.
I used to get many types ( 20 different types) but now it is only sparrows!
I am pleased to see them but miss the others too.
Also I had bushes and a tree planted 10 years ago and this helps the smaller birds to have a safe refuge from the damm cats (not mine) who sit and watch and wait.

As a child in East London I only ever saw sparrows and pigeons it has been a delight to see tha the UK has so many varieties.

During the spring and summer I had many sparrow families visiting my garden. It's quiet now, but as a poster upthread mentioned, the birds are in moult now. We don't see much of them as they tend to spend this time in the undergrowth. I have bluetits feeding from the hanging feeder.

Yes, they all come to the tree opposite our home. . They're so loud, chattering away in the evening. I quite enjoy it though.

Roost *

We have loads of sparrows, their preferred roots is the front of a three storey Georgian house, opposite.
They then fly around a triangle of houses alighting in each garden for several minutes, then their off again! Chattering to each other all the time.
They also love our fountain for a daily bath and shower.

Well there ya go Whitewave I was told to face mine East!

I've noticed sparrows are not as populous as they used to be. But then, many species are declining I think. The human effect and probably linked to global warming too. I know many insects are extinct now, so I guess if their food source goes...

I DID however notice a lot of sparrows in Switzerland. Clearly they don't have whatever the issue is we have there.

Oh no at predator it would explain the moss though. I think some of it has come off the actual tiles rather than from inside the tile cavity

I am going to pin my hopes on them being in the lake district

I have had a look I can't see any dead babies, they just aren't there at all. Even Mr nosey who is always out on the corner of the guttering chirping away and inspecting the top of my husband's head, he has gone too

We do have hawks but they tend to nick one at a time from the hedge. The kites and buzzards are too busy winding up the corvids and keeping down the rodent population. We do have stoats and weasels but I've not seen them for a while......

A clearing out like that sadly suggests it's a predator, possibly a magpie, gull, bird of prey or even rats. If it is a predator, the sparrows will relocate away from the danger.

We don’t get sparrows here a disappointment to me but ten minutes walk away it’s farm land and they are everywhere. We have two farm shops close by and the sparrows nest all over the place.

My DD lives in Lancashire the view from her house is Pendle hill her garden is always busy with sparrows and full of nests.
I think they do eventually move away from nesting places to forage what is available to feed on.

Nesting boxes should face north

Namsnanny It is disturbing. We took the box down and decided not to replace it there, as it was in a sunny spot. But then we had put it there as neighbouring cats could not have got up there, at side of house.

They moult this time of year so keep themselves to themselves?

Your sparrows are on holiday here in the Lake District ? and very welcome they are too.
Seriously, it sound like the work of magpies or similar predators, have you noticed and increase of this type of bird in the vicinity?