Colonel Bloomer wrote in message
news

Meant to add. I reckon the nest sites is a major contribution as well.
As kids we used to rip the tiles up off old roofs in the city and
there were literally hundreds of nests in a single block of roofs.
These are all largely gone now, so no more nest sites. Must be a major
factor I'd have thought.


That was another of Kate's conclusions. My roof is absolutely stuffed with
sparrow nests, they can get in as I have sort of "wavy" rendering on the
house walls.
Just down the road a neighbour has a bungalow with shingles on the side.
One or two of them are broken, and sparrows are nesting in there, too.
They like to nest in occupied buildings. UPVC cladding, soffits and
bargeboards are a lot easier for maintenance, but they cannot get in.
Sometimes, in the very early morning, the males are chirping to attract a
mate and it wakes me up. I curse them a bit then..
I'm glad to have them though. Mostly ;-)
However, it is no good having nest sites if there's no food for the babies.

Tina