Like others, I too am surprised that sparrows are in decline, we have dozens
in our garden! Similarly for starlings, although they aren't here in the
usual "hundreds" but rather "dozens"!

regards,

David

East Lothian

"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 16:15:09 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

I'm often amazed by the claim that sparrows are in decline. We have
dozens
of them here - more than anything else.

When I first moved to this part of Torquay, there was a cheery
population of sparrows here in the village. mostly, they congregated
around the local pub at the top of the road. They disappeared about
12 years ago and I've not seen another sparrow in Torquay itself
since. I understand there is still a resident population in the
grounds of Paignton Zoo, but that's about the closest to here. I
haven't seen a starling for donkey's years either - two of what were
once the most common of birds, now all but locally extinct :-(

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November