Where are the sparrows now?

Sparrows, the chirpy little birds which were once a common feature of our parks and gardens, are becoming a rare sight in some areas.

To find out how severe the problem is, this summer, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds with the London Biodiversity Partnership launched the biggest public survey of house sparrows ever undertaken in London, called Where Have All Our Sparrows Gone?

Two weeks into the survey, more than 4,000 people had already submitted records online, allowing the RSPB to do some preliminary analysis, which revealed a mixed picture.

According to the preliminary findings, Romford, Kingston and areas with N postcodes have the highest numbers of sparrows overall in London, while the birds are very scarce in areas with NW and SE postcodes.

In central London, the picture is desperate, with only two sighting reported anywhere in the WC or EC postcodes.

Only eight flocks of 30 or more birds were reported via the web for the whole of London. The total number of sparrows seen was less than 4,000.

This is a dramatic decline. Only just over a decade ago, flocks containing more than a 1,000 birds each could be found in London.

However, one interesting trend is that several of the largest colonies seen this year are all within half a mile of the Thames.

The RSPB says that, whether this can be shown to be more than coincidence will depend on the number of replies it gets to its survey.

Keith Noble, London sparrows officer, said: "It is fascinating to watch the picture unfold of where sparrows are holding on in London and where it appears they have disappeared altogether."

But birdwatchers in Bromley are more optimistic about the fate of sparrows in the borough.

Members of the Bromley RSPB local group believe 2002 may be the first positive year for Bromley house sparrows for more than 20 years.

Bob Land, publicity officer with the RSPB Group says this breeding season seems to have been very productive, with young sparrows being seen in many places.

Derek McWalter, who is the bird recorder for the group, agrees, pointing as an example to his own garden where he has seen up to 30 birds this year.

Derek reckons half of the borough may still have sparrows but, he says, this still leaves a substantial area still sparrowless, and the numbers are a fraction of their former status.

According to the RSPB, the Bromley group has one of the best data sets in London to show the extent of the decline.

The group has run a January garden bird feeding survey for more than 20 years. About 60 garden owners take part, with observers recording which birds they see in their gardens throughout January.

In 1980, it was difficult not to see a sparrow in Bromley they were noted on 99.7 per cent of recording days and were the most frequent visitor to gardens.

By 1996 they were the third most regular visitor, only being seen on 65.1 per cent of days. In 2002, they dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, becoming only the twelfth most frequently-seen bird in resident's gardens, recorded only on one in every three recording days.

Further into Kent, Paul Tarrant, London Wildlife Trust member from Bexley, has found a method which is helping his local house sparrows.

Paul always had sparrows nesting in roof cavities in the past.

When he decided to renovate his roof, he took the initiative to ask builders to leave gaps to allow the sparrows to still be able to get in and out. The action proved successful, with two broods being produced in the first part of the year and 30 sparrows feeding in his garden by early May.

"So many people in Bexley now rarely see sparrows," said Paul, "so we feel really quite privileged to still have them around."

Sparrows officer Mr Noble said: "Providing food and nest sites can only do sparrows good in the face of their massive decline, so it would be great if as many people as possible could do something positive, like Paul, to help them.

"We have also had some reports from the Bexley RSPB Local Group of small flocks of sparrows in the Bexleyheath area, but its members are sure there are yet more flocks waiting to be found."

The Dartford/Littlebrook/Stone marshes used to hold the largest winter flocks of sparrows anywhere in London, with flocks of 5,000 regularly recorded in autumn into the 1970s, several hundred often remaining throughout the summer.

The findings of the Where Have All Our Sparrows Gone? survey will be published in the autumn. For more information, check out the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk.