Just a thought. We moved into our house 28 years ago. The House Sparrows were nesting under our roof then and still 28 years later they are using exactly the same nest sites. That is also true for the nest under the roof next door. It's so defining. It's not just a house for us, bricks and tiles, but also a home for successive generations of House Sparrows! The same is true for the hedge up the road. To most people it's just a hedge that people walk and drive past every day. But each night the Old School Sparrow Clan gather here, its their night time roost. As they arrive there is a little bit excitement and a chirrup or two. Then at dusk, as the short day closes, they are heads down ready for sleep. The hedge is tightly thatched and there is a mixture of Holly and Ivy in it. Both plants bearing leaves during the winter and these leaves help to keep the sparrow warm and dry on a cold and wet December night.
In the morning they welcome the day with a communal singsong and then fly off in small groups to get on with their day.
By the way the Sparrows nesting in our house are not 28 years old!. Average lifespan of a sparrow according to the BTO is 2 - 3 years and the oldest known sparrow lived to the ripe old age of 6 or there about.
Comments