First House Martin

[Big J R]

Yesterday afternoon, I saw the first house martin of the year circling over our estate.

 

Over recent years, they have been getting rarer and rarer due to our Council deciding to put plastic boards under the eaves of all the houses, hence minimising their nest building potential.

 

I can't help feeling that May 4th. is late for the first arrival, but I suppose the weather is to blame.

 

The house martin is undoubtably my 'favourite' bird.

 

Not long til Kate and Bill start 'Springwatch' !

 

I can't wait !

[Eastside Urchin]

it is a bit late,we have had house martins round here for the last couple of weeks although i have seen less and less over the last few years!

[Big J R]

Sparrows now almost extinct on the estate, and starlings rapidly in decline.

 

I would put up some sparrow communal nesting boxes and house martin boxes, but with two young cats, one ex-feral, I daren't !

[Eastside Urchin]

i have not noted any decline in sparrows round here,if anything i think there are more than there wer 5 years ago.Same with starlings

[Big J R]

I remember Bill Oddie doing a programme on TV a couple of years ago about the rapid decline of sparrows in London. No-one really seemed to know why this was occuring.

 

On this estate about 20 years ago, if you threw bread onto the lawn, around 20 to 30 sparrow would descend in seconds. Nowadays, its a couple of wood pigeons and maybe a starling or two after half an hour.

 

Incidently, this is the first year ever, that we haven't had at least one pair of sparrows nesting in our house.

[Eastside Urchin]

i know there are virtually no sparrows in london and greater london but i would of thought there was still a stronghold in your area jr.

I haven't seen any visible decline round here but this could be the first area to the east of london still with a numerous amount of sparrows(upminster)

i lived in hornchurch till i was 11 and we had many but not too sure what the population is like there,about 3 miles away,i have friends who still live in the area and i will find out!

[Dagger03]

Sparrows - I would say there has been a slight increase in the last couple of years - there are two separate flocks on the Rush Green Road (near to the hedges on the Havering side of the road), another flock at Stour Road, again in the hedges.

 

We have a few in our own road, but the biggest flock by far is at Pitsea where there are fifty or more.

 

Also some at the RSPB centre at Aveley.

 

However compared to just ten years ago the decline is catastrophic.

 

Starling still very common in most places, but the flocks are now a lot smaller - you no longer get them swarming in thousands, it is now down to hundreds.