“The house sparrow was once one of the world’s most common birds, but is now considered to be in danger, and its plight is of some concern”
Country Sights and Sounds
John Shelley
A flitter of sunshine came through the branches of the fruit trees to illuminate the courtyard, raising the recently planted primulas to a chorus of colour; reds, blues, yellows, on a background of vivid green, light-hungry leaves. Despite the hints and promises of Atlantic anticyclones, spring continues to be frustratingly postponed as these weather systems drift uselessly to the south, drawing air from the north to chill the evenings and shrivel our flowers. Still, warm days are getting warmer, and the brief appearance of the sun gladdens our hearts and lifts our spirits immeasurably. Little wonder the ancients worshipped it.
Now it is only the house sparrows that prostrate themselves before Phoebus, spending the hour of sun on the border, alternately picking at the multicoloured array of petals and spreading their wings and tail to warm them through. Now and then they leave off their sunbath to indulge in a frenetic chase, concerned that one of their number might have found a sunnier spot. So, rather than find a moment of real rest they fill themselves with angst, changing blessing into curse.
They seem to like falling out; there are other tensions in the colony, for this is the season of nest-building, and there are building sites to claim and materials to gather. Some are already incubating eggs. One or two nests contain fledgling youngsters, but these are the exception rather than the rule. Given a good supply of food and comfortable living quarters, the house sparrow will breed for nine or ten months of the year. Aristotle took note of this tendency and designated the sparrow ‘of all birds the most wanton’, and sparrows eggs were sometimes marketed as an aphrodisiac.
At the same time, house sparrows maintain the same nest site year after year, and a pair will remain faithful to one another for as long as they both live. Should one or other of the pair die, a single bird will be brought into the marriage as a replacement, sometimes within days of the bereavement.
When sparrows live close to human habitation their nests are characteristically untidy, consisting of little more than a handful of straw with a few feathers for lining. But when they nest in trees, as I am told they often do in warmer countries, they prove themselves most capable builders, constructing large, well-woven, weatherproof nests with a domed roof and a neat side entrance. I should like to see this for myself.
Great fun can be had by tying a soft feather from the breast of a chicken to a long piece of cotton, and leaving it in the open where the birds can easily see it. A few early moments of suspicion are soon overcome as one bird recognises the value of what is before him and tries to fly off with his prize. As soon as the first bird makes his move a second will immediately follow. Of course neither will be able to claim the feather without finding themselves brought up short by the length of thread. More birds will join the fun, each one determined to make the prize his own, and in a short time almost every cock sparrow in the vicinity will be squabbling, determined to claim the feather for his own nest.
The house sparrow was once one of the world’s most common birds, but that situation has changed dramatically, with over 60 per cent of the western European population lost over the last quarter of a century. The species is now considered to be in danger, and its plight is of some concern to conservationists.
The reasons behind the decline in numbers are poorly understood, although the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides is thought to be at least partly responsible. Sparrow chicks are fed a diet of insect food for the first few days of their lives. Even a slight contamination of insects by farmyard and household chemicals is believed to accumulate in the nestlings vital organs, weakening immune systems and causing premature death. A shortage of insect food, a reduction in the number of suitable nest sites and modern industrial farming practices are also having impacts.
Where would we be without our cheerful sparrow friends? They might be seen as the canary in the mine shaft, with their demise telling us that something is amiss with our world.
