Can you really help the Sparrows?

Helping the survival of Sparrows is easy - right?

How can we help reverse the massive decline in House Sparrow numbers in the UK? We can all do our bit, the Sparrow population has fallen since the 1960's due to lack of habitat and chemical intensity on farmland. Some of the farmland is now being managed in a much better way than before, there are special environmental schemes that promote the wildlife preservation and of course our British farmers are very committed to the environment and the wildlife on their farms. As you travel around the country side you will see wide margins (headland) around fields that look like they are grass or just left to go wild, in fact this is part of a stewardship scheme that rewards the farmer for leaving such a large margin without chemicals to allow wild birds and animals to set about their every day living and breeding undisturbed. Also it is against the law to cut hedges between March and September to allow the wild birds to nest in peace. Some 80 out of 92 chemicals were outlawed in 2010 by the European Union in order to reduce the amount of harmful ingredients applied to the land. As well as the Sparrows this has helped all wildlife to survive better. So much for the farmers, they are doing their bit, what can we do to help the House Sparrows? An easy answer if you have the room is to put up a Sparrow nest box, they are communal birds and  so a Sparrow nest box tends to be three in one, but you can always fit three (or more) next to each other , remember to get the best results - fact the box North East and find a quiet place away from road traffic, pets and predators - see our nest box positioning help and advice page for more details. Sparrows like to fly in and out of cover, so if you have a hedge, leave it to grow for a bit longer, if you have a small garden with fencing all around, try a large shrub in one corner near your wild bird feeding station so the Sparrows can fly in and out with protection, you can fix the bird nest box just behind the shrub to give cover. To get everything right for the wild birds to nest in your garden carefull consideration neeeds to be given to the location, and direction of the wild bird nest box nad the surrounding area. Once you have done the above or similar then you can really say you have helped the wildlife in your area, it may not be House Sparrows that occupy the nest box - it may not even be birds - mice and small mammals love to crawl up in to the nest boxes and sleep over. But whatever you do, you will be able to say you have done your bit for wildlife conservation in your garden. [caption id="attachment_3712" align="alignleft" width="150"] Sparrows are communal birds that like to nest close together. So the Sparrow colony nest box is designed specially for the Sparrows to nest together, with three separate compartments.[/caption]