Our bird boxes should just be for sparrows. The "Cockney" connection is just too tempting. Obviously we can help other wildlife in future if necessary... I just think these are right because they used to thrive in urban areas but even they are being forced out.
Tuesday, 26 November, 2002, 12:17 GMTWhole article from BBC
R.I.P. Cockney Sparrow
COCKNEY SPARROW, the once ubiquitous London bird, is brown bread.
The cheerful chirps and twitters of the common house sparrow can no longer be heard in many parts of London, according to a new survey. The house sparrow, or passer domesticus, is one of Britain's best-loved native birds; a gregarious creature with a penchant for dust baths and feasting on insects.
Cockney is survived by house sparrows outside the capital and wider kin such as the hedge sparrow, swamp sparrow, field sparrow and mountain sparrow.
The Cockney sobriquet came about in the 19th Century when the gregarious creature was a fixture of the capital's parks, gardens and squares. Its first decline in numbers came between the wars, as horse transportation gave way to the motor car. The birds had enjoyed feeding on grain spilt from nosebags or undigested in dung.
No comments:
Post a Comment