• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: sparrow

World Sparrow Day 2021

20 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, house sparrow, sparrow, World Sparrow Day

For today’s celebration of the humble little House sparrow, I’m sharing a wonderful snippet of information tweeted this morning by the Welsh Ornithological Society:
‘We’re proud to say that Wales holds the longevity record for #HouseSparrow at 12 years and 12 days with a bird which was ringed in #Torfaen in 1966 and which was found dead in . . . Torfaen in 1978. A well-travelled individual!’

210320 house sparrow (1)210320 house sparrow (2)210320 house sparrow (3)

Like this:

Like Loading...

347/366 Speug

12 Saturday Dec 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, house sparrow, Passer domesticus, sparrow, speug, vernacular names for sparrow

Craff, cuddy, grey spadger, roo-doo, sparr and sprug, spuggie and spurdie…. These are all regional names for the sparrow, both the House sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Tree sparrow (Passer montanus). My ex, a Lanarkshire Scotsman, called it a speug, so that name is one I still sometimes use. And I’m sure many of you will have your own names for this little bird, one of our most common urban garden companions.

201212 house sparrow

Like this:

Like Loading...

The marina sparrows

08 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, plants

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, house sparrow, pampas grass, Penarth marina, sparrow, toetoe

At one end of my regular walk along the embankment of the Ely River where it flows in to Cardiff Bay, near the entrance to Penarth Marina, is a huge stand of what I presume is a type of pampas grass. I always look at it, partly because it reminds me of my New Zealand home (where we would call this by the Maori name Toetoe) and partly because it is often covered in House sparrows.

181208 marina sparrows (1)

The birds seem to adore this grass. The sturdy stems provide convenient perches on which to sit and cheep their continuous sparrow conversations, and they pluck away at the fluffy plumes, presumably extracting edible seeds to munch on. And, when threatened by the local ginger-and-white cat, which is frequently to be seen staring hungrily in their direction, the sparrows can easily flit into the dense vegetation of the grass clump to escape the cat’s clutches.

181208 marina sparrows (2)
181208 marina sparrows (3a)
181208 marina sparrows (4)
181208 marina sparrows (5)
181208 marina sparrows (6)
181208 marina sparrows (7)
181208 marina sparrows (8)
181208 marina sparrows (9)

Like this:

Like Loading...

One-two-one

11 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

birding, birdwatching, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, house sparrow, sparrow

‘I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.’ ~ Henry David Thoreau. I have not shared Thoreau’s privileged occurrence but I do enjoy watching and listening to sparrows, like these two juveniles seen recently at Forest Farm.

171011 House sparrows (1)171011 House sparrows (2)171011 House sparrows (3)171011 House sparrows (4)171011 House sparrows (5)

Like this:

Like Loading...

It’s World Sparrow Day!

20 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, nature photography

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, Cambodia sparrow, house sparrow, New Zealand sparrow, Red list, rufous-collared sparrow, sparrow, Tanzanian sparrow

I miss sparrows.

160320 sparrow (1)

In my homeland, New Zealand, they are probably the most common and well known bird, though the New Zealand sparrow is not a native – it was introduced there several times between 1866 and 1871, and has clearly made itself at home. Sparrows were also familiar birds during the time I lived in Peru and in Cambodia but, here in Wales, I seldom see them, because, in recent years, the humble house sparrow (Passer domesticus domesticus) has undergone a huge decline in Britain. And I do mean huge – the British Trust for Ornithology website reports that the population has declined by 71% since 1977, possibly due to loss of habitat but also to a decline in the insects adult birds feed their young. The house sparrow is now on Britain’s red list, as a bird of the highest conservation concern.

160320 sparrow (2)

Around the world there are 26 species of house sparrow, native to Europe, Asia and north-west Africa. There are also American sparrows (from a separate family, the Emberizidae) and birds with similar names, like the Java sparrow (also a different family, the Estrildidae). Still, the world would be much the poorer if it lost the lovely British house sparrow, so it is gratifying to know that various wildlife organisations are working to improve its situation and increase its population. Today, let’s celebrate the humble sparrow!

160320 sparrow nz (1)

female (left) and male (right) New Zealand sparrows

160320 sparrow cambodia (1)

a sparrow in Cambodia

160320 sparrow tanzania & rufous-collared peru

left, a sparrow in Tanzania (far too busy gathering nest materials to pose for a photo), and, right, a rufous-collared sparrow in Peru

Like this:

Like Loading...

About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

View Full Profile →

Follow earthstar on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • Woodlouse: Porcellio spinicornis February 2, 2023
  • Song vs Mistle February 1, 2023
  • Song thrushes are a’singing January 31, 2023
  • Down the hatch January 30, 2023
  • First Primroses January 29, 2023

From the archives

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Fellow Earth Stars!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • earthstar
    • Join 578 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • earthstar
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d bloggers like this: