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Female House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
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Photo Details
Colin Key
user
Registered: December 2007
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Posts: 3,384
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Without doubt one of the most "drab" birds in the world, and one of the most annoyingly noisy. This girl has set up home in a giant Yucca in my garden and has so far produced 27 young this year.
Canon 1D Mk3 400f/5.6 + 1.4TCII
1/2500s f/8.0 at 560mm ISO 800
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· Date: Fri June 27, 2008 · Views: 2,643
· Filesize: 33.3kb, 423.1kb · Dimensions: 725 x 800 ·
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Additional Info
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Keywords: Female House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
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PeterD
Senior Member
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Registered: February 2008
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 1,256
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Hi Colin,
Is the bird going for the record books I wonder? She certainly deserves to be added to the gallery!
To think, only a few years back people were worried about the decline in the sparrow population. Even here in the Uk, I see more of these than any other bird. I have also noted significant success in the Dunnock population - the so-called hedge sparrow.
Magpies are a real problem as they have an uncanny way of finding and raiding the nests of other birds. They too seem to be thriving this year.
PeterD
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PeterD
www.imageinuk.com
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Colin Key
user
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Registered: December 2007
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Posts: 3,384
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Hello Peter,
I was rather tempted to "remove" this nest (as I do whenever they attempt nest in chimneys and air vents) but when I got up the ladder and found that there were eight eggs in the first brood I just didn't have the heart. But my God they are bloody noisy!! The whole nest structure is now about a yard deep and half-a-yard wide and I think that all the offspring from three broods are sleeping in there - at dawn it is an unbelievable noise when they all wake up and want breakfast.
House Sparrows are very successful here and in the autumn it is common to see post-breeding flocks of 500 or more. Oddly enough, Sparrowhawks are quite rare here!
Magpies are fortunately also quite rare here; I have witnessed first hand the destruction they cause in my garden in London - they have now become so clever that instead of eating the eggs of Blackbirds, etc. they know that if they wait a while they will get a much bigger meal. They are stunning, striking birds but I know lot of my birding friends in the UK who are armed with .22 air rifles or l....n traps.
All the best,
Colin
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Fòrum Aves: http://aves.team-forum.net/forum
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