Sparrow decline

Apparently much of the blame has been placed on an irresponsible and elitist minority who hunt these beautiful birds with felines.

Experts think the sparrow population may be dwindling because we keep too many cats or because modern gardens are too neat and tidy, leaving nowhere for the birds to roost.

If the problem is the former then one has to wonder about the advice being given:

A government campaign advises people on enticing the creatures back to gardens after a slump in numbers to about 13 million from a 1970s peak of 25 million.

Tips include leaving out food, avoiding mowing lawns intensively during the summer and leaving small, weedy patches.

Sounds like they're trying to create better hunting grounds to me.

Posted by JohnJo at February 20, 2004 11:21 AM | TrackBack