Spuggies

House Sparrows have been on the RSPB red list for some time now. They may still be one of our commonest birds, but their numbers compared to even just a decade ago have fallen massively. We've seen that slip ourselves - when we first moved in 12 years ago there were swarms of them, but the last few years we've been lucky if there were 3 or 4.

I don't think it's too much of a coincidence that a lot of back gardens around us, including on one side of us, have seen big bushes taken out, which used to be safe havens for the flocks; and even more of the front gardens have become concreted wastelands (again, on one side of us, just last week, the last remnants of greenery have made way for a concrete expanse - I'm trying to redress slightly. While I'm widening our driveway (by a foot) to make it easier to get in when people park like eejits opposite (they moved out today!), I'm actually replacing the non-draining slabs, and putting porous gravel down....).

Anyway, this year seems to have been a good year, and we're heading back up to multiple dozens in the garden at once. And Little Brown Bird though they are, it's lovely to see.