[Tweeters] The Sparrow Wars-“still all men who wear a mustache…..”—-“Meet the Little Brown Bird That Holds a Mirror Up to Humanity | Audubon”

[Dennis Paulson]

I don’t think pesticides are responsible for House Sparrow declines, as they are primarily seed-eaters, and most of our seed-eaters seem to be doing fine. Perhaps a steady decline in nest sites, as we clean up the place, but it could be something else. House Sparrows have declined greatly in Europe, where they are native, and as far as I know, they haven’t come up with any clear ideas of the cause.

We had up to 30 House Sparrows at our feeders when we moved to this house in 1991, and for several years now we have scarcely seen one. A House Sparrow at a feeder is an exciting event! Same with starlings, although we see a few from time to time.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle


> On Jul 13, 2023, at 9:46 AM, Alan Roedell <alanroedell at gmail.com> wrote:

> 

> Very informative and interesting article.

> I've noticed a steep decline in House Sparrow numbers in Seattle. Pesticides?

> 

> On Mon, Jul 10, 2023, 11:35 PM Dan Reiff <dan.owl.reiff at gmail.com <mailto:dan.owl.reiff at gmail.com>> wrote:

> 

> https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-little-brown-bird-holds-mirror-humanity <https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-little-brown-bird-holds-mirror-humanity>

> 

> 

> Sent from my iPhone

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