Conservation Planner 20 - RSPB

Homes for birds
The house sparrow – not, we hope, about
to vanish from our urban areas
The sight of a house sparrow
in our towns and inner cities
should not be taken for granted.
House sparrows used to be common, but their population has declined by
almost two thirds in the last 25 years. This means that the house sparrow is
now ‘red listed’ as a species of high conservation concern.
It is not clear whether the decline is due to a lack of food, nest sites or
other factors. But we do know that simple measures can be taken by local
authorities, developers and homeowners to help sparrows and other
town birds such as swifts and black redstarts.
We need to consider every element of the birds’ life cycles – breeding,
feeding, watering, winter survival and shelter. We can manage the
landscaped environment to meet the needs of each and give birds a better
chance of survival. This can be done by planting native plants, encouraging
annual weeds to grow in selected areas, leaving longer grass and reducing
the use of herbicides and insectides.
In new buildings, we can incorporate enclosed nestboxes behind fascias
and soffits. For those concerned about house sales, the bird holes can be
blanked with a removable plate, letting homeowners choose whether they
would like birds to nest or not. In old buildings, renovation should be carried
out during the winter wherever possible and potential nest sites should not
be blocked. All work should be carried out according to the requirements
of the law.
Action is being taken. Most London boroughs are actively involved in house
sparrow projects. Outside the capital, too, work is underway. Merseyside
has two authorities working to produce supplementary planning guidance
on mitigation and enhancement issues for urban birds such as the house
sparrow. In Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is keen
to encourage more birds in buildings and Caerphilly Borough Council has
written a Species Action Plan for the house sparrow and carried out a
house-nesting bird survey.
Mike Lane (rspb-images.com) David Kjaer (rspb-images.com)
Information and help is at hand and it isn’t just the house sparrow that is
targeted for action. There are websites giving advice on how to help swifts
and black redstarts, too. They give examples of situations where close work
between architects and planners has benefited birds by creating habitat and
providing nest sites in both old and new buildings. The RSPB, like many
other wildlife organisations, has produced leaflets and can give advice on
conservation action (please see back page for contact details).
Let’s hope that seeing birds in our towns remains a thrill for future
generations to enjoy.
You can visit the following websites for more information:
www.concernforswifts.com
www.londons-swifts.org.uk
www.blackredstarts.org.uk
John Day
Assistant Advisory Officer, UK Headquarters
e-mail: john.day.lodge@rspb.org.uk
Buildings should incorporate homes
for birds like the swift
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