14 January 2011

Hope not yet lost for Gower Tree Sparrows!

Andrew Lucas wrote "Regular readers of 'Gower Wildlife' might remember the Gower Tree Sparrow Project annual newsletter posted here before Christmas. In summary, the situation is not good, with the only known colony in Gower, at Newton Farm near Scurlage, having apparently dwindled to extinction this year.

Richard Facey has drawn my attention to a fascinating account of tree sparrows in Gwent. There, birds also disappeared from a well-studied breeding site for four years, before inexplicably returning. Nestbox usage was also slow, with one site having several years between the boxes being erected and first use by sparrows. [click here to see report http://www.scribd.com/doc/46861958]

So maybe we shouldn't lose hope just yet."

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