Parenting skills on display for all to marvel at

IN RECENT weeks my bird feeders have been dominated by juvenile birds, either being fed by their parents or learning the skills needed to extract the seeds and nuts themselves.

It has been interesting to watch this and I’ve learnt something about the parenting techniques of various species.

The house sparrows seem to have had a very good breeding season. A couple of years ago they were on the brink of extinction locally. Only a very occasional specimen was spotted on or around the feeders and this caused great excitement. Now they’re probably the commonest species, arriving in substantial flocks. I wonder if this is a sign that the national decline in numbers of house sparrows has reversed itself or if it’s just a local phenomenon.