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Speaking of fallen robins in another thread can anyone tell me what has happened to the sparrows we used to fall over them there were so many now I don't see any. What has happened to them?

Probably pollution, Paula. If I have time later, I'll relate an interesting anecdote re: the sparrows at the World Trade Center ~ or someone else will.

They are all in Minnesota, and I love them. The song of the Harris's Sparrow is so pretty. The English Sparrow spends the winter and on a sunny twenty below zero day they find a sunny spot and sit and sing their little hearts out.

You are right, Paula, all we seem to get round here these days are starlings and magpies, and I think the last time I heard a blackbird sing was on the Beatles white album.

I think there has definately been a decline in a lot of our native birds in Britain, possibly due to continueing urban development and concrete replacing trees and hedgerows.

We must be quite lucky here as there are a lot of big trees in our neighbourhood for birds to nest in. We have in our garden resident families of sparows, blackbirds, song thrushes and a selection of great tits and blue tits who usually manage to raise a youngster each each Spring. We feed them with a selection of seeds all year and some are quite tame. The blackbirds enjoy the apple cores that get thrown out every day, and the robins always come very close.

Margaret, not related to Bill Oddie the twitcher(birdwatcher)

I think it is sad I love sparrows - we have Magpies which I always spend ages looking for their mate - one for sorry etc and pigeons and Starlings which just bully the other birds.

I haven't seen a Robin for years. Mind you I do know why you never see baby pigeons.

What happened to the birds at the WTC Lizzie.

In the newly-constructed Winter Garden of the World Trade Center space, hundreds of sparrows have taken up residence inside, in the garden area. Sparrows do not like to be inside, and they never came inside in the old Winter Garden at the World Trade Center, yet they are now living there, inside. We were discussing what this meant or could mean. When I have time, I'll list some of the ideas we had. For now, it's sooooo late. Later.

I think we just have to accept that the sparrows got fed up with being just sparrows. They realised that singing was just another way of escaping reality. One day a sparrow said to herself : I want so much more than just being a single bird in this gigantic gospel unity. I want to be the creater myself.

Others joined her. They made one huge wing out of their fethers and set out to meet God.
-we want power, they said to the old dwarf.
-Im in the middle of something, he replied
-Ok you'll have to listen to "where have all the flowers gone" allnight
-oh no, not that, the dwarf cried, Im old and weak, I can't stand that puke
-Wheeerrrrrreee haaaaveeee aallll the floooooowerrrss gooooonnnee, the sparrows sang, they knew that this was power
-Ok ok, the old dwarf was weeping, you will get to rule Earth, they've lost their sense of humour anyhow
-great, hey friends lets find the wires and make them more comfy.

Very clever explanation, Peter. I like it .

I have to say that I have not seen any vultures where I live over the last few years.

No vultures here either, but I did see a sparrowhawk claim one of our local sparrows in the garden last week.

Aside from the magical explanations for the sparrows living inside the Winter Garden now, the purely physical/scientific one might be the lack of healthy air quality since the World Trade Center disaster. With the various lung conditions the people in the area are developing since then, the magnitude on a poor, tiny sparrow's breathing apparatus would be far greater.

With the transformation of poor air into healthy/ier air that plants bring, particularly to an enclosed, indoor environment, the breathing for the sparrow could be much easier. It might also be easier on their eyes, given the miniscule particles perhaps still floating about, or getting stirred up by winds and breezes, and the regular movement about the city of various vehicles and people. There may also be a filtration system of sorts in operation for the air in that space, as well. If there is moving water [small waterfalls, fountains, etc.], the negative ions would lend air quality more to the liking of sparrows, too.

I really like the ideas above; however, in addition to, not as a substitute for, the magical ones. G..d bless the sparrows.

Please let me know when a 'nightingale sings in' the WTC area, and then I will know that we are all truly cousins in life and suffering.

Nightingales have a terrible song - one kept me awake almost all night once. Shoot them all I say!

And then eat them!