Sparrows are wonderful birds to have in the garden. The hedges surrounding my yard are home to several different species of sparrow throughout the year. In the autumn and winter, there is a thriving community of Juncos, and in the spring and summer, other types of sparrows, such as Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows, move in to make nests and raise their young as the Juncos have moved on to their summer regions.
In the summer, sparrows help to keep insect populations, such as mosquitoes, from getting out of control. Since I do not use pesticides in my garden, I have been making an effort in recent years to encourage more sparrows to nest close to my yard by including bird baths, increasing my feeders, and keeping them maintained. So far, it seems to have worked; I have noticed more sparrows every year since I started consciously making my garden bird-friendly.
It is always a joy to watch the sparrows glide and swoop through the air, doing amazing aerobatics as they catch the various flying insects. From an observer’s perspective, it seems as though the process of catching the insects and performing skilful flying maneuvers is the motivation for the sparrows, and the need for insect food is secondary. The seemingly never-ending energy and excitement of a sparrow as they go about their everyday tasks invokes life in a garden, and I wouldn’t want to experience a garden without them.
The Heron and Rose 