Sparrow's Strange Behaviour

[felly]

For the past two to three months a sparrow has been constantly flying into my mother's lounge window from a bush a metre or two away banging it's beak quite hard. I live next door and it has now turned it's attention to my french doors. It sits on the door handle and jumps into the glass which is only one or two inches away. It will continue for up to 10 minutes or so and will do it countless times a day. We have lots of sparrows in our gardens but have never had this happen before. We think it is the same sparrow though of course they all look pretty similar. Why is it doing this?

[Baldric]

Possibly 'seeing off' a rival (reflection)

[sidkid]

Probably attacking its own refection. Territorial behaviour maybe.

[felly]

I did wonder if that was the reason but it seems unnaturally obsessed and I feel sorry for it as it's wasting so much time! Thanks Baldric and sidkid.

[Toes]

Frank, the phesant who lives in mhy garden (no one can shoot him there!), regularly attacks the green house, and spends loads of time posturing in front of it.................silly bird lol

[felly]

That must be very entertaining Toes. I love watching the birds in my garden though unfortunately I don't get many varieties - mostly sparrows, collared doves, wood pigeons, blackbirds and starlings. Very occasionally a coal tit and sometimes a robin. None of them do anything as quirky as your Frank though :)

[ladybirder]

Could you put a net curtain up or perhaps a blind that would stop it seeing its reflection, poor thing is using up so much energy.

[felly]

Good idea ladybirder. I have in fact got voile curtains there already but never thought about drawing them - duh! Will do it now :)

[julia-mag]

on the subject of birds, I have a female blackbird visiting my garden regularly and she has no feathers on her chest and neck ! It looks sore, but she is really lively and always very very hungry (we feed them twice a day)
Anyone got any ideas why she would be like this?

[ladybirder]

LOL felly, voile - so much nicer than net:-) X

[Toes]

Julia, shes just going through her moult, happens this time of year.

[felly]

ladybirder - so funny - sound a bit like Mrs Bucket don't I :)

[ladybirder]

Would be interested to know if it works though Mrs B:-)
This question gets asked quite often so any feedback would be good.

[Baldric]

Unless your curtains are on the outside I don't think it will do a lot of good.

[felly]

So far he's not been back. I drew the voile :) curtains around 1.30 so looks like it might be working.

[ladybirder]

Jolly good. Let's hope it stays that way.

[felly]

No visits from the sparrow today either so it looks like ladybirder's idea is working - even if they are voile :)

[ladybirder]

Oh brilliant. Thanks for the update felly.