sparrows?

I've noticed this morning that there are no sparrows in my garden or up and down my road.  What's going on? I've been feeding the birds for years and there has been a healthy, lively and noisy population of sparrows, visitors have commented on how many sparrows they see in my garden.  Now absolutely none.  It's eerily quiet round here and I find it troubling. 

I don't know if its been happening for a while, I've been somewhat caught up with the excitement of the Olympics as its been in my area,( in East London),but I have noticed that I haven't needed to fill the bird feeder so often.  I thought this was because there are so much more natural food sources it being Summer.

I know that the Sparrow population has been decreasing, but for years it's been fine in this area, plenty of places to nest in the eaves of old victorian houses and still enough bushes in front gardens to congregate and commune with each other loudly.  I loved to hear that. 

I keep checking to see if I can spot a sparrow in my garden or out at the front of my house, but there are no signs of any bird activity apart from pigeons flying overhead. 

What's going on?  Can anyone enlighten me?

cc

Had a quick walk round my local patch this afternoon and when doing a count one hedge had over 50 House Sparrows as well as 13 Tree Sparrows in it and not a feeder in sight so the answer to your question may be that there is plenty of natural food around at the moment,yours may come back to the feeders in winter when the cold weather comes.

I have a smallish garden on the edge of countryside in East Lancashire, and am delighted to be host to between 40 and 50 sparrows at the moment. They are everywhere in my garden. It is wonderful!

Such a comforting noise in my opinion,all is well with the world.

Yes, Seaman, it is. I call it cheerful chatter.

I had a walk round my local area (a few roads) today and there's not a chirrup of a sparrow anywhere, not just not in my garden.  There's a privet hedge further down my road where at this time of the day there are usually dozens of sparrows roosting. Today there are none, nada.  No sight or sound of blackbirds either.  Pigeons aplenty, a couple of rooks, a magpie and a kestrel.  I just find it odd.  cc

My garden's full of sparrows, starlings and blackbirds right now - and a dunnock or two. I just have two peanut feeders up, one with a sanctuary cage the starlings and squirrels can't manage.

The blackbirds get a handful of raisins when I'm in the kitchen. Some of the usual blackbirds were missing for a while but I think they were moulting. There are plenty of blackbird chicks as well.

I have just taken some pics of two adult house sparrows keeping a watch out for their nine babies from this year, only seven of which are in the picture. I'll try to upload it.

and here are just a few of my gang, congregating in the privet bush. I must have about 50 at the moment.

Is your lack of sparrows still ongoing cc?  Have a look at weather conditions.  They hide in rainy weather where I am, in rural France.  They also fall silent during a heat wave (which we've almost got over - days of 37° and no rain, topping up the water for them twice a day.  They come to bathe but don't sing.)

Trust nature.  They'll come back I'm sure.

Papillon