By Wednesday morning (18th May) the nest box had become  a bit of a squeeze for the five Tree Sparrow chicks which had grown rapidly since they hatched just over two weeks previously. They started the morning with a lot of wing stretching and flapping and  jumping up at the hole to have a look outside for returning adults, hoping for a good feed. The adults however had other ideas. Today was the day to tempt them out into the big wide world. They only entered the box to clean out any faecal sacs and any feeding was stictly at the hole. Both adults spent a lot of time on top of the box and in nearby trees calling for the chicks to come out. The chicks eventually fledged mid-morning.

Although the  fledglings are already very good at flying, they have stayed close to the school and can often be heard calling from nearby trees so that the adults know where to find and feed them.

The adults have been making regular trips to the box to clean out and repair the nest ready to raise another brood of chicks. Tree Sparrows have 2-3 broods a year and the next clutch of  eggs are often laid within 2 weeks of the previous brood fledging, so keep your eyes open for further activity.

We are very lucky to have Tree Sparrows nesting at Stretton Handley School. Their breeding population has dropped by more than 50% in recent times and so the Tree Sparrow appears on the Red List of birds of high conservation concern.