Birds in my back garden

SIR – In response to Dr Whitelegg s query concerning local sparrow populations (WHT, February 4) I have to say that here in Panshanger we see lots of sparrows and starlings, both species of which I understand are in decline. We live in a road that has ke

SIR - In response to Dr Whitelegg's query concerning local sparrow populations (WHT, February 4) I have to say that here in Panshanger we see lots of sparrows and starlings, both species of which I understand are in decline.

We live in a road that has kept a lot of garden hedges, allowing more refuge and nesting sites than other residential areas where hedges have made way for fences. Over the last few years I have spotted the following in our back garden (in descending order with the most numerous first):

Starling; sparrow; blue tit; goldfinch; chaffinch; great tit; dunnock; wood pigeon; collared dove; magpie; greenfinch; blackbird; robin; wren; longtailed tit; great spotted woodpecker; sparrowhawk; (song?) thrush; siskin; pheasant; jackdaw; redwing.

We do put feeders out and nestboxes which obviously also encourages the birds.

Lesley Mardell, Hardings, WGC.