Remember that chirpy character strutting his stuff on your windowsill? He might not be there for much longer.

The cockney sparrow' is in such decline it could become an endangered species in years to come.

The public is being asked to complete a survey to find and protect the small birds.

Clive Cohen, chairman of the Barnet branch of the London Wildlife Group, said sparrows are disappearing because they have nowhere left to nest.

"Sparrows like to nest in old buildings with gaps under the eaves. But roofs are now being repaired more effectively and there has been an improvement in the upkeep of old buildings," he said.

Mr Cohen reported seeing sparrows nesting in Finchley Nurseries on Burtonhole Lane; in the hedgerow on Hankins Lane next to Courtlands Primary School; on the back of Station Road, New Barnet, and in Ellesmere Avenue, Mill Hill.

But, he said, compared to the flocks of sparrows a generation ago, these communities are tiny.

Nationwide, the sparrow population has declined from four million 30 years ago to just two million today.

And Mr Cohen had a further theory as to why we are seeing fewer and fewer sparrows when they migrate south for the winter they do not return.

"The French developed cottage industries where people used to net our migratory birds, bottle them and sell them to other countries as delicacies. Put that together with the loss of habitat and you can see why the population has declined," he said.

However, birdwatcher John Colmans is unconvinced.

"Most sparrows live and die in an area of five miles around where they are born," he said.

Mr Colmans reported seeing decent numbers of sparrows nesting in Edwardian houses in North Finchley, where he lives, and also around the Welsh Harp reservoir.

You can help the sparrows make a comeback in Barnet by erecting nesting boxes not just one but two or three as sparrows like to nest in groups and by keeping them up all year round as sparrows breed several times a year.

To take part in the sparrow survey, make a note of where you have seen the birds and submit your record online at www.rspb.org or www.wildlondon.org or call 01273 775333 for a Freepost paper form.

June 24, 2002 17:30