34 Comments
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Hayley's avatar

I'm surprised to read they're on the red list. I can't imagine there not ever being any sparrows! There's a couple of hedges where large families of sparrows always seem to be and it's always a joy to walk past hearing them.

What a great story! Never heard of animal reiki before, I'll look it up ☺️

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Melissa Lee's avatar

I know me too! I’ve always seen sparrows as being one of the most common birds here. I too love the sound of them chattering the hedgerows 😊

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David Kirkby's avatar

Lovely account, Melissa!

I like Sparrows too - though they are an introduced species here and officially unwelcome.

I have noticed an enormous decline in Sparrow numbers in Eastern Australia - they are far less common than they were, say, 20 or 30 years ago. I have read that this is due to a decline in nesting sites in cities as building styles change, but that doesn't ring true to me. Do you know why they are they declining in the UK?

Best Wishes - Dave :)

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Thank you Dave!

That’s an interesting question. So I looked into it a little. It seems that the decline in nesting sites is one factor here, but there are others. Namely changes in agricultural practices reducing food availability, increased pesticide use, air pollution in urban areas, increased prevalence of disease and increased levels of predation.

Poor little creatures, they’re really up against it!! I shall keep feeding and encouraging them to my garden. At least they’ll have a happy home here. 😊

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Bee Lilyjones's avatar

Really enjoyed the read, Melissa.

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Thanks Bee! 😊

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Leonard Neamtu's avatar

Sparrows are such a delight, especially in the winter!

Even if you cannot see any in sight, you can hear them chirping in the trees or hedges.

What a great thing you've done, thank you for helping the little sparrow!

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Thanks Leonard 😊

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Helen Marshall's avatar

Oh, I love sparrows. Will enjoy reading this when I have a few moments as the week starts up again.

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Tracy Gerhardt Cooper's avatar

@Devi James thought you’d enjoy this sweet article. ❤️

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Emma Lightfoot's avatar

Well done! I once found an exhausted and very dusty field mouse in our bird feeder. I moved slowly then as well - and he whizzed off, probably for a drink of water!

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Aww! So sweet. I bet that was a lovely feeling when it ran off.

I love field mice. I discovered this week that they have turned my brash pile into a ‘mouse mansion’ 😆

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Artemisia Writes's avatar

Thank you for sharing this! It left me curious about the idea of animal reiki. Absolutely wonderful.

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Oh that’s great! I would say that honestly, if you just do traditional reiki that works perfectly well on animals too. I have found that ‘animal reiki’ is not quite so widely available as a course - but it’s really all one and the same! You just get a little bit more guidance as to how to handle animals.

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Artemisia Writes's avatar

I haven’t studied reiki at all but have recently become interested in it. This idea of healing animals is so important: they do so much for us in this respect, more than we probably even realise!

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Artemisia Writes's avatar

Thank you ❤️

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Melissa Lee's avatar

You are so right, they give their healing energy freely I think. I believe it’s a skill that we all possess, it’s just a case of channelling it. When I first started practicing, I hadn’t even been on the course yet, I was just doing the energy exercises and meditations - I practiced on my dog and he fell fast asleep on his back with his paws in the air and stayed there for about fifteen minutes after I walked away.

In my experience, if you’re becoming curious, then it’s a great time to look into it!

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Artemisia Writes's avatar

I love this! I owe my dog a lifetime’s worth of healing. I’m so glad we had this conversation <3

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Melissa Lee's avatar

PS. I did it for my dogs too…

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Melissa Lee's avatar

I’m happy to answer any more questions you might have. Feel free to DM me anytime. I hope you look into it, and I’d love to hear how it goes!

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Linda Clark's avatar

Well done Melissa! Great information about our humble sparrows too.

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Thanks Linda 😊

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Angie Dawn's avatar

Nice story, Melissa.

I think the important thing when handling wild birds is to make slow movements and be calm. I have had to rescue a few from my greenhouse and shed - it is always a good feeling when they fly off unharmed.

I have a thick conifer hedge in my garden which houses a population of house sparrows. I love listening to them chattering away. They have a lot of character. Often when we put food out the blackbirds will fight over it, and while they are fighting a sparrow will sneak in and fly off with the food. Always fun to watch :-)

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Melissa Lee's avatar

That does sound fun to watch! They are cheeky little chaps 😊

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Idris - photography's avatar

Happy you managed to save it! I rescued a chick once when I was very young, but it died after a few days, presumably because I didn't know how to feed it. Felt terrible. I'm glad it worked for someone!

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Melissa Lee's avatar

I think it’s tough with chicks, there would have been nothing you could do. But at least you tried!

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Dave Mead's avatar

Well done for the sparrow rescue! I have had to teach myself to be calm around animals as both sheep and horses feed off the human emotional condition. My wife has taken it much further, practicing zoopharmacognosy which is amazing to witness. Look it up, I think you’ll find it interesting.

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Ooh! I just looked this up, and its fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing that.

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Dave Mead's avatar

Thought you would like it! 🤠

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Thank you Dave! I’ll check that out😊

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Jamie Sawyer-Merchant's avatar

I have been thoroughly enlightened about the sparrow! They do always seem to get overlooked for their flashier friends, don’t they. What a beautiful piece. Great work on the rescue, poor little thing ♥️

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Aww thanks Jamie! 💚

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Kate Warner's avatar

What a lovely post! I'm so pleased to hear of your rescue, and that the lovely little sparrow was OK again after its ordeal. <3

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Melissa Lee's avatar

Aww, thank you Kate 🤗

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