House sparrows like to live near houses. They often nest under the edges of roofs, or in ivy or in bushes nearby. The nests are very untidy. They are made of straw, dead grass or rubbish, with perhaps old feathers. Sometimes the house sparrow steals another bird's nest or builds in an old nest. There will be five or six eggs in the nest, and sometimes there will be three different lots of eggs during spring and summer. When they hatch, the young birds are fed on grubs and insects.

The dunnock, otherwise known (wrongly) as the hedge sparrow has a grey head and breast. It has a slender bill, which is quite unlike the heavy bill of the sparrows. It is found almost everywhere if some cover is available.

The pied wagtail, is grey and white, with areas of black that vary according to age, sex and season. Black bib; in winter this turns whitish and the sexes are almost identical. It spends much time on the ground and fond of walking. They do indeed wag their tails.