Drove up to our local farm shop yesterday. Fine sunny day as I parked nose in to the building. This is a low structure and the roof is tiled with those semi-rounded tiles with no bargeboard so that entry to the eaves is easy. All along the guttering were sparrows (anything smaller than a crow is a sparrow to me) busily forming nests under the roof tiles. Some five or so feet awat from me were a typical couple. One with fluffed up feathers as wind protection - this I took as mum-to-be - and a sleeker model which had to be dad. He would fly off and come back with various bits and pieces which he offered to mum who took the materials into the eaves. My dad figure came back with a small piece of paper and this was accepted. He then flew off and came back with a piece of wheat straw. This was about six inches long and diameter of a drinking straw. He put his head forward to offer it to his mate. She did not take it immediately but looked with her head first tilted one way and then the other. After a short pause, she chirruped sharply, snatched the straw and quite deliberately spat it out to fall onto the ground. More chattering and dad flew off to do better.
I am not given to attributing human emotions to animals but this I recognised as typical husband and wife behaviour.
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