# Sparrow In Tescos



## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

Hi guys.
whilst recently in tescos i noticed a sparrow flying through the store. Aparantly its been there for over 3 weeks.
They reckon they cant move it as sparrows are a protected species, can anyone offer me some clarification on this?
The only reason i mention this is that the sparrow is currently eating grapes and other food stocks, and i believe this is a health and safety issue.
There is also bird droppings round the store.
James


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## rach (Mar 1, 2007)

..cause it would kill them to catch it in a net and move it outside?
Definately a health and safety issue.. pretty disgusting really seeing as theres no idea on what nasty things he could be carrying.
not sure about them being protected species though..


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## viper362 (Mar 4, 2007)

there would b a lot of boys in troubble who have air rifels if they where


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

small birds were commonly found in the Tesco store i worked in for a year. we had a robin once that stayed in the back  .


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

Still dont think it's right im afraid...believe me, if it was a lizard or a snake you'd have people worrying about Salmonella.
Aparantly they have tried to catch it with nets...


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

i dint think it is a big deal. All your food is packaged...except bakery and deli stuff. what about flies? they are everywhere!!


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## rach (Mar 1, 2007)

you do get open veg and those bags of grapes which are practically open though..
Not pleasant to think about a bird being in contact with them..


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

not being able to move it because of it being protected is complete rubbish. yes they are protected, as are almost all native birds, to the point that you can't go out shooting them or destroying nests (those "boys with air rifles" mentioned by someone would be in a great deal of trouble if they were caught). there is nothing stopping them catching it and taking it outside though. the bigger issue is them physicly being able to catch it. with that amount of space for it to escape you would have just as much luck catching it as one outside. at the end of the day, it may be a health and safety issue (what isn't now?) but there is not a great deal they can do about it, short of setting a cage trap and hoping it wants the bait instead of all the mountans of other food all around it. one sparrow is not realy going to make that much mess so I doubt anyone will bother.


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## lekkie (Aug 13, 2006)

yeah sparrows are protected i found this and just copied and pasted it for you

*HOUSE SPARROW:* Male plumage is rather smart with grey crown, white cheeks and black bib. Females plain buffy underparts, pale band behind eye and buffy wing-bars help distinguish it from finches and buntings. They breed in towns, villages, parks, gardens and industrial areas - usually nesting on buildings holes and crevices, in creepers, trees and bushes and also in nest boxes. House sparrows can rear three broods in a season. Fresh eggs have been known at Christmas and late in August. The House Sparrow is struggling to survive in the UK along with many other once common birds. They are clearly declining in both gardens and the wider countryside, the once abundant house sparrow has become a mystery bird in many areas in recent times, the present decline in house sparrow numbers appears to be widespread over much of western Europe. House sparrows are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

so if there were 50 of them [still a lot of room in tescos for 50] they still wouldnt do anything?
they need to go in there on sat nights when they close and section of an area its in..climb and get it...stun it if need be..and to be honest..if ya have to kill one bloody bird....if there is no other way... i mean who wants to get shitted on when doing the shopping? its stresfull enough..


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

rach said:


> Definately a health and safety issue.. pretty disgusting really seeing as theres no idea on what nasty things he could be carrying.
> .


yeah cos there werent any birds around when the grapes etc were growing OUTSIDE:lol2:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yeh but when we pick them from outside...WE DEFO WASH THEM... ppl see them in the store and expect them to be clean


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> yeh but when we pick them from outside...WE DEFO WASH THEM... ppl see them in the store and expect them to be clean


you should always wash fruit !
even from a supermarket
everyone knows that
it even says so on some packaging


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> so if there were 50 of them [still a lot of room in tescos for 50] they still wouldnt do anything?
> they need to go in there on sat nights when they close and section of an area its in..climb and get it...stun it if need be..and to be honest..if ya have to kill one bloody bird....if there is no other way... i mean who wants to get shitted on when doing the shopping? its stresfull enough..


have you ever tried to catch a small bird loose in a big room? espesualy with high celings and shelves in the way. trust me, even with nets, it is virtualy imposable unless the bird makes a stupid mistake. as for stuning it, it is ilegal to kill or injure, so quite how you would stun it without risking either of those I don't know. it is just one sparrow at the end of the day, its not like there is a flock of gulls or something destroying the store and crapping on everything and everyone. sparrow poop is all of about 3mm across, and dries into dust within hours. its not going to be that big a deal.


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

corvid2e1 said:


> have you ever tried to catch a small bird loose in a big room? espesualy with high celings and shelves in the way. trust me, even with nets, it is virtualy imposable unless the bird makes a stupid mistake. as for stuning it, it is ilegal to kill or injure, so quite how you would stun it without risking either of those I don't know. it is just one sparrow at the end of the day, its not like there is a flock of gulls or something destroying the store and crapping on everything and everyone. sparrow poop is all of about 3mm across, and dries into dust within hours. its not going to be that big a deal.


you could mist net an aisle where it feeds ,
but why bother ? like you say , a gull or similar - yes bit of a problem .
but a spuggy ???


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

salad dodger said:


> you should always wash fruit !
> even from a supermarket
> everyone knows that
> it even says so on some packaging


yes i know... but many ppl don't anyway.



corvid2e1 said:


> have you ever tried to catch a small bird loose in a big room? espesualy with high celings and shelves in the way. trust me, even with nets, it is virtualy imposable unless the bird makes a stupid mistake. as for stuning it, it is ilegal to kill or injure, so quite how you would stun it without risking either of those I don't know. it is just one sparrow at the end of the day, its not like there is a flock of gulls or something destroying the store and crapping on everything and everyone. sparrow poop is all of about 3mm across, and dries into dust within hours. its not going to be that big a deal.


No i havent ever tried to catch a bird in a big room with high cielings..but i assume you have?
at the end of the day i dont manage that tescos so its not my concern.. BUT they should do it... im sure if tesco said they would have to close and stop paying the 10k a week rates to the council they would say "ok ok kill the damn bird we will talk to the act of 81 ppl"



salad dodger said:


> you could mist net an aisle where it feeds ,
> but why bother ? like you say , a gull or similar - yes bit of a problem .
> but a spuggy ???


So one sparrow is ok even for 3 weeks? so where is the line drawn? 2?3? 10? 2 sparrows and a gull? when?
end of day they CAN get it out... they should.


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

salad dodger said:


> you could mist net an aisle where it feeds ,
> but why bother ? like you say , a gull or similar - yes bit of a problem .
> but a spuggy ???


sure because everyone has a mist net kicking around their house. I work for a rehab centre and even I don't have one. admitadly I also work for the RSPB I so I could probably get hold of one, but most people don't have access to that sort of equipment. they were probably chasing it around with those kids fishing nets you buy on the sea front, no wonder they gave up!


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

corvid2e1 said:


> sure because everyone has a mist net kicking around their house. I work for a rehab centre and even I don't have one. admitadly I also work for the RSPB I so I could probably get hold of one, but most people don't have access to that sort of equipment. they were probably chasing it around with those kids fishing nets you buy on the sea front, no wonder they gave up!


3 weeks is more than enough time to erm.."order one in"


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> So one sparrow is ok even for 3 weeks? so where is the line drawn? 2?3? 10? 2 sparrows and a gull? when?
> end of day they CAN get it out... they should.


they usually make their own way out eventually . 
they find their way in & eventually go out the same way .
the only time its more of a problem is when the entry/exit door is a rotating door


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

corvid2e1 said:


> sure because everyone has a mist net kicking around their house. I work for a rehab centre and even I don't have one. admitadly I also work for the RSPB I so I could probably get hold of one, but most people don't have access to that sort of equipment. they were probably chasing it around with those kids fishing nets you buy on the sea front, no wonder they gave up!


i was agreeing with you , but if you want to get arsey :Na_Na_Na_Na: 
i meant that -"a possible method of catching a small bird in a large open area " 
by someone whos job it is to do so ,
would be ...... a mist net ...................


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> No i havent ever tried to catch a bird in a big room with high cielings..but i assume you have?
> 
> So one sparrow is ok even for 3 weeks? so where is the line drawn? 2?3? 10? 2 sparrows and a gull? when?
> end of day they CAN get it out... they should.


yes I have, more times than I like to remember! even in an aviary or a small room it can be dificult.
if they have a flock of sparrows flying around the store then they should be looking into why and how they are getting in in the first place. if that happend then presumably they would call someone in who did have mist nests or a similar set up. just for one, or even 2 or 3, they are not going to go to that much trouble. a gull is a compleatly diferent situation anyway. it would be much easier to contain or walk out of the doors. plus, if all else failed, several of the more common species such as herring gulls and lesser black backs do not enjoy the same protection as house sparrows.


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

salad dodger said:


> i was agreeing with you , but if you want to get arsey :Na_Na_Na_Na:
> i meant that -"a possible method of catching a small bird in a large open area "
> by someone whos job it is to do so ,
> would be ...... a mist net ...................


yeah, point taken, but they probably wouldn't bother, even if they contacted a rehab centre they would probably just get told to leave the doors open and hope.


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

corvid2e1 said:


> yeah, point taken, but they probably wouldn't bother, even if they contacted a rehab centre they would probably just get told to leave the doors open and hope.


they deffo wouldnt bother .
like i said its only a spuggy .
if it was a cutesy little squirrel etc then public response would denote that they did something about it .
but a sparrow isnt really a problem , nor is it going to get much public response .
the supermarket will only "fix a problem" if its costing them money ,
or if the paying public demands it
personaly i dont think it IS a problem


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

salad dodger said:


> they deffo wouldnt bother .
> like i said its only a spuggy .
> if it was a cutesy little squirrel etc then public response would denote that they did something about it .
> but a sparrow isnt really a problem , nor is it going to get much public response .
> ...


exactly. I have seen sparrows flying around a restrant (admitadly it was at a zoo, but serving food none the less) and pigeons in shopping malls, train stations, even on the trains themselves! its not a big deal. a squirrel would be intresting though! that would definetly get peoples attention. not to mention it would be destroying the shop!


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

something i forgot to mention too ,
as a contractor i have worked in supermarkets ,
& have had the great delight of working in parts of them that no one else hardly ever goes .
(except the critter bait layer)
behind the scenes , out of the well lit bright painted public area ,
it gets somewhat sh*tty .
if people saw it they would think nothing of a sparrow crapping on their kumquats :lol2:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

salad dodger said:


> they usually make their own way out eventually .
> they find their way in & eventually go out the same way .
> the only time its more of a problem is when the entry/exit door is a rotating door


well yeh... old ladies have probs with those doors.
fair play... but 3 weeks i think is time to do something..if it was my place of work [not big chain, inderpendant] I would be forced to do summit about it.



salad dodger said:


> something i forgot to mention too ,
> as a contractor i have worked in supermarkets ,
> & have had the great delight of working in parts of them that no one else hardly ever goes .
> (except the critter bait layer)
> ...


ah i believe that lol..



corvid2e1 said:


> exactly. I have seen sparrows flying around a restrant (admitadly it was at a zoo, but serving food none the less) and pigeons in shopping malls, train stations, even on the trains themselves! its not a big deal. a squirrel would be intresting though! that would definetly get peoples attention. not to mention it would be destroying the shop!


true, but still, they can do something about it was all i was saying, personally..i dont eat alot of fruit.. dont use big store bakerys or delli's and i liek animals... but it still shouldnt be there.



salad dodger said:


> they deffo wouldnt bother .
> like i said its only a spuggy .
> if it was a cutesy little squirrel etc then public response would denote that they did something about it .
> but a sparrow isnt really a problem , nor is it going to get much public response .
> ...


exactly.. if it costs anyone money be it tesco or the council they can and would do summit about it.

anyway guys i havent wanted to argue, ur both rather similar in your responses..just like to ask though...if u were in tesco..and got shat on from above... would u be angry?


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

People in UK are way too tied up and paranoid about health, I say let the bird stay there, so it eats a few grapes and the grapes have to be thrown away its not exactly going to make a dent in the huge conglomerate wallet of tescos.


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> just like to ask though...if u were in tesco..and got shat on from above... would u be angry?


Actuly no, but then I am used to it. even if I wasn't though, I am sure I would just find it funny. If I were to walk into Tescos and see a sparrow flying around, my only concern would be for the health of the bird, whether it was getting enough water and was not too stressed out by all the people. I have no interest in most of these ridiculus, over the top health and safty regulations, and the last thing on my mind would be worrying about getting crapped on!


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

Paignton zoo allow peacocks to roam freely amongst the people who are having meals from the restaurant outside. No one has problem eating a hot meal with peakcocks all over the place last time I ate outside one got on a ledge and could see its reflection on the window and kept hitting itself on the glass thinking it was another male and I happened to be behind it so kept getting the tail swathing me in the face. Its no big deal about a diddy little bird flying around tescos


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## Venomous Poison (Jan 12, 2007)

spider_mad said:


> People in UK are way too tied up and paranoid about health, I say let the bird stay there, so it eats a few grapes and the grapes have to be thrown away its not exactly going to make a dent in the huge conglomerate wallet of tescos.


exactly,i agree. usually u see people walking round supermarkets pinching grapes etc...so whats the harm in a lil birdy pinchin a few!!! and not bein funny but u see people mauling fruit n veg etc...and u still buy and eat those where in fact u dont know where their hands have been hehe...id rather eat a piece of fruit that a bird has climbed over than a piece of fruit that 50 people have mauled!


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

In my local Tescos & Asdas there were always loads of birds flyignn around in the roofs... seams pretty common place to me


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

To be fair, it is a common occurence to see birds go in buildings by mistake and struggle to get back out and nobody really seems to care too much.

However what I find particularly interesting is the stores alarm system. When I worked in a pet shop, if an animal escaped the alarms would be set off at night when it moved around the store. I wouldve thought many stores would have that type of alarming and wouldnt want the bird in there.

Its likely to be breaching health and safety laws having an animal flying around food that could be brought into with it and pass on bacteria and infections. It particularly would make the store look bad in my opinion. Seeing it once would be tolerable but to see it every shopping trip for three weeks running is not a good message to customers really is it?

Birds werent easy to catch in a warehouse converted into a pet shop but we did it, even if we had to stay all night. I dont think the customers would expect anything less would they?


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## salad dodger (Feb 13, 2007)

Blazey said:


> To be fair, it is a common occurence to see birds go in buildings by mistake and struggle to get back out and nobody really seems to care too much.
> 
> However what I find particularly interesting is the stores alarm system. When I worked in a pet shop, if an animal escaped the alarms would be set off at night when it moved around the store. I wouldve thought many stores would have that type of alarming and wouldnt want the bird in there.


most supermarkets never close down fully .
theres always shelf stackers , cleaners , security , contractors etc instore


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

Sod the health and safety issue people get to wrapped up in health, big deal about a bird flying around in a supermarket we were all little kids and got into worse predicaments that werent exactly healthy but didnt make a difference. If I went into supermarket and kept seeing a bird flying around I wouldnt give a crap let it stay there supermarket are rip off for fruit and veg as its all super healthy they make it well expensive So I couldnt care if a bird craps on a plastic bag of shredded up mix veg, people should just simply start going back to the markets and greengrocers to get there fruit and veg.


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

spider_mad said:


> Sod the health and safety issue people get to wrapped up in health, big deal about a bird flying around in a supermarket we were all little kids and got into worse predicaments that werent exactly healthy but didnt make a difference. If I went into supermarket and kept seeing a bird flying around I wouldnt give a crap let it stay there supermarket are rip off for fruit and veg as its all super healthy they make it well expensive So I couldnt care if a bird craps on a plastic bag of shredded up mix veg, people should just simply start going back to the markets and greengrocers to get there fruit and veg.


To be fair, bird flu was in the papers a few weeks back with a guy who actually contracted bird flu from a bird, so the virus is progressing to move between species. With fears of that around, most people would be put off by a bird landing on the fresh fruit aisle. 

Also fruit and veg markets arent as common in some places now with supermarkets expanding to sell more and more of the stuff and provide for the 'diet era' (as I like to think of it) so many markets lose business and shut down.

I think its a big fuss over one bird but it is still a big deal that they havent helped the bird if anything to get back outside. The bird doesnt exactly realise it should fly outside the door does it, particularly in a large store... must be quite stressful for the bird.


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