THE much-loved house sparrow appears to be making a bit of a comeback in the gardens of East Lancashire.

The annual Big Garden Birdwatch asked people to log how many of our feathered friends visited our outdoor spaces during a weekend in January.

And the survey found that starlings were no longer number one, with an average of just 2.5 sightings in an hour, compared with the smaller sparrow being seen 3.6 times.

Blue tits, great tits and goldfinches were also regular attenders, with the latter leaping 14 places to become fifth most popular.

This year’s results were particularly interesting because of our mild winter which has really given nature a helping hand.

Plentiful supplies of natural food in woodlands and fields have kept some birds away from garden feeders.

And their places have been taken by others grateful for the lack of competition for tasty nuts and seeds handed out by humans.

Now the RSPB’s message is that anyone can attract wildlife to their gardens.

So get planting pollen-rich plants to attract bees and butterflies, put up a nestbox for a house sparrow, or create a pond that will support a number of different species.