population and broke the hearts of St. David's Primary school kids over the weekend.

The school has looked after the nests in Southside for years and all 13 birds were safe and sound on Friday. By Sunday the nature walk site at Southside had become a trail of destruction.

Head teacher Edward Wright said brave eight-year-old pupil Nikhil Hassell had challenged older boys he saw with baseball bats acting menacingly at the site.

"He asked them to please leave. He did what he could but they are older and they told him to get lost.'' Later a calabash was found destroyed with five eggs broken on the ground.

Sparrows attacked and killed a bluebird mother at another site.

Mr. Wright said: "Sparrows want to take over the nests but there is nothing we can do.'' He said aggressive sparrows were one of the reasons bluebirds were in short supply.

At a third nest five baby blue birds had been killed by sparrows.

But Mr. Wright said the human predators had no excuse.

"We just want them to leave the trail alone.''