boxofdelights

Maybe remove the hawthorn and put in another? Another rooted from cuttings, maybe. And train it as a tree? And put it somewhere wildlife might actually want to go, like the yard? (I guess sparrows like low plants in areas with foot traffic.) Prickly bush in the sidewalk strip suggests to me that someone had a tree once, cut it down, and didn't bother keeping the shoots cut.

A serviceberry would be similar for food, and less hassle for thorns. Or ... m. Sand cherry? Maybe not as protective.