debbielevi
NATURELOVER
Every year I have to be relentless so the house sparrows don't nest in my nesting boxes. I have 2 out year round, then I put a 3rd up the first week or 2 of March right when the bluebirds get ready to nest. That has seemed to work well the last few years. The sparrows start making nests in one or both of the 2 bird houses starting in February then in March I put the 3rd up and the bluebirds usually move right in while the house sparrows are pre-occupied with the other house or houses. The bluebirds will fight the sparrows off once they are serious about nesting and have called "dibs" on the new box. This year, they tried using one of the year round boxes the sparrows weren't using, and the sparrows went in there and "threw" all the bluebird nesting out. I was hoping the bluebirds would start using the "new " box I just put out like in recent years, but haven't seen them OR the house sparrows mess with it. I hope the bluebirds didn't get discouraged and go somewhere else. I still see them around, so there is still hope yet.
Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what is best in regards to keeping the house sparrows from nesting in my boxes. I just throw the nesting material out every few days - I keep a close eye on the boxes, as they are in my backyard - I see who is going in and out of them, plus you can tell a house sparrow's nest from a bluebird's. I have managed to keep the house sparrows from nesting in my boxes this way, but I wish I could keep them away from them altogether so another bird could use them. ( Wishful thinking!)
This year I was thinking maybe I should go ahead and let them nest - lay their eggs, then throw the nest and eggs away as soon as they lay them. That way I could make sure they won't lay their eggs elsewhere and raise their young ( good gosh we sure don't need more house sparrows in the world!) I don't know that I could be that mean, but they are such nuisance birds, foreign to our country ( should never have been brought here) and they are one of the meanest and certainly the most over-populated bird in this country!
I don't want to do anything to send the house sparrows on a killing spree, however. I have read that house sparrows will kill the mother bluebird to have her nesting site - they will kill her while she is sitting on her eggs! How awful!
If anyone has any thoughts or has had luck with ways to discourage house sparrows from your yard/nesting boxes, please share.
Anyway, I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what is best in regards to keeping the house sparrows from nesting in my boxes. I just throw the nesting material out every few days - I keep a close eye on the boxes, as they are in my backyard - I see who is going in and out of them, plus you can tell a house sparrow's nest from a bluebird's. I have managed to keep the house sparrows from nesting in my boxes this way, but I wish I could keep them away from them altogether so another bird could use them. ( Wishful thinking!)
This year I was thinking maybe I should go ahead and let them nest - lay their eggs, then throw the nest and eggs away as soon as they lay them. That way I could make sure they won't lay their eggs elsewhere and raise their young ( good gosh we sure don't need more house sparrows in the world!) I don't know that I could be that mean, but they are such nuisance birds, foreign to our country ( should never have been brought here) and they are one of the meanest and certainly the most over-populated bird in this country!
I don't want to do anything to send the house sparrows on a killing spree, however. I have read that house sparrows will kill the mother bluebird to have her nesting site - they will kill her while she is sitting on her eggs! How awful!
If anyone has any thoughts or has had luck with ways to discourage house sparrows from your yard/nesting boxes, please share.
