Brick-Eating Sparrows (2 Viewers)

[gsimonel]

Never seen this before. A group of house sparrows in Reston, VA, USA are chomping on the brick siding of a local condominium complex. My guess is that some calcium carbonate is leaching out from the mortar holding the bricks together, and the sparrows are lapping it up.

Does make you wonder about the quality of the masonry work on the condos, though.

 

[Lisa W]

Either the masonry or insects. I saw something very similar at a boat house in Texas a few years ago. After the sparrow flew away we went up and saw a large amount of insects on the brick.

 

[jquintilian]

it's definitely the masonry mortar and the bricks they are pecking/eating. I have been battling this for years in Montgomery County, Maryland. Recently I installed reflective scare rods that i bought online. they are not expensive but their reflective spiral seems to deter the birds.