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Added More Nest Boxes and the Sparrows Moved out! Help (1 Viewer)

ThisBoy

New member
I live in a modest semi detached house in Lancashire. We have lots of house sparrows in the area. A few years ago high up on the side of our house I put a woodcrete nesting box with a 32 mm hole. I had 28mm woodcrete boxes at the front and rear and these were often occupied by blue tits.

The 32 mm box was occupied pretty quickly by sparrows and has been a real favourite for them 12 months a year - roosting, nesting and sitting on it singing away.

I am no expert but I understood that sparrows like to nest in groups together. Therefore, I bought a purpose built woodcrete Schwegler sparrow terrace with three integral boxes (6 holes) and a couple of extra 32 mm birch log style boxes. I put up the log boxes adjacent (right next door :-O) to the existing one and positioned the Schwegler one directly underneath. This means I now have three single boxes right next to each other and a three box terrace below creating a block of 6 boxes. I did this about third week in February. One neighbour suggested the only problem I would have would be squabbles about who got a detached home and who had to make do with a terraced house!

However, I was shocked and disappointed when all sparrow activity at the site completely and immediately ceased. For a month I never saw or heard a sparrow at the site when previously sightings had been a daily, if not hourly or more accurately virtually every time you looked up at the solitary box. This diminished to nothing the very instant the new boxes were added.

Three developments have occurred since. Very quickly I noticed sparrows around the 28mm boxes at the front and rear of the house that are usually occupied by tits. They sing from them and make determined but unsuccessful attempts to gain entry. They don't seem to be put off trying by their inability to access or egress. The sad side effect is that I have hardly seen any tits go near their usual boxes.

A fortnight or so after I unsuccessfully opened my new sparrow housing development my next door but one neighbour put a 32mm box high up on his house at the rear. Within 2 hours it was alive with sparrow activity. It now seems occupied. That killed my theory (and hope) that these birds are just wary of anything new

Finally, after 5 weeks of nothing I now seem to have a solitary male sparrow who over the past week sits above my new array of 6 boxes singing his head off but, seemingly, to no avail.

So can anyone suggest why the sparrows have not taken to my new arrangement?

One neighbour suggested that it may be because I have three boxes above the terrace and this may create some hierarchy they do not like and endanger the ones below from poo accidents. Surely not?

Will their singing from the tit boxes deter the tits for good or for this season?

Will my lone romeo sparrow likely attract a mate this season or has he missed the boat?
If one box does get occupied will that trigger a stampede for my other 5 boxes?

Should I change things around? Now? in a month or two if still unsuccessful? In the autumn? or not at all?

Any help, theories, advice, similar experiences or wisdom will be gratefully received.

Thank you for reading.
 

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I have had a similar thing happen.When i had one sparrow box several birds loved it so i put a block of four (2 above 2) up in the same spot on my table end and since then they seem to get ignored.I also have a blackbird built a lovely next a few weeks ago,laid one egg and then second lot of snow came with the edges of the next rimmed with one inch of snow and now it looks like she has desserted. Shame really snow only lasted one day,funny things these birds.
 
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