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House Sparrow advice. (1 Viewer)

MLoyko

MLoyko

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Hello all,

I recently built a bluebird nestbox to try and attract some bluebirds to my yard. I placed outside on my poech pole facing North like the website told me to. Yesturday I noticed grass poking out the bottom and realized something nesting in the box and decided to watch for wahtever it was. Not until this morning when I was dressing for school did my mother call me down and sure enough it was a House Sparrow not a Bluebird.

My question is, should I let the sparrows stick around and produce young in the box or should I chase them away. I was kind of thinking about letting them go since I respect nature enough not to disturb it and because I live in a small town next to a highway and don't think I live close enough to woods and fields for bluebirds (although I've seen some close by at my birding spot). What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Matt
 
Many people believe that sparrows fledged from nest boxes are more inclined to seek out nest boxes for breeding sites.
If you accept that notion , then your action ( permitting the sparrows to use your nestbox) would actually be harmful to efforts to restore native cavity nesters.

Personally I, and virtually every serious bluebirder that I know, use lethal means of sparrow control. If you wanted to pursue that course I suggest you look up huber house sparrow trap and build one for your bluebird house.
As an alternative you could reduce the opening of your house from 1 1/2" to 1 1/8" and try to attract chickadees or house wrens.
 
Hi,
House sparrows are pretty incompatible with bluebirds to my experience. As the HS male builds a nest, rather than the female, you are catching things early. I've found this sparrow trap very effective ( http://www.vanerttraps.com )as well as inexpensive. Sparrows are lethal for bluebirds, seriously bad neighbors, so eliminate them early.
You might consider twinning your nest boxes. If you are lucky, you might attract a pair of tree swallows into one. They help keep sparrows out, allegedly, but tolerate bluebirds in the adjacent box.
 
.......... or try and persuade them to come back to Europe..... we're getting awfully short of the 'em over here! ... ;-}
 
etudiant said:
Hi,
House sparrows are pretty incompatible with bluebirds to my experience. As the HS male builds a nest, rather than the female, you are catching things early. I've found this sparrow trap very effective ( http://www.vanerttraps.com )as well as inexpensive. Sparrows are lethal for bluebirds, seriously bad neighbors, so eliminate them early.
You might consider twinning your nest boxes. If you are lucky, you might attract a pair of tree swallows into one. They help keep sparrows out, allegedly, but tolerate bluebirds in the adjacent box.
Click to expand...

I agree with pairing the boxes for the reasons cited above.
The trap in the link above is the same concept as the Huber trap I refered too.
Google Huber Sparrow trap and you'll find easy instructions .
I monitor a bunch of bluebird boxes and the sparrow trap is a standard piece of equipment.I carry several that are interchangeable with the front panel of my bluebird nesting boxes.
Eliminating the male is key.
 
I think what he means is you either trap them to kill them or release them away.

I believe you should be happy that there is a pair of Birds that have taken interest in your nest box no matter what breed they are. I cannot see how anyone who calls themselves a birder can advocate this to birds just because they are not the "right type"
 
Marmot said:
I think what he means is you either trap them to kill them or release them away.

I believe you should be happy that there is a pair of Birds that have taken interest in your nest box no matter what breed they are. I cannot see how anyone who calls themselves a birder can advocate this to birds just because they are not the "right type"
Click to expand...

Oh no, I was happy that birds moved in, I only started this thread because I am to understand that House Sparrows are an invasive species. I also wasn't even considering killing the birds. That is why I asked if there was anyway to encourage them off to a new location. I wouldn't kill them and it doesn't look to me that I even said anything in the direction of killing the birds
 
MLoyko said:
Oh no, I was happy that birds moved in, I only started this thread because I am to understand that House Sparrows are an invasive species. I also wasn't even considering killing the birds. That is why I asked if there was anyway to encourage them off to a new location. I wouldn't kill them and it doesn't look to me that I even said anything in the direction of killing the birds
Click to expand...

I did not mean that I thought you would do that, it was the other poster that seemed to have that in mind.

I think you will be happy with the Sparrows and the daily routine they get up to once the youngsters are born. The parents are in and out so often you wonder where they get the energy. We have had Blue Tits [very similar to your Chickadees] using our boxes and it was so entertaining and then sad when they finally leave.

As Quercus quite rightly says in the UK we have had such a fall in numbers of the House Sparrow they are now on the red list for conservation. So to us you have an endangered species nesting.
 
I see, well then my apologies for jumping to conclusions! I may just try and get them to move on but I wont do any hamr to the little guys. It's just where as there is a shortage over there for you guys, they are invasive here and like to steal boxes and nest. Again sorry if I sounded a little defensive.
 
The House Sparrow is a native species in Europe, and European birders are concerned about their declining population. The House Sparrow is not a native species in the Americas and American birders are concerned about their invasiveness. The two opposing opinions have been voiced again and again in this and other bird forums.

The original poster is in the Americas, and here is the advice of the American based, renowned Cornell University and their 'The Birdhouse Network'

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/resources/non_native/document_view
 
Most bird lovers start with the hope that sparrows can be managed on a live and let live basis. They soon find out that nature is more ruthless than they anticipated. Then they must decide what birds they would prefer to offer shelter and perhaps food to. House sparrows will prevail against pretty much all comparable native species here in the US, so human intervention is essential if one wants bluebirds to thrive instead.
 
ok, I decided to remove the nesting material and I also made the hole a little bit smaller by gluing a peice of wood over a section of the bottom of the hole. My question now is will a different specie of bird (say maybe a wren) still nest in the box even though the sparrow already tried (example: wouldn't the sparrows have left a scent or anything that would deter other birds?)
 
Try to gather information from this link http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/resources/

It has a wealth of information about attracting cavity-nesting birds: what habitat the various species need, features and dimensions of a good nestbox, entrance hole sizes, etc etc, perhaps more than you ever want to know.

Whether a different cavity-nesting species will nest in the box depends on whether birds of that species are already around, indicating that there is suitable habitat for them in your area. It is only then that they will be looking for a suitable nestbox with a suitable entrance hole size, mounted at a suitable height, etc etc.

Birds do not have much of a sense of smell, that's not an issue. But the presence of House Sparrows is an issue. Even if the hole size is too small for House Sparrows to nest in the box (nesting birds have to enter and exit the box and go through the hole thousands of times throughout the breeding period), a House Sparrow individual could squeeze in just once and predate the nesting birds. Others yet have reported House Sparrows perching on such a box (that they themselves cannot use for nesting) and attacking the parent birds as they bring food to the nestlings with the result that the nestlings starve to death. Google around and read the stories.

Depending on your reading of the information and the specific situation that you are in, you may decide on various things. You may not want to put up a nestbox at all. Or you may put up a nestbox and do passive control, or active control...

Sorry, there is no easy answer, but there is a pointer towards making an informed decision.
 
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