Help! Sparrow nesting in Decorative Bird house?! (1 Viewer)

[Alberta_Girl]

Hello hello, first time here!

Am here in southern Alberta (Canada). On my back deck each late spring I hang up some DECORATIVE wooden bird houses on the wooden lattice that tops the deck. This is the 3rd year doing this, only this year, much to my surprise, a sweet little Sparrow has decided to build a NEST inside one of them. My strictly indoor cats are rather fascinated (as they watch, safely from inside the house!). The bird house is made in China, of a very very thin cheap wood. It has a small little 'clean out' door on the back but am not really sure why as truly, it's a decorative bird house only. We've had a lot of rain lately and some of the wood has started to split. Today when the Momma bird was not inside I made sure the house is very secure and won't ever fall down, even with strong wind....and I used some Duct Tape and taped over some of the seams and cracks so that it holds together better and future rain doesn't get inside.

Every time I go out onto my deck the Momma bird flies out of the bird house. I feel bad disrupting her, my guess is that she's roosting.....but I'm not about to stop using my deck and there's no other place to relocate the bird house to.

I've hung up a bird feeder with seed, and a suet feeder as well.

Just not sure how long this cheap house will last. I would gladly go buy a nice proper cedar bird house but I obviously can't replace it until her babies are hatched and gone.....but from what I've read, as soon as the babies are old enough, she'll start all over again and lay more eggs. So what should I do?

Does a Momma bird (Sparrow) basically spend almost all day and night sitting on the eggs? Seems she's always in the bird house.

How will I know when her babies have hatched?

If I'm ever able to replace this cheap house with a proper one, could I remove the existing nest and place it into the proper house or would no bird ever use a nest that's been touched by humans?

Thanks so much

 

[delia todd]

Hi Alberta_Girl and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

Quite honestly, I think I'd leave things as they are and just watch and await developments. The sparrow (which species is it btw?) must have felt quite comfortable with the site, or she'd not have chosen to nest there.

Just move around quietly but don't go near the nest again until they've fledged.

Please let us know how you get on.

 

[Alberta_Girl]

Hello Delia!!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome

I believe it's House Sparrow, pretty much one of the most common birds here in Canada.

I hung up a bird seed bell on my deck this past winter and have really enjoyed watching the birdies feeding and chirping away. My cats (yes, all 6 of them!) all have their favorite spots and perches in front of my patio doors and they're rather fascinated. Good clean entertainment, I say!

It's just that EVERY single time I open up my patio door and go out onto the deck, the bird (Momma) flies out. She returns pretty soon after I go back inside. My deck is my summer 'haven/sanctuary' and I spend lots of time sitting on it in the summer, reading and just enjoying my flowers and the fresh air. I feel guilty now for obviously disrupting her when I go outside, and I worry that these disruptions could perhaps negatively impact her eggs/babies? Do the eggs need Momma to keep them warm almost constantly in order for the babies to survive?

I think I'll still buy a good proper wood bird house.

Thanks. Have loved birds since I was little but admittedly don't know all that much about them.

 

[fugl]

It's just that EVERY single time I open up my patio door and go out onto the deck, the bird (Momma) flies out. She returns pretty soon after I go back inside. My deck is my summer 'haven/sanctuary' and I spend lots of time sitting on it in the summer, reading and just enjoying my flowers and the fresh air. I feel guilty now for obviously disrupting her when I go outside, and I worry that these disruptions could perhaps negatively impact her eggs/babies? Do the eggs need Momma to keep them warm almost constantly in order for the babies to survive?

As long as the sitting adult continues to come right back again there shouldn't be a problem, unless you're constantly in and out. Keeping the adults off the nest for long periods, however, is a different matter and could well lead to trouble--nest desertion or the eggs failing to hatch because of chilling.

In the House Sparrow BTW both sexes incubate the eggs (& later on brood the young), not just the female.

 

[jzmtl]

If it is a house sparrow I would destroy the nest and the parents as well. They are invasive pests that detrimental to native bird population.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's just what they are. If you really want to know click the link, if not just move on and keep thinking they are cute. http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm

 

[fugl]

If it is a house sparrow I would destroy the nest and the parents as well. They are invasive pests that detrimental to native bird population.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's just what they are. If you really want to know click the link, if not just move on and keep thinking they are cute. http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm

Nonsense, House Sparrows at this late date are an established part of our avifauna and are here to stay. Small-scale vigilantism of the sort you advocate is not only inhumane but is completely pointless, serving no useful purpose whatsoever.

God save us from fanatics!

 

[stonechat1]

If it is a house sparrow I would destroy the nest and the parents as well. They are invasive pests that detrimental to native bird population. [...]

Human dumbness.
As you´re living in Quebec I assume that your ancients came from France and you can be considered a invasive pest detrimental to native population. You don´t mind if we are going to erase Frenchmen from that part of our world? It´s just for the welfare of native Americans o

 

[stonechat1]

[...] God save us from fanatics!

Amen!

 

[jzmtl]

Nonsense, House Sparrows at this late date are an established part of our avifauna and are here to stay. Small-scale vigilantism of the sort you advocate is not only inhumane but is completely pointless, serving no useful purpose whatsoever.

God save us from fanatics!

Do you hold the same attitude to Japanese beetle, asian long horned beetle, asian carp, gypsy moth, and plethora of others? Ohhh, they've been here a while so let's leave them alone.

Or would you still hold the same view if it was a rat or roach nest in there?

You may refuse to recognize it but life isn't a disney movie where everything is fluffy and cute, and dance and sing with you every night around bonfire. Conservation requires keep population in control and that's not achievable by saving every fluffy bird/kitten/puppy you can find.

 

[mcmerlin]

I don't like non-native species causing problems, but where I'm from the House Sparrow is a native species, and its not doing so well So in a way, its nice to see it doing well somewhere in the wild. Although, like I say, If it really is causing problems, obviously thats not a good thing.

 

[fugl]

Conservation requires keep population in control and that's not achievable by saving every fluffy bird/kitten/puppy you can find.

Nor is anything worthwhile achieved by the random slaughter of individuals. You missed the point of my post entirely, didn't you?

And all the condescending crap about Disney movies. Who the hell do you think you're talking to?

 

[jzmtl]

Nor is anything worthwhile achieved by the random slaughter of individuals. You missed the point of my post entirely, didn't you?

And all the condescending crap about Disney movies. Who the hell do you think you're talking to?

And because of that people should just leave any local pest population alone? Setting traps and pick off japanese beetle and drown them probably won't make any difference in their total population, but it certainly does not mean I'll let them have free reign of my garden.

As for who I think I'm taking to, I think it's someone who's full of himself yet couldn't see pass fluffy.

Human dumbness.
As you´re living in Quebec I assume that your ancients came from France and you can be considered a invasive pest detrimental to native population. You don´t mind if we are going to erase Frenchmen from that part of our world? It´s just for the welfare of native Americans o

 

[jzmtl]

I don't like non-native species causing problems, but where I'm from the House Sparrow is a native species, and its not doing so well So in a way, its nice to see it doing well somewhere in the wild. Although, like I say, If it really is causing problems, obviously thats not a good thing.

Yeah funny isn't it, we have your sparrow and you have our squirrel, both are doing well in the new environment and wrecking havoc, too bad trade isn't an option.

 

[KC Foggin]

Enough with the innuendos jzmtl.

 

[fugl]

And because of that people should just leave any local pest population alone? Setting traps and pick off japanese beetle and drown them probably won't make any difference in their total population, but it certainly does not mean I'll let them have free reign of my garden.

As for who I think I'm taking to, I think it's someone who's full of himself yet couldn't see pass fluffy.

Oh, I get it, squashing a cockroach or poisoning a feral cat is all the same to you. A pest is a pest, after all, big brains and (not improbably) a capacity for suffering akin to our own, being mere "fluff" in your view. Well, I'll leave you to it. If you get your jollies shooting House Sparrows and destroying nestlings, go right ahead; it's perfectly legal so you won't get in trouble with the law. But don't tell me that your motives in doing so have anything to do with "conservation". You just want revenge for the bluebirds.

 

[chris butterworth]

BTW. Welcome to Birforum Alberta_Girl. House Sparrows soon become used to people being around them and, provided you just carry on with your normal routine they should be alright. The female will keep returning to brood the eggs. One more thing - as long as you don't mind having them around, sit on your deck and enjoy them.

Chris

 

[Liz1400]

We had a house finch build it's nest in one of our hanging plants last year. She too would fly away every time we came out the door. We even tried sitting on our porch swing a few times, but she would sit in a tree and make a heartbreaking squeak until we vacated the area. I have 4 little boys who also play in the yard and are constantly in and out, causing her to flee. House sparrows and house finches seem to adapt to humans and their behavior. She managed to raise her brood. One day I walked out, they all flew out of the nest, and that was that. You are not bothering her simply by walking by her nest. She will just return to it when she's sure it's safe. Leave her be and trust in her nesting instincts. A note though: House sparrows are notorious for destroying other cavity nesting birds' nests and young. Especially bluebirds, and chickadees. And they produce several broods per year, so they will quickly establish and take over your yard. I am NOT saying to destroy her or the nest. But once she raises her brood and they fledge, I would remove the nest from the birdhouse and discourage her from nesting in it again. It will at least save you the anxiety of disrupting her every time you leave your house. We decided not to hang plants this year, as we like using our porch swing too much.

 

[stonechat1]

[...] A note though: House sparrows are notorious for destroying other cavity nesting birds' nests and young. Especially bluebirds, and chickadees.

Must be a american speciality? We had House Sparrows under the roof of my parents house, year after year. Often even two breeding pairs. And at the same time we had breeding tits. Nothing happened to them through the sparrows, but the neighbour´s cat catched a few fledglings of both species.

Now the sparrows are gone, tits and a single pair of starlings are here with a Song thrush and blackbirds. Why? Amongst other things because people considered them as not beautiful and too common.

And they produce several broods per year, [...].

Exactly like bluebirds who are also having double and treble-broods.

 

[Aloof1]

House Sparrows built a nest in my parents backyard this yea, on top of a outdoor speaker. My dad looked inside and seen no eggs so he took the nest down. The House Sparrows came back and built nests in both the right and left speakers...My dad lost!

 

[jzmtl]

Oh, I get it, squashing a cockroach or poisoning a feral cat is all the same to you. A pest is a pest, after all, big brains and (not improbably) a capacity for suffering akin to our own, being mere "fluff" in your view. Well, I'll leave you to it. If you get your jollies shooting House Sparrows and destroying nestlings, go right ahead; it's perfectly legal so you won't get in trouble with the law. But don't tell me that your motives in doing so have anything to do with "conservation". You just want revenge for the bluebirds.

So where's the proof that house sparrows have "capacity for suffering akin to our own", or did you just make it up and drag in previously unmentioned cats to sensationalize your argument?

And I don't have bluebirds here, so there goes your revenge accusation.