Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 07:08:11 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Carol Jelich Subject: House sparrows MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Regarding house sparrows, I recently attended a lecture by wildlife biologist Andi Pupke of Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, a nonprofit organization on the Eastern Shore that works to restore native habitats for wildlife. She stated emphatically that since the goal is restoration of bluebirds population, the ethical thing to do about house sparrows is either to trap and kill them (a nonprotected species, as earlier pointed out), or to forego the bluebird boxes. Also houses should be monitored during nesting season weekly for evidence of sparrows. It is (federally) legal to handle the house sparrows and their eggs but not legal to handle the eggs of protected species such as bluebirds without permits. I will share suggested lethal means off line with anyone who emails me privately as I don't want to offend anyone. Personally I don't think I could do it. Carol Jelich Annapolis, Maryland