Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 08:34:24 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Lovelace, Glen" Subject: Re: House sparrows MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Hello, I have a trail of 13 bluebird boxes (9 on my grandfather's farm, 3 around a nearby cemetery and 1 at my house). I had an ongoing battle with House Sparrows in the boxes that were closest to the buildings where there is, unfortunately, a large population. I tried ejecting them, they would come back and I would resort to leaving the box open for the season. If the bluebirds couldn't have it, then nobody would. The House Sparrows never seemed to bother the boxes that were further away, so those bluebirds and Tree Swallows were successful. But that left me at half of my boxes being used. My solution was to modify my box design to include a 1 & 1/2" hole in the roof with a layer of ratwire under it to protect from predators. The hole mimics a natural cavity in the top of a rotted out snag or fencepost. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows freely use this design. On the other hand, the House Sparrows are discouraged because of the extra hole. They want an enclosed space with only one entry hole. This has cut down on my House Sparrow problems by 75%. It also led to 100% occupancy one year (10 boxes at the time) and the next year the bluebirds and tree swallows competed so much that I added boxes. On the negative side, it does let more rain in but this only seems to be a problem if it is cold and rainy when the bluebirds start nesting. It did not seem to decrease nesting success during last year's wet summer. The other problem that leads to is that the boxes deteriorate faster and I will need the replace several next year. Good Birding, Glen Lovelace III Seaford, DE > -----Original Message----- > From: Carol Jelich [SMTP:jrj_csj@MINDSPRING.COM] > Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 7:08 AM > To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM > Subject: [MDOSPREY] House sparrows > > 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 > >