Re: [MDOsprey] Chipping sparrow ups and downs
Arlene Ripley (aripley@nestbox.com)
Thu, 15 Jul 1999 17:31:26 -0400
At 08:45 AM 7/15/99 -0400, you wrote:
> Any ideas on the murderer? A house sparrow perhaps?
Hi Bonnie!
It is doubtful that a House Sparrow would attack a Chipping Sparrow nest.
Their modus operandi is to enter a nest box that they want to use and
devastate whatever is inside be it eggs, incubating female or chicks. Their
would be no obvious reason for a House Sparrow to want to use a Chipping
Sparrow nest and as far as I know, baby birds are not on their menu.
Unfortunately I don't have any ideas as to what caused the deaths, other
than a raid by a jay or grackle that was possibly interrupted.
I once had a Chipping Sparrow fledge from a nest where it sat beside its
rotted sibling for almost a week. It was not possible to remove the dead
chick without risking premature fledging.
////// Arlene Ripley
| || Calvert County, MD
| 0 || aripley@nestbox.com
| || http://www.nestbox.com
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