An interesting recommendation for HOSP control

[The Walvoords]

Last night I attended a webinar on Backyard Wildlife Managemet. All different types of wildlife were mentioned, including a short segment on purple martins. The presenter stated that house sparrows are a threat to purple martins, as we all know is true, because they compete for the housing. The control method mentioned as best was to remove perches from the houses, reason being, house sparrows need the perches to get in, and purple martins do not. Has anyone successfully kept HOSPs out of their housing doing this? I don't remember ever seeing any posts recommending this for house sparrow control. I'm thinking it probably doesn't actually work, and the little buggers would get in anyway.

Anna

[Peggy Riley]

No Anna I've not heard that either. I think they are mistaken if they believe that!!

[jeffwilliams72]

Anna, I don't think that would do anything at all to deter HOSP. a few years ago I built a BB house that was billed as HOSP proof with a slanted entrance underneath the house. The HOSP loved it, they would flutter under and go right in, no perches anywhere. In fact none of the houses I trap HOSP in have perches. I really believe people have to be way more proactive in eliminating HOSP.
The forum is full of hardcore HOSP hunters & trappers, and I'm sure they'll weigh in, but I would consider that tactic bunk.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

None of my BB houses had porches or perches, and when I first put them up, the sparrows filled all of them. I started letting the sparrows lay eggs, then I caught the females brooding the eggs at night. They got the message, and really have not been bothered with sparrows since then. The sparrows still try to take some martin gourds.

[bacato]

I've read that advice for bluebird houses - basically have no perches available. It may help deter some of them, but it does not stop them.

[jr 2]

martins need a poarch too help them get in with the sreh entrance; jr2

[The Walvoords]

Thanks for the replies and comments, I thought I'd check to see if removing perches might be worth adding to my current methods of control. The traps and the shotgun work well, but I'd remove every perch off the housing if I thought it would help keep them dang sparrows out.

Anna

[The Walvoords]

Thanks for the replies and comments, I thought I'd check to see if removing perches might be worth adding to my current methods of control. The traps and the shotgun work well, but I'd remove every perch off the housing if I thought it would help keep them dang sparrows out.

Anna

[KathyF]

Anna,
I agree with Jeff - sounds like "bunk" to me. Someone probably tried it and it worked *once* somewhere, but, like Emil my BB boxes, and tree swallow boxes don't have perches and the little buggers still come and try to evict the current tenants. In fact, I've trapped more HOSP in my BB boxes than I have in my martin house.

I hope someone does come up with a solution that will both reduce their numbers and keep them from killing our native birds one day, that is truly this simple.

[John Miller]

have heard the no perch advice...i think it originated in Canada with a particular style of house. but probably doesn't help.

other things I tried and didn't work...smashings eggs and leaving on bare floor, painting housing blue.

I do think sparrows have to work harder at filling the large excluder gourds and that may give martins at a near full occupancy colony a chance to claim most if not all the gourds, if one pulls the sparrow nests early in the season pretty often. that's been our experience at one public site here.

[Scully]

Wow, serendipity

Just today I noticed sparrows building in one of our six remaining Naturelines, note the lack of a porch or perch of any description.






This old telescoping Carrol pole and its Naturelines are the oldest remaining part of our colony, perhaps ten years now, and these old gourds are always the first occuppied, by presumably the oldest martins.

A real surprise to see one vacant such that sparrows could claim it.

However, checking colony records over the last ten years, we have had sparrows invade Naturelines like this fifteen times prior to this occasion.

Just like with martins, if sparrows have a preference, I haven't seen it. I HAVE seen the depressing effect on their love lives clipping their tail feathers can have, as this pair are shortly to discover.

And note the sky-blue Natureline in the background

Mike Scully

[The Walvoords]

Thanks everyone, looks like there have been other interesting but ineffective tactics out there.

Mike, I was starting to wonder if taking the porches off too might make the idea work, but looks like they get in even with no porch!

I think I'll be leaving things as they are. I don't want to make the housing difficult for the martins, and they like to preen themselves and just sit out on the perches and on porches. I really like seeing them out there too. I'll just have to keep up the HOSP management program I've got.

Anna

[RC Moser]

removing porches will deture starlings and make it impossible for them to enter IMO. IMO they need a porch to push there way into sreh. IMO this is probably were the novice got this from.

But IMO some srehs need porch for PMs to enter. I have never seen excluder without porch. Conley WDC's and II IMO have enough room to allow PMs to enter without porch. IMO crescents are hard for them to enter without porch.

wildcat srehs like the dually IMO has to have porch and no limit on height.

As for house sparrow's IMO the only deterent are hole smaller than 1 1/16" or lead. I seen them hangup side down and easily enter nest cavities in buildings with metal surfaces.

[Brad-AL]

Removing porches from gourds, perches from BB houses have no effect on HOSP nesting in them. A "swinging" gourd doesn't stop them either. A bullet through the head or breaking their neck when removed from a trap is the only way to prevent them from nesting.