I've never seen it this bad...

Taxlave · Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:56 pm

I work from home and am looking out my window at my three martin houses all day, most days. In over 10 years, I have never allowed a single sparrow egg to hatch in any of my houses. I've consistently trapped, shot, and otherwise dispatched as many of the mongrels as I could. At this minute, I count 6 sparrows in various trees, two looking at a cavity on one house, one sitting on another. WHERE ARE ALL THESE #)@($#(*y@ SPARROWS COMING FROM?!?!

The few times I've been gone for no more than 3 hours, I've returned to broken eggs all over the ground and one dead hatchling :( I've convinced most of my neighbors to take down their houses since they were just breeding sparrows and starlings. The only bird food I put out is in the repeating trap.

I feel like I'm losing the war. Has anyone else noticed a dramatic increase in sparrows this year, or is it just my imagination?

taxidermy lady · Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:05 pm

I hear that darn squeaking noise a lot right now. It is bad. All the sparrows have probably had two hatching already. They breed like flies! There is so many martin houses I see with sparrows it is terrible. There's probably ten sparrows hatched to one martin

MamaBruff · Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:09 pm

More like 1000 to 1.

DornCounty · Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:28 pm

I once estimated the HOSP population of my small town to be north of 50,000

phldave · Mon Jun 23, 2014 4:40 pm

They are the only management chore I have had over these past 3 seasons. Generally speaking I have to take care of a male and sometimes his mate about every week or two. By summer they start getting wise and do not frequent my place because they catch on that couples that do try my place don't last long. As far as trapping goes, I always get my bird, one way or another. By the time this season comes to an end I will probably be close to trapping 100 in three years.

tonyg · Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:04 am

Never ending battle...they breed like cockroaches!! Just keep trying to win the war..it's all you can do!!

~Ray~Gingerich · Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:42 pm

Destroy the nests, don't let them fledge out the young. You can zero in on a nest location when you see a male sitting around chirping loudly and watch where he goes. I recently destroyed 2 nests with young sparrows in them by using that technique, they were not in martin housing.

Roymg · Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:33 pm

I had to put up a diversion house to draw the sparrows away from the main house. Most all of the holes are plugged but they don't seem to care. I had a pair of Martins wanting to get in so I left a couple open and they moved in. I have about 8 pair in the main house.

I was only able to take out one female sparrow, never could take out the male. I sit for hours with a BB gun at the main house and they seem to get the message and look at the other house. I loss a bunch of eggs in the beginning and that set back the Martins about 3 weeks.

Now a Hawk is terrorizing my birds and keeps them off balance. I'd rather put up with the sparrows than this Hawk.

Funny thing, the Martins, after they have their young, seem to put up with a sparrow that may be sitting on their house or in the area but not any other birds.

I'll be glad when this bird season is over.

EGunterTX · Tue Jun 24, 2014 6:59 pm

Last two days have been unreal-- They're suddenly everywhere! Trapped 11, shot 1. Appropriate funeral ceremonies were carried out....

GeneP · Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:27 pm

I have about a dozen fledglings around at this time. I live in the city and they now allow folks to have chickens. A couple of neighbors keep chickens which means poultry food is available and a favorite of House Sparrows.

It makes it difficult to use bait traps when they can feed with the chickens. Grain and poultry are what helped HOSP's to thrive. Just have to deal with it.

DornCounty · Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:00 am

GeneP wrote:I have about a dozen fledglings around at this time. I live in the city and they now allow folks to have chickens. A couple of neighbors keep chickens which means poultry food is available and a favorite of House Sparrows.

It makes it difficult to use bait traps when they can feed with the chickens. Grain and poultry are what helped HOSP's to thrive. Just have to deal with it.

Yeah.. my parents have chickens and don't let me take out their HOSP. I get them when they come to my place, but I can't get them all. Chicken coops and Walmarts are HOSP favorite spots.

4th Gen Martin Fan · Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:11 am

Andrew,
A close second for English house sparrows after Wal-Mart is Home Depot and Lowe's.
I doubt that any other patrons to these establishments realize the annoying "Cheep, Cheep" except for those of us who work to control the HOSP population.
Mark.

MamaBruff · Wed Jun 25, 2014 10:25 am

LOL, I used to think that I wanted to take a part time job at Lowe's Garden Center... but now I think the CHEEPING would send me over the edge! You know how a certain sound can go straight into your brain, like fingernails on a blackboard, or a squeaky cheap styrofoam cooler - YIKES

Roymg · Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:19 pm

4th Gen Martin Fan wrote:Andrew,
A close second for English house sparrows after Wal-Mart is Home Depot and Lowe's.
I doubt that any other patrons to these establishments realize the annoying "Cheep, Cheep" except for those of us who work to control the HOSP population.
Mark.

You can add Target to that list.

taxidermy lady · Wed Jun 25, 2014 5:13 pm

I am going to take my 2 old plastic S&K houses and make traps out of them. They seem to love going to them now. So they should make good traps! Sounds like a good idea to me!!!

Need to have them up all winter ha!

pmartinlover2 · Wed Jun 25, 2014 5:14 pm

Caught 5 today in my repeating trap. They love those chips! Putting smaller entry holes on my regular birdhouses to keep them out. No second crop here this year! Then I'm going to look and listen for any nests with young. I feel empowered! They've got to go.