Same old quandary....HOSP :(

[TammyBears]

So I have a 16 gourd-rack, large trio castle and small trio house, 36 large rooms. They've been closed up all winter. However I have about 20 house sparrows just waiting for me to open them up. In the past I've only had a handful of HS. Have they ever multiplied. Today, my first martin has returned. If I only open up a few(like I normally would), the HOSPs will takeover. My martin won't stand a chance. So I suppose I have no other option than to open them all up? I'm just sick with how many HOSPs there are, and at present I do not have the help to remove them like i have in the past. I feel like if I can't keep the HS away, I'm being a irresponsible landlord and i'm just torn about what to do. I also have two BB houses posted on the back of our property, they have returned as well, but the HOSP have been stalking their houses too. Even my little wren house has been taken over. i'm just sick. i want to enjoy my Martin's returning, but with those screeching insurgents I can't. Advice? Encouragement? Reprimands?

[rrmartins]

Need to get you a repeating trap. I built a little house and put the sparrow door on it. KathyF is the pro trapper, she has helped me a lot. Have not seen her on here this year yet. Feathers will attract them better right now instead of food. Good luck.

[Archer]

I'm sorry you are besieged with sparrows. Prevention is way better than reaction. Trap trap trap shoot, trap trap trap shoot, all year long, and you'll be a happy camper, aka landlord.

[John Miller]

Go ahead and open some of your housing, maybe one side or the top holes. To keep it closed to access to the purple martin because you are upset about the house sparrows is risking the martin perishing on a cold rainy night.

Most housing across the purple martin breeding range hosts a few pairs of sparrows, and the martins survive -- with less success at fledging young, but they do seem to perpetuate themselves. I suggest if the only house sparrow control you can manage is to close your housing in winter, you are still doing a service to purple martins -- do the best you can. Others here will disagree. They, I guess, view the glass as half empty and maybe I got them rose-colored glasses on (wonder what old movie that comes from) and see it as half full...I don't know. But I say open and do the best you can.

John Miller

[John Miller]

[quote="John Miller"]Go ahead and open a substantial part of your housing, maybe one side or the top holes, opening more in another week as more martins arrive. To keep it closed to access to the purple martin because you are upset about the house sparrows is risking the martin perishing on a cold rainy night.

Most housing across the purple martin breeding range hosts a few pairs of sparrows, and the martins survive -- with less success at fledging young, but they do seem to perpetuate themselves. I suggest if the only house sparrow control you can manage is to close your housing in winter and open it slowly (you don't say whether you are able to trap) you are still doing a service to purple martins -- do the best you can.

John Miller[/quote]

[DornCounty]

I'm with John.. 90% of landlords do almost nothing but close up hosing in the winter. Doing just that will keep the bulk of the sparrows out and allow for martins to have some space. Is it ideal? No, but if that's all you can do then, so be it. Better than closing up shop all together in my opinion.

I would talk to friends or relatives.. maybe one of them would be able to help you from time to time trap out a few or shoot a few. Even if it was just once or twice a year you would see great results.

[BrendaVR]

If health or mobility is preventing control would a repeating ground trap be manageable for you?

You can place it on a patio table so it is at a level (and location) that is easy to access. You can place it quite a distance from the housing and put some feathers and cheep food in and that will draw the sparrows to you. Spread a bunch of cheep birdseed on the ground for a few days, they get use to feeding there, then put the trap over that spot with a dish of birdseed inside and watch them come to you. Always keep one 'bait bird' then just remove the rest and dispose of humanely. Its a mistake to allow them to remain and a disaster to let them reproduce at all.

Its an ongoing battle that doesn't end but with vigilance you can win the war. Don't give up.
I send much encouragement to control the HOSP. I don't have the experience of others but think I would personally open only a few gourds for your martins until you get the HOSP population down.

(and as I was typing this I was told the HOSP here has taken over a BASW nest so I just ran out set my repeating trap out)
And I agree with DornCounty. If you cant manage the control yourself talk to others, a bird club or naturalist group in your area, maybe a few members would be willing to help

PS: I was going to private message you with more information but there is no way for me to do private messages....
Sialis has a review of many types of traps. http://www.sialis.org/traps.htm (My preference is for the DRST, the only time not used is the really cold months).

[Peter Alberda]

I'd open the ones facing your house. That way you will know if you have a problem and can trap or shoot them easier. They're smart. If you open the ones facing away from you, you might not even know they are there and they'll have a nest in no time.

[Dan G]

I'd open the ones facing your house. That way you will know if you have a problem and can trap or shoot them easier. They're smart. If you open the ones facing away from you, you might not even know they are there and they'll have a nest in no time.

I agree. they are sneaky. I have a nest trap in a small shrub that hey are in daily and have not caught any. I have shot several and they have learned to avoid me. I have to quietly open a window to get a crack at them. Someone mentioned that are attracted to feathers, so i will try a few of them in the nest trap. I just hate the sound of the HS and starlings.

[avesrun]

Hello TammyBears. What John Miller and others said x 2!

One thing I'll add is that if you have Trio housing and you're able and willing you should strongly consider purchasing a Spar-O-door trap. They are made specifically for Trio Houses and in my opinion is one of the greatest traps out there. Basically, the spar o door replaces one of the doors on your trio house and that cavity becomes devoted to eliminating hosp; and it WILL catch many, many sparrows for you. For future seasons you can use the trap all early season long before martins have returned. Keep all holes closed except the Spar o door and I guarantee you'll catch lots of sparrows and significantly reduce the population prior to martins' arrival. The hole size is small enough that martins cannot get in. The trap door comes with a bag and cone device that you use for removing the sparrow; however the sparrow will be alive and you have to be willing to dispatch/kill the sparrow after it's caught. Best of luck and let us know if you need any further assistance.
TimG

[avesrun]

Tammy here is a link from the PMCA shop for the Spare o Door trap I was referring to; the spare o door works with ANY trio house:

https://www.purplemartin.org/shop/produ ... re-o-door/

[TammyBears]

Thank you everyone, I feel more encouraged than I did, and appreciate the suggestions. I'll do everything I can.

[KathyF]

Tammy, I totally agree with what all have said above - keeping your housing closed only increases the competition.
I usually go against the grain - I open up my housing very early- 2-3 weeks before the martins arrive, because that's when the HOSP start looking and I start trapping. I sometimes shoot, but prefer trapping as it takes the least amount of effort with a repeating trap, once you get the first live HOSP.
Here's what I would do - open the housing, but also, either buy, or build yourself a little decoy nest box that you only use for trapping and place it conveniently where you can easily retrieve the HOSP. Get yourself a nice repeating trap too. Trap a HOSP in your decoy nest box and put it in your repeating trap and you will be able to catch the majority of the little buggers in your repeating trap.

Here are a couple of articles I've written to give you more ideas. Gosh - I wish I lived closer to you - I'd clean them out for you!
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2015/02 ... s-for.html

I used to have a link to this one, but I will have to check with Louise and see if it can be re-added to the site: http://www.purplemartin.org/main/22.3-H ... wMyths.pdf

[JohnT]

I open all my housing and then hope for the HOSP invasion. I trap them with abandon and clean the gourds. Once the males all find a place to nest you won't have nearly the numbers.

I also use an Uncle Blaine's trap that I've had for a few years. I'm amazed at the way I've impacted the bird population on my place. I used to catch 10 to 1 HOSPs, but now it's about 5 to 1 the other way. Field sparrows and white crowned sparrows make up the majority now. I send them on their way with only a little inconvenience in the trap.

[Deborah B]

Well, I've had no success getting Martins, but have cleaned out my house the bluebirds show interest in 3 times of HOSP. Today I was just PO 'd and took my pellet rifle out and popped the male. The female keeps returning to the box. Gonna keep after her.