My update, all things birdy

DebA · Sun May 22, 2016 7:16 am

I am not alone on my struggles to eliminate HOSP. I could shoot them because it's not up close and personal. Thing is I am a lousy shot. I'd try house trapping and would catch a few but then had to eliminate. I know others struggle to do this but I am a special head case when it comes to this. So for years at the time my PM's would egg lay I would poke the HOSP eggs. I was afraid to trigger revenge by pulling their nests. This method worked, sorta. But it still left HOSP in compartments. I hated that. MamaBruff and I are friends and with her guidance and lots of private talks she has led me through. I needed to know what exactly to expect with the squeeze method. She told me. It helped me do my first one last season. This season I have my high-rise Blaine's trap going and it has been phenomenal. Now I am squeezing 4-5 the past few nights. I prefer THE SQUEEZE over ether. I struggle with getting everything all lined out and then the panic in the sparrow. The smell. With my thick winter leather glove I can dispatch. During I look away at my colony who is thriving without sparrows zipping in and out. I have to respect the HOSP because they are smart ones. It is no wonder how they've thrived. A pair yesterday was furiously nest building and just knew I had placed a trap. Even with all my disguising they'd just look and wouldn't go in. I can only hope that pair volunteer and join the Blaine's party.

With my trapping efforts I am dropping my housing more than ever. Flushing sitting females off their nests a few times a day. With the overall chill I hope this won't affect their eggs. Oh yeah, I was worried about revenge as I said with the ones I couldn't compartment trap. I did a 3 day nest check and all eggs look great! No pecks, removal, etc...

Yesterday I saw a SYM in my Blaine's! As I lowered the HOSP (5) were dancing all over him. I reached in sans glove and didn't take too long to pick up the marin. I let him go and thought, bet he doesn't do that again. He has been the only native bird caught in my Blaine's so far. With their bad boy reps I figure the rest of the colony were thinking, why didn't you leave him in there? LOL.

This year I have a gob of three species of Orioles. Fun! I am feeding them fruit and jelly. I think there are 10 of them here, maybe more. Then out of no where last night a new bird landed near me and initially I thought it was a brown thrasher but with binocs I knew that wasn't the case. I finally ID'd as a Yellow Billed Cuckoo. A cuckoo. Really. Pretty cool.

Yesterday's nest check revealed 23 active nests with eggs. Most have 6 eggs. SY's just arriving and starting to nest build. No SY nest interference, yet. I am excited to finally get my HOSP riddance mojo going. It will be interesting to see what numbers I end up with. With MamaBruff's house added to my two I offer 44 compartments.

Deb

williamn · Sun May 22, 2016 8:12 am

Congrats and good luck with your martins !

Matt F. · Sun May 22, 2016 10:40 am

DebA wrote:Yesterday I saw a SYM in my Blaine's! As I lowered the HOSP (5) were dancing all over him. I reached in sans glove and didn't take too long to pick up the marin. I let him go and thought, bet he doesn't do that again. He has been the only native bird caught in my Blaine's so far. With their bad boy reps I figure the rest of the colony were thinking, why didn't you leave him in there? LOL.

This year I have a gob of three species of Orioles. Fun! I am feeding them fruit and jelly. I think there are 10 of them here, maybe more.

Deb,
I wonder if that SYM is the next generation "poor bas****"?

Also, those Orioles could not have picked a better place!
I'll bet they're getting the best jams and jellies ever!

DebA · Sun May 22, 2016 10:57 am

He will be dumb bas**** if I catch him today!
Ha.
Speaking of poor bas**** I've been flipping off and on recently and been up close to them. No ASYM's with a string! Plus his nest is thriving with eggs.
Deb

Kyler · Sun May 22, 2016 2:32 pm

Deb A,
How are your martins doing? Any babies yet? We have now killed a total of 9 sparrows

Kyler,

DebA · Sun May 22, 2016 4:45 pm

Hi, Kyler!
Just doing wonderful. Had to supplement with crickets and eggs a few times this past week. No babies. One nest should hatch 5/29, several on 5/30 and beyond. Great on the HOuse SParrow whipe outs. I think we are at 25 or so but my place has been overrun for a long time.

My Dad (passed Feb '14) used to have this thing he exercised his forearms with. Handheld shaped like a V. Two red wooden handles on a tension spring. Hey I need that. My right forearm feels just a touch sore from chest compression squeezing HOSP. My hubby told me to twist their heads. Nuh-uh no way. I can't do that. He said: You want me to bring some acid home from work (mechanic at a water well service)? Me: What?! That sounds torturous! Him: No worse than what you're doing. Me: I just squeeze them. It's fast. Him: No it's not. It'd be like if a giant python was squeezing you...

He likes to give me a hard time and I'm rambling. Just posted on Avesrun's thread I'm on break from cleaning house and don't want to go back in.

3 to 4 nesting pair is a fabulous start for your new place!

Deb

Okie · Sun May 22, 2016 9:57 pm

Why did the martin go in the Blaine? They don't eat seed

Never thought that would happen. Oh yeah your Blaine is the high rise one right?

DebA · Mon May 23, 2016 7:26 am

Yes Okie. High rise. I wondered the same. I guess he is just investigating everything. He was in there for 90 minutes tops from when I last checked it. When I have that trap up and loaded it confirms I need to check it often.
Deb

Thais G · Mon May 23, 2016 1:57 pm

Hi Deb,
I am glad to hear of your efforts and sorrows (sorry!) on dispatching. I find it so extremely hard to do.... I know it is needed, and I do it too, but it does not come to me so easily as others seem to manage. I keep looking at them inside the trap and dread the whole process.

I have not tried the "squeeze" method yet..
Thanks for sharing - makes me feel better and more courageous.
Best,
Thais

MamaBruff · Tue May 24, 2016 9:55 am

Deb,

I love reading your posts; always so upbeat and positive. Thanks for mentioning my helping you with the HOSP situation. Have had a lot of practice there, ugh. Squeeze is so easy. Stop their heart and its over. Too much convulsing with some other methods for me, and I am a lousy shot as well, as you can tell from the dents in Trendsetter #3. Glad you are getting some residents in it!

Looks like I will have to figure out a way to elevate my Blaine's too, as a neighbor's outdoor cat has become a problem, getting into the Blaine's Buffet. My other neighbor has at least 2 nests of HOSP going across the street, so there is a never ending supply it seems. He's an elderly bachelor on the prowl, so I'm not going over there to intervene with the birds. No chance of mixed messages!!

Maybe someday I can get PM care tips from you! Keep up the good work!

DebA · Sat May 28, 2016 7:59 pm

Thais,
We are the same on this. I try not to look them in the eye while trying to catch them in the Blaine's. Mary is right about the squeeze. I wear my thick glove and start to squeeze holding my arm extended behind me some. Never looking. I seem to count to 30. I have felt a palpation around count 20 so I increase the pressure. It would be my nightmare to toss it to the cats afterwards and it half fluttered, not yet a goner. That has never happened, it's always gone. Then I walk away. I have raised an eyebrow and shook that glove at my husband as I head back to the house as a warning that says, you better watch it buddy.

Mary, just when PapaBruff gets home from work and the last thing he wants to hear about is martins or sparrows tell him c'mon and take him over there with you. Or do your squeeze and toss them on his drive from whence they came. No missed signals there!