First Time Parent Woes

[mechlingfamily]

We have a standard 12 cubicle house which my husband modified to a 6 cubicle house with Starling resistant entrances to allow for safer parenting. This year for the first time we have TWO breeding pairs. As we have watched them building their nests, it was apparent that one pair is definitely quite inexperienced. They started building their original nest in the center suite on the left side of the housing. As we watched, they eventually made such a mess that they had to start over in the bottom suite. after we noticed the change, we lowered the house and they had built up mud along the floor of the first room so much so that the entrance was becoming blocked. They had also double nested as both rooms of the suite were resembling a haphazard Martin nest. They made a much better set up in the suite below. They had nesting material in both rooms of the one below as well. So here is our dilemma...They laid their eggs, which hatched 3 days ago in the side of the suite with the entrance instead of in the safer other room. It hadn't occurred to either of us until just last night that they were doing it "backwards". We are worried about them being more accessible to predators. We live in a rural area where Kestrels have also taken babies from House Finch and Barn Swallow nests last year.

Should we try to help them by moving the hatchlings over to the safer side of the suite? Is it best to leave well enough alone and not attempt to transfer them into the safer room? We don't want to risk abandonment. But we also want them to have the best chance at survival.

We are active HOSP dispatchers, but I still worry for the 9 Martin hatchlings were have. To add to our anxiety, we believe HOSP DID attack one of our Bluebird nests earlier this week. Three of 5 eggs were missing, one egg remained and one had just hatched. There were feathers on the ground showing a struggle but no body or blood. Also there was new nesting material covering the egg and hatchling. We removed the extra nesting material and hoped for the best that the widow/widower and/or the fledglings from the first brood of the season were returning to feed the lone baby. We lost that hatchling last night due to abandonment. It had been over 36 hours so we had truly been hopeful, but then last night we found it had died.

We are having to fight the HOSP off daily right now in our Martin house, removing nesting material and eggs from one suite. (Which happens to be the original middle suite of the inexperienced pair. I wish I'd not cleared out the original messed up nest! We can't kill them fast enough!!

[C.C.Martins]

its a tough one, you have got to get rid of those sparrows. Id not recommend you move the chicks just yet...a sparrow can get in a SREH so even if those chicks were in the back, they are vulnerable...if you move them they may take it as an attack and abandon the nest altogether. sounds like sub adult pairs, they dont pay too much attention to elaborate nests.

be aggressive with the sparrows, shoot them if you can but one consideration for you is that sparrow nest removal may result in the sparrow attacking all the nests within reach.

[mechlingfamily]

Tom,

Yes we are trying to shoot them as much as possible but are also hesitant to shoot near the house with all the Martin activity. We tend to have a third pair that hangs out as well so there’s usually always a Martin around. We have 2 small traps and installed one last night in the suite the HOSP were nesting in. So far they have avoided it. Also have a repeater trap on its way to us. It seems there is always a counter action we have to worry about for every preventive measure we take. We agree about it being a sub adult pair. The other pair definitely has their stuff done right. We will leave the babies as is and hope for the best. Thanks for the reply!

[C.C.Martins]

Wow, well those sparrows are tough especially when they know they are being hunted. I wish you all the best on that front! If the cavity your worried about is facing your own home perhaps more and frequent visits to the back yard to deter those sparrows? someway some how we have avoided that problem, they are around and I see lots but they have not fixed on the martin houses. The starlings are another matter.

One idea...let the sparrows nest. when they go in for the night, sneak out there and plug the hole with a pool noodle or pipe insulation cut to fit. leave it till morning, and after the martins have started their day lower the house, place a bag over the hole, un plug and let them fly out into the bag. do what you want with them.

[-=DKC=-]

I personally think that removing a House Sparrow nest with eggs triggers House Sparrow Revenge Syndrome. I will remove nests without eggs but not with eggs.

Put HS eggs in very hot (not boiling) water for a couple of minutes to sterilize them and then replace them in the nest. The parents will tend them and keep occupied until you can trap or shoot them.

Other people shake the eggs vigorously or poke a hole in them with a needle to sterilize them. I find hot water does the trick.

[jhcox]

Hey Mechling family I have an idea for your house sparrow problem. Get a piece of plywood and place it near your matin house on the ground. Place a hamd ful of crushed corn on the plywood. As the house sparrow land try to shot them there a 22 rifle with rat shot can some times get multiple sparrows in one shoot if you let them feed for a little bit they tend to feed in groups. You should not have to worry about hitting your martins do to ghe fact that they are past the nest building stage and should not be on the ground. JHCox Heiskell TN.