We have all seen those sparrows in big box stores, drives me nuts. Saw one yesterday when getting suet, it was eating seeds spilled from a bag on the ground. As I walked up it flew to the rack about 7 feet up and sat right on the edge waiting, just sitting there not worried. Interesting part was its reaction when I looked hard at it, it...it didn't like that at all and went further back on the rack and tried to hide. I didn't move closer just stared at it.
I read that some blue birders set van ert traps, but advise don't look at the sparrow, just set the trap and walk away. I remember a sparrow at my neighbors martin house, i saw the bugger and walked across the street staring at it.
It took off well before i got there: eventually shot it but point being they know when they are being watched. Perhaps something to keep in mind when setting those traps....I'll stare down a barrel though, right over the sights, line them up, steady the breath....and squeeze!!!
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
I have experienced the same behavior with sparrows that you have. Don't dare look at them if you are trying to get closer for a good shot. If you do get a good shot by looking down or away, don't miss because that will be the last good shot you ever get. Once they learn this, all you have to do is open the back door of your home and the sparrows are gone. Blinds work well.
I have seen sparrows in the big box stores as you described. My thought was that they had wandered inside and couldn't find a way out. Upon talking with some store employees, I found that the birds lived outside and came inside when they wanted. So much for trapping them and making a bird free store.
A television program once showed a pair of barn swallows that had learned to activate the automatic door mechanism by flying in front of the eye. They were nesting inside the store. When the store closed at night, they just stayed inside or outside until they opened the next morning. Smart birds.
Those barn swallows are smart, imagine that. Wish id have seen that. I really like those birds.
Yeah seems those box store sparrows are eating well...its one thing that interested me, people everywhere, but if it was directly noticed it reacted.
For a good long time my blind worked well, but shooting only gets one (most of the time), the survivor's learned quick when their buddy bit the dust. I think i was spotted too. I moved to a window, still works but again only one at a time....once I got two at once they were lined up perfect on a suet feeder. Shot went right through the first one, into the second. Now I see them rarely, one a week.
I'm going to try to switch gears and trap heavily, shoot when I must of course, so took alot of intrest in traps, how to deploy them and techniques. I found the sparrow behavior interesting. They are so suspicious, if they detect differences, game is up. Gotta be done right the first time.
I want them attracted to a nest box. To draw them into nest box traps (with van ert traps and two PMCA nest boxes) I have fake eggs/nest so they can see them, one has a mirror plus eggs, all have dried grass attached to the underside of the boxes. All at the same height and visible, painted them all white, even painted black fake entry holes on the side. The entry hole is reduced to same size as the spare-o-door.
There will be 4 SD-1s and two universal sparrow traps in an old trio at our satellite site this coming season, one more SD-1 on the trio mini castle. A ST-1 is ready but in reserve.
As they transition from nesting ill go to ground repeating traps....got a ton this year with a blains...Best bait is another sparrow or as many as you can get.
Ill try all the tricks see what works.
P.S. I used your joke at a talk, went great!
Tom
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
Like many presenters, if I give a martin talk, I like to start with a joke. I don't have a martin joke or even a songbird joke. The best I can do is a chicken joke and here it is. I am warning you, the only reason it is funny is that it is silly.
A man has a sister that gets herself into financial problems. Temporarily, he lets her move into his home with his wife and 4 children. Things go well at first but eventually, he finds that her problems are more than just financial.
He finds out that his sister thinks she's a chicken. This drives the man to the point that he himself goes for counseling. When he tells the counselor that his sister thinks she's a chicken, the counselor says "why don't you just tell her she is not a chicken. To which the man replies "well, frankly, we need the eggs".
its pretty good!
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
Glad you could use the joke. I have over 50 punch lines written down. It is easy to forget a joke. Starting your talk by making the audience laugh always loosens them up and helps make the listeners like the speaker.
Good work on those sparrows. Since my colony is at an Assisted Living Center, shooting and ground traps are out of the question. There are always a set of eyes on me when I am there. Luckily, I have never had a Starling show interest in the gourds. I purchased them in the 1990s and have round holes. Sparrows do nest but now that I have 100% occupancy, the martins control them. When the SY martins start arriving, I trap all sparrows (discreetly in-gourd) and the young martins immediately take over the empty gourd. Had 24 for 24 both of the last two years.
Yep, loosened me up as well. I told everyone at work too, got some groans.
Yeah, I understand the no killing concept. Dont want to jeopardize the whole operation by advertising. Glad your martins are at the point of taking care of business! Like you I don't worry terribly much about starlings, I don't want them near and shoot/trap to enforce that but they won't be getting in.
Discretion is key, the team at the satellite site knows, but I do not advertise and put her in a bind. She allows discreet trapping but ill be careful not to go overboard....which is hard for me. We are at about 20 percent occupied, probably just under that so sparrows could have a field day. Why I have high hopes for the trio traps.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
I agree with the poster's observation. I have posted a couple of times how effective stalking sparrows away has been for me. I, with the help of an avid bird feeder and blue bird house monitor, have greatly lowered the number of sparrows in our area. I can no longer shoot them here in town and I don't like trapping. So, one day I tried stalking. It worked. After about three times they left for good.
I act like a cat. This makes them very nervous. I stalk as far as I can then throw something. It worked with starlings also. I have never had to deal with multiple pairs at once and I have not been overwhelmed. Clearly, this is not the answer for most situations.
Interesting you say that. It was threatened by your behavior so it worked. You probably had that sparrow spooked!
They do not like being noticed at all. They peek over roof tops, through stuff etc. They do tend to let their guard down when focused on a cavity.
Its not as effective as a terminal solution in my view but I'm going to remember that. Going to rely heavily on trapping this season, so all the tricks, treachery and general sneaking to get the buggers im wide open to.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
As to stalking, it is best to concentrate on the male. I made the mistake once of running off a female. The male just found new females as fast as I could run them off. He would sit a good way off and just sing. He eventually gave up. I enjoy this game up to a point. I dread losing control.
