Sparrow on the gourd cam

[MY FYN 79]

Not good.

Have a pair of Martins building like crazy in a Troyer horizontal, and that’s the gourd we have a camera in. Mr. Hosp showed up quite a few times on the camera today, he never showed up before. Has anyone ever fashioned something on a stick to sneak up and plug the hole while the rack is in the air? I believe I have a trap that fits in the Troyer, just want to be careful with trapping martins.

Thanks

[MY FYN 79]

Proof

[C.C.Martins]

Little jerks. Yep proof of banditry.

Right now you have time, nest building is just going on? Few days anyway. What trap options do you have?

Perhaps give him a nest box to look at near your gourds, put a van ert trap in it and get him.

Iv never, and iv tried, snuck up and plugged a hole he was in successfully. Thought I had one like that once, nope.

[jhcox]

If the house sparrow is staying over night and you should be able to tell with the camera in there. You could catch him. You would need a 4 to 6 in long piece of lite weight 4 in PVC. Then tape a bread bag over one end by just placing the opening over the PVC and tapping it on. Then attach a wooden pole to the other end of the PVC about an 1 to 2 inches from the end of the PVC. Then you just place it over end of the gourd the he's in. they will usually fly right out and into the waiting bread bag. when they fly out pull the PVC off of the entrance and bring it down to the ground quickly and dispose of the HS. Good luck

JHCox Heiskell TN
God bless.

[MY FYN 79]

Attempt #1.

The male and female came in within a couple minutes of setting it up. I wasn’t ready and they flew away unstarteled. Tomorrow should be the day.

[flyin-lowe]

I have become amazed at how smart the HOSP are. Last year I upgraded my air riffle and have been shooting them from an upstairs window in my house. I have killed a bunch of them but now they can tell when my window is slightly open. I have to open it about 8 inches to get a shot at my housing. I work from home and I can slowly slide the window up, they will fly off and not return until I close it. Within minutes of me closing it they will come back.

[Jones4381]

I have become amazed at how smart the HOSP are. Last year I upgraded my air riffle and have been shooting them from an upstairs window in my house. I have killed a bunch of them but now they can tell when my window is slightly open. I have to open it about 8 inches to get a shot at my housing. I work from home and I can slowly slide the window up, they will fly off and not return until I close it. Within minutes of me closing it they will come back.

^^^^This^^^^ I agree...very aware and full alert once they know they're being hunted..

[Thomas Maddox]

Yes! If I shoot and miss, I don't get another shot at them. I wait until they lay eggs and then trap them. Also I keep the ground traps going. My go to now is cracked corn. Easy for them to see and it doesn't degrade like bread does. I did catch a cardinal, but successfully released it.

[MY FYN 79]

Do you guys keep food traps below the Martin housing? As you can see in the picture, I have bluebird houses with van erts close to the rack, but the hosps aren’t interested.

It’s really been a struggle the last month to get hosps in the repeater trap. I don’t currently have it by the gourd rack though.

[C.C.Martins]

Good looking set up! Love the blind too!

I don't put the food traps near the gourds, good thought. nest box traps like you have near and within sight of the gourds though. Perhaps turn one trap to face the gourds?

Food traps are up under our overhang in back to catch the stray HOSP... mostly fledges now.

[Thomas Maddox]

This year I put my hosp trap on top of my baffle and zip tied to my pole. I put cracked corn in it and have caught many HOSPS in it. The PMs in the gourds above don't seem to mind at all even with the prisoners hopping around and making racket. The PMs don't like to tend to the trap, but quickly settle down when I leave

[C.C.Martins]

Thomas is it the ST1 with 3 compartments? Two to trap, one to hold them?

[Thomas Maddox]

Yes sir it is! It's a great trap. I wish the holding cell was bigger, but still great. I put mine there as we have dogs and my house has woods behind it. Raccoons frequent our yard and once drug it off into the woods when I had it on the ground.

[C.C.Martins]

Yes agree with you 100% I love it too.

And yep it will work under the pole, just fine. I pictured a repeating ground sparrow trap under the pole.

[Jeffc]

I have 3 repeating traps and 2 wire flip traps about 4 feet from the housing forming a circle around my 3 poles. I put them out every morning and put them away about dusk. I’ve caught about 30 HOSP so far this season and the Martins don’t mind at all. I use combination of cracked corn and white Millet. I also have 2 nest house traps attached to trees that face the Martin housing. These catch starlings and sparrows but also the beautiful Bluebird.

[MY FYN 79]

Thanks for all the input folks. I’m just not good with the pew pew, and trapping the hosps this year is proving tough. Got a few little male fledges in the repeater a couple days ago, but the adults are too dang smart.

I’ll try the repeater under the pole and also get some cracked corn. I’ve been using just millet and feathers so far this year.