How to control non-native House Sparrows and Starlings

[Mary Dawnsong]

How to control House Sparrows (HOSP)...
I get many more HOSP by trapping than shooting. It used to be the reverse. However, with practice and refinement of technique, I have become a much better trapper than shooter.

The combination of bait traps and nestbox traps will probably catch the maximum HOSP. However, each type of trap has its own "season" of effectiveness. You need to learn how and when to use these traps in your area. Of course, a pellet or bullet is effective in any season!

In most areas, bait trapping with food is the way to catch the most HOSP throughout most of the year. It is a great way to reduce the general population of HOSP in your area. It is especially easy to catch recent fledglings this way. People report good success baiting with white millet seed in a funnel-type bait trap.

Nest box trapping only works when HOSP are seeking cavities to breed in. It will not catch hundreds of HOSP like a bait trap will, but at my site it catches more than 90% of the HOSP who would otherwise try to nest in my martin gourds. Furthermore, during the periods when nestbox trapping works well, bait trapping is pretty much ineffective here. At my site nestbox trapping is most effective early in the HOSP breeding season, but I continue to catch a few later when they are looking for a place to raise later broods.

The Trio Spare-O-Door is an outstanding HOSP catcher. For more info, see this PMCA Update article http://www.purplemartin.org/update/HSControl.pdf
My dedicated trap house catches nearly all cavity-seeking HOSP effortlessly. My "HOSPice" is a Trio Grandma with 8 Spare-O-Doors. So, every compartment is a HOSP trap. Here is more info on it: http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php3?t=38

How to control European Starlings (EUST)...
With Starling Resistant Entry Holes (SREH) on all compartments, starlings should become much less of a problem for martins. No starlings have ever entered my factory crescent SuperGourds. However, it is a good idea to destroy starlings whenever possible. All native species of cavity nesting birds, including woodpeckers, will do much better with fewer starlings competing for cavities. Just keep in mind that martins can get into any hole a starling can get into, so you must be extra vigilant with starling traps. I usually have one or two of these large nestbox traps erected. When starlings fail to enter the SREH on my martin housing they head straight for these and get trapped. Don't erect these on trees! Put them on their own, separate 8' posts:
http://shop.purplemartin.org/shopsite/p ... ct103.html

Some folks have reported great success baiting for starlings in late winter by throwing dog food on the ground, then blasting with a shotgun. This is not an option in my neighborhood, though!

Repeating nestbox traps work well for many, but you usually have to build them yourself and they are not simple:
http://www.purplemartin.org/forumarchiv ... wpage4.htm
http://shop.purplemartin.org/shopsite/p ... ct111.html

There are also large-scale repeating bait traps, like the V-top trap or the Z trap:
http://www.birdcontrolsupplies.com/livetraps.htm
http://www.purplemartins.com/Topics/Z-Trap/Z-Trap.htm