My houses have been up for 24 hours and house sparrows have already invaded. They are everywhere. I built a 3 compartment house and fitted each unit with a huber trap that caught 3 right away but none since. There are too many neighbor's houses close by to shoot. I do have one spar-o-door I can put on my Trio. I've read bait traps don't work so well in the spring. Any thoughts on this? I hate house sparrows with a passion! It's going to be a very busy martin season if I can't get these pests under control. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Still waiting in Fort Worth,
Patrick
house sparrow invasion...
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
You have one choice, keep trapping them.... 
Good luck..it seems like you are totally swamped when you first start trapping them, but if you use different types of traps, you will finally gain control over them..then it gets much easier. It is best if you trap them all year long, use nestbox traps now, and bait traps the rest of the year.
Good luck..it seems like you are totally swamped when you first start trapping them, but if you use different types of traps, you will finally gain control over them..then it gets much easier. It is best if you trap them all year long, use nestbox traps now, and bait traps the rest of the year.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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CUL Lou~Mich
Patrick. I have two Universal Starling/Sparrow Traps, which I purchased from the PMCA. Both catch EHS, and EUST all year long. Got two inches of snow a couple days ago, and the next morning, I had an EUST in one. Must have been cold. Well, it's a lot colder now. ha ha. It also does a good job on the EHS. The Spar-o-door for trios is also great. CUL Lou
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klcretired
- Posts: 2174
- Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:06 am
- Location: Grand Prairie,Tx
Patrick,
Don't give up...hang in there ,be Persistant , after you get things under control it will be much much easier on you but right now you have to be as persistant as those Pesky S&S's are to give our martin friend's a chance. I have the S&S repeating trap from the pmca ,it works great ,I put it up beside my Oak tree, it catches both of the S&S's and because it's by a tree i have never in all the year's i have had it up caught a single martin, i also have the Universal Starling/Sparrow Trap , it also works great and i shoot also.Stay strong....let's do this together. I have an extra ground trap if you want to use it just email me & we can meet somewhere, i'll be glad to help you out in any way that i can.Just let me know or email me.
Don't give up...hang in there ,be Persistant , after you get things under control it will be much much easier on you but right now you have to be as persistant as those Pesky S&S's are to give our martin friend's a chance. I have the S&S repeating trap from the pmca ,it works great ,I put it up beside my Oak tree, it catches both of the S&S's and because it's by a tree i have never in all the year's i have had it up caught a single martin, i also have the Universal Starling/Sparrow Trap , it also works great and i shoot also.Stay strong....let's do this together. I have an extra ground trap if you want to use it just email me & we can meet somewhere, i'll be glad to help you out in any way that i can.Just let me know or email me.
Pictures Taken with Canon Rebel XT Digital using a Sigma 50-500 Long Lens.
Wishing everyone a Great Martin Year
Happy Martining for 2022 to everyone,
K.C.
[email protected]
Wishing everyone a Great Martin Year
Happy Martining for 2022 to everyone,
K.C.
[email protected]
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
On the "universal trap" trap Cul Lou mentioned, I modified mine to fit crescents. You can cut two slots in the bottom of the hole at each side -- using a hack saw blade held in one's gloved hand. Next tap on it with a hammer to bend a tab in, making the bottom of the hole lower. It's also helpful after a nest tear out and inserting the trap to camaflage it in front with a swirl of old nest material around the hole. Otherwise, sparrows may see the new aluminum edges and be reluctant. With a little nest material to pass through, they hop right in.
John Miller
John Miller
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CUL Lou~Mich
John. Hmmm, sounds like a good idea, but I do have one question. Does this larger hole get covered when the door falls, or does it leave a gap that the trapped bird could possible use to get out. I've seen EHS get out of my manually tripped trap by sticking their beak in a small hole, then just wedging themselves out. I have a couple of feathers in back of the trap, and that seems to entice them in pretty good. CUL Lou
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
CUL Lou
Yes, when the red flag/door drops down, it still covers the enlarged hole at the bottom, as I opened the hole just about 1/4 inch. The cutting and beating in a tab is a little troublesome, but it's only thing I could think of to make the trap work on a crescent hole that's close to the floor. It probably would still block the entrance if crescent was flush to the floor.
John M
Yes, when the red flag/door drops down, it still covers the enlarged hole at the bottom, as I opened the hole just about 1/4 inch. The cutting and beating in a tab is a little troublesome, but it's only thing I could think of to make the trap work on a crescent hole that's close to the floor. It probably would still block the entrance if crescent was flush to the floor.
John M
Thanks to all who replied in my hour of need. I've never seen so many starlings and house sparrows. All of my houses are fitted with excluders and my gourds have crescents so the starlings aren't the problem. The house sparrows are so bold they won't even fly off when I approach them! I am a little more encouraged today. I caught another male house sparrow and he is now sleeping with the fishes. It seems like a small advance but that's one more tenacious, territorial male house sparrow out of the population. I'm putting all starlings and sparrows on notice. This means war...
Still waiting in Fort Worth,
Patrick
Still waiting in Fort Worth,
Patrick
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Guest
Patrick, I know what you mean about those sparrows! 
I actually closed up my house this year and hung plastic gourds underneath. The sparrows were all over the house today trying to figure out why they could not get in. Hopefully they will leave my gourds alone. We shall see.
Good luck w/getting those S&S!
Lanell
I actually closed up my house this year and hung plastic gourds underneath. The sparrows were all over the house today trying to figure out why they could not get in. Hopefully they will leave my gourds alone. We shall see.Good luck w/getting those S&S!
Lanell
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electraglideman
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:45 pm
- Location: Arkadelphia, AR
Patrick
Put that Spar-o-door to work. Thats the best HS trap going. I have trapped hundreds of HS in mine. Close up all of the other doors on your trio house and set the trap. They love that tiny hole. Trap as many as you can before the martins arrive. When the martins arrive leave the spar-o-door on one of the rooms. The HS will still go in it all through the season.
Put that Spar-o-door to work. Thats the best HS trap going. I have trapped hundreds of HS in mine. Close up all of the other doors on your trio house and set the trap. They love that tiny hole. Trap as many as you can before the martins arrive. When the martins arrive leave the spar-o-door on one of the rooms. The HS will still go in it all through the season.
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Kelly Applegate~MN
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:54 pm
- Location: Princeton, Minnesota
Patrick-
My favorite trap is the repeating bait trap. They sell them here on the pmca website. One time I caught 18 sparrows in less than 15 minutes! I bait mine with bread chunks, cheap walmart birdseed, and craft feathers. There will always be a couple sparrows that are too smart for almost any trap. If you don't have any martins yet, and your desperate to eliminate stubborn sparrows, you can do a couple of things: set a stepladder under the house and wait till night-time and sneak quietly up the ladder and plug the hole that their in, then in the morning take the cup out of the entrance while holding an empty bread bag over the hole, the sparrow(s) should fly right in. Another way I catch the stubborn ones is with a fishing net fastened to a long pole. I removed the original net material from the net and replaced it with black lightweight bridal veil material (walmart fabric section) and stapled it to the frame of the net. This creates an invisble net to catch them. Then I sneak up to the house in the dark, hold the net up over the hole, and shake the pole. In they fly. Twist the net and lower it to the ground. Do NOT try this if Martins are in the house because it will make them abandon the site. There are easier techniques to catch them as others have already mentioned, but these work good for the smart ones that avoid the traps.
My favorite trap is the repeating bait trap. They sell them here on the pmca website. One time I caught 18 sparrows in less than 15 minutes! I bait mine with bread chunks, cheap walmart birdseed, and craft feathers. There will always be a couple sparrows that are too smart for almost any trap. If you don't have any martins yet, and your desperate to eliminate stubborn sparrows, you can do a couple of things: set a stepladder under the house and wait till night-time and sneak quietly up the ladder and plug the hole that their in, then in the morning take the cup out of the entrance while holding an empty bread bag over the hole, the sparrow(s) should fly right in. Another way I catch the stubborn ones is with a fishing net fastened to a long pole. I removed the original net material from the net and replaced it with black lightweight bridal veil material (walmart fabric section) and stapled it to the frame of the net. This creates an invisble net to catch them. Then I sneak up to the house in the dark, hold the net up over the hole, and shake the pole. In they fly. Twist the net and lower it to the ground. Do NOT try this if Martins are in the house because it will make them abandon the site. There are easier techniques to catch them as others have already mentioned, but these work good for the smart ones that avoid the traps.
Hello Patrick, we are in the same boat!!! My neighbor has a martin house
that is full of HS, I am constantly trapping are trying to trap all year! I have caught many HS, I can not shot either, because I live in the city. I have the trap that goes in my trio castle and I have had great luck with it, just put some nesting material (feather's) inside and they will hop right in!! But check it often as bluebird's will also hop right in (I love my BB). I also have a ground trap that sometime's I will catch 2-3 a day and sometime's I want catch any for day's! With the ground trap if you put in bread or seed you will catch many native bird's so you have to check it often. Some day's I will put food in my ground trap and some day's I'll put nesting material, both will work don't give up!! GOOD LUCK!!!
that is full of HS, I am constantly trapping are trying to trap all year! I have caught many HS, I can not shot either, because I live in the city. I have the trap that goes in my trio castle and I have had great luck with it, just put some nesting material (feather's) inside and they will hop right in!! But check it often as bluebird's will also hop right in (I love my BB). I also have a ground trap that sometime's I will catch 2-3 a day and sometime's I want catch any for day's! With the ground trap if you put in bread or seed you will catch many native bird's so you have to check it often. Some day's I will put food in my ground trap and some day's I'll put nesting material, both will work don't give up!! GOOD LUCK!!!
April McClelland
PMCA Member
PMCA Member
Thanks for all the tips on trapping house sparrows. From what I gather, it's a combination of traps that works best. I'm installing the spar-o-door this weekend. A repeating bait trap will be my next purchase. I might build single unit houses with homemade huber traps and space them all around the yard. My blood is up now! Thanks again to all who replied.
Still waiting in Fort Worth,
Patrick
Still waiting in Fort Worth,
Patrick