Just got back from spring cleaning at our beach house on the Outer Banks (Carova)of NC. We have installed 3 PM houses with 4 super goards and 4 naturel goards. Our neighbors PM house (100 yards to the east) has plenty(approx. 20) of scouts and females and some of those birds and some newer arrivals are peeping into our housing and entering the goards. Then, 2 days before we left I observed a male english sparrow setting up shop in one of our pm houses. The little bearded jerk started singing, trying to emplore a female to check out his new digs. I had no pellet gun or otherwise I would have cleaned his clock!
My question: Will he run off the martins investigating my PM housing. All the goards and houses are on 3 poles approx. 15 feet apart....or will the new martin arrivals out number him and run him off....or will they co-exist??????
I cringe at the thought that one little bearded english sparrow will ruin my martin season. We live 6 hours away in Maryland and won't be back until mid June so I have know way of knowing the outcome. Please share your english sparrow nightmares....Your expertise is appreciated!
http://www.fishdeepcreek.com/PelicansPerch.htm
English Sparrow question
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
He probably won't run off serious visiting purple martins to an unestablished site, because your compartments are spaced out. He might intimidate some visiting females. He will vigorously defend his and maybe nearby compartments. This is about the only solace I can offer.
He will pose a threat to martins once they begin nest building by occasionally entering their compartments to break up eggs, especially if he has not yet attracted a mate and settled into his own nest. Even though he may co-nest with martins for a bit, house sparrows go through two to three broods a season and inbetween are particularly dangerous.
Beware of male house sparrow revenge if you just pull out nests and not remove him, especially as the nesting season progresses. I've had male sparrows not only break up martin nests, but mortally wound adult male martins by locking onto their heads with their vise-like bills and plucking out big patches of feathers.
John Miller
He will pose a threat to martins once they begin nest building by occasionally entering their compartments to break up eggs, especially if he has not yet attracted a mate and settled into his own nest. Even though he may co-nest with martins for a bit, house sparrows go through two to three broods a season and inbetween are particularly dangerous.
Beware of male house sparrow revenge if you just pull out nests and not remove him, especially as the nesting season progresses. I've had male sparrows not only break up martin nests, but mortally wound adult male martins by locking onto their heads with their vise-like bills and plucking out big patches of feathers.
John Miller
None of the English sparrows around here have read the literature and aren't cooperating. They do everything wrong. They choose gourds over houses, which makes them more difficult to trap. One male I'm battling now shouldn't be experiencing any frustration because I haven't torn out any of his nests but has already broken a martin egg. He's wary and difficult to approach. When I do him in, he will be the 25th house sparrow this nesting season that has attempted to nest within my colony. As soon as I catch this one, there'll be a dozen more to take his place. Since you're not around often to control them, the best you can hope for is peaceful co-existence...but that didn't work for me, either. Good luck.
Patrick
Patrick