Of perches and porches...

[~Patrick~]

I installed aluminum porches on my crescent supergourds this weekend. They are sparrow magnets! The martins have still shown no interest in the gourds so the porches are coming off. I also added extra perches to my Trio houses and the sparrows have flocked to them. The martins are amazingly tolerant of the sparrows. I don't get it. Shooting here is out of the question. I'm trapping with nestbox traps as fast as I can....15 sparrows to date, and I came home today to find 3 more males claiming gourds and house compartments. I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed, like I'll never get them under any kind of control. As soon as I trap a bird, another is waiting on the sidelines to take his place. It's very frustrating. I don't want to close any compartments until all this year's martins have arrived so I guess it's just me, the spare-o-door, glue traps, mouse trapes, huber traps, and whatever else I can find to catch those infernal house sparrows.

Discouraged in Fort Worth,

Patrick

[John Miller]

Sparrows can make managing a martin site a little maddening. Just do the best you can with your traps.

The porches may indeed make the gourds more attractive to sparrows, which sit there and use the porch as a platform from which to defend the hole. But sparrows will cling to porchless holes too, and they do sometimes take to natural gourds.

If you can get a well established colony of martins, and help 'um out with trapping, they may keep most sparrows at bay.

John Miller

[Guest]

patrick,

I have two of the spare-o-doors up also. I found out if I can catch a sparrow in one of these traps. I relocate it to my wire trap underneath the house that is fastened to pole. It has a center holding chamber and a trap door on each side. IMO it has worked best if you can catch the male sparrow and put in center chamber. Then not to long after that you may catch the female. I have a male sparrow that brings in females, but he hasn't gone in the spare-o-trap yet. I can catch females and put in cage and he seems to ignore them???

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it......

good luck!
Craig

[~Patrick~]

Thank you, Craig,

I came home from work with a renewed determination and took out 2 more house sparrows, a male from a gourd and a female from a house. At the moment I don't have anything but nestbox traps so I can't use a live bird as a lure. I do plan to buy a repeating ground trap so using lure birds will be valuable. I am committed to trap all year long from here on out. Those house sparrows infuriate me. One year a male house sparrow completely destroyed to different clutches of martin eggs. I have not intention of letting that happen again.

Happy Trapping,

Patrick

[Guest]

I know what you mean. I have been on a mission since I put up my housing six years ago. I am as intent on trapping sparrows as I was trying to attract martins. My wife thinks I am a little obsessed with the whole deal. Probably because I have a spare-0-door, Then custom made my own trap doors. I made a couple for me and my father inlaw. So it's a little more gratifying when I catch them in the doors I made

I am in the process of trying to make a repeating trap. This way I can locate it closer to the trees and catch them starlings too!! I have crescents (yes, I made them...Ha!) too!. But I do see the starlings come in once in a while and jump on my decoys and stick their heads into the openings

Good luck Patrick!

Craig!

[AngHamilton2]

I have one male sparrow that is very stubborn - I can't trap him at all. He is too smart. I have emptied his nest out of my Purple Martin T14 house numerous times and continue to check - the last couple days there was none, but he keeps sharing the perch with the Purple Martins; they do not seem to mind - off and on they chase him off but he comes right back; I have put traps, I have shot at him with the pellet gun - then he leaves and comes right back again. I am at a loss as well here; I keep trying but putting the trap in the house is difficult because the Purple Martins use all of the holes as well. Don't want to catch them.... it's very hard
Any Advise???
Angelika

[Thomas Maddox]

Put some of his nest in the trap. This has worked for me several times.

[C.C.Martins]

I have one male sparrow that is very stubborn - I can't trap him at all. He is too smart. I have emptied his nest out of my Purple Martin T14 house numerous times and continue to check - the last couple days there was none, but he keeps sharing the perch with the Purple Martins; they do not seem to mind - off and on they chase him off but he comes right back; I have put traps, I have shot at him with the pellet gun - then he leaves and comes right back again. I am at a loss as well here; I keep trying but putting the trap in the house is difficult because the Purple Martins use all of the holes as well. Don't want to catch them.... it's very hard
Any Advise???
Angelika

Pellet gun is your best option, trouble with misses...and I well know...is they now have a pellet gun PHD.
Are you using iron sights or a scope? Scope is best, but if not, its fine, set up a blind so it can't see you. Wait for it to come. Don't need to be real involved, an open window will work. Sit back from the window if necessary.
Aim for his head, chances are you will get a good body shot.
Hold the gun lightly, place the barrel on a rolled towel, slowly pull the trigger. Knock the wind out of him.

[Martintown33]

Agree with others. Don’t give up! You will
Slowly and gradually decrease their numbers. It may take a while. But it will happen. I hardly see any hosps anymore after years of shooting them. Continue to trap and as Tom said, make a blind of some type.. anyplace to hide where they can’t see you and places you close enough to get accurate shots. Use a reliable pellet gun with scope, zero it in… have a place to rest your barrel on to stabilize it.. as Tom said, a rolled up towel on a ledge works great. If they’re sitting on porches , shoot from the side angle.. You will get them. Keep at it!
Good luck
Rob