House sparrow ?

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Jim 1990
Posts: 254
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 11:08 am
Location: Fort wayne IN

I am just curious if any one has seen less house sparrows so far this season . The reason I ask is it has been a month and a half and have not seen a one, This is very unusual for me as I put up gourds and it seems that even though I trap and shoot year round that they start trying to nest in my gourds. Not that I am complaining but seems strange not to see any here for that long .
Now watch after I write this I will start to seeing them again, I have seen starlings around but I have trapped most of them that were trying to get in the gourds earlier this month. all my gourds have
starling resistant entrance so they give up on those and go the starling nest box trap.
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Mhoover
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 10:30 am
Location: Indiana/Monticello - White County
Martin Colony History: Started with 2 pair in 2014 - 7 eggs -7 fledged

I have had less problems this year than any previous year but I just attributed it to my having been aggressive in eliminating the house sparrows for the past seven years since the numbers appear to have declined from one year to the next.
I have shot or trapped just 6 house sparrows since February. I am not complaining just enjoying the lack of house sparrows.
2017-5 pair
2016-4 pair- 18 hatched-18 fledged
2015-1 pair -Both ASY- 6 eggs-5 fledged
2014-2 pair- 1 ASY-M/SY-F-1 ASY pair - 7 eggs-7 fledged

PMCA Member
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Monsey
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: Sask.

Same here. Last year trapped or shot @25 this year maybe 2or3. Don't know why less around this year but not missing them around the Martins.
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Robbo
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:53 pm
Location: Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

Strangely enough I noticed the same thing up here. I had not seen one Sparrow all spring in the back yard until I put up the houses and the Martin's came back. They are here now but not nearly as bad as past years.
2009. 98 eggs, 66 hatch, 61 fledged.
2010. 114 eggs, 89 hatch,70 fledged.
2011. 96 eggs. 80 hatch,68 fledged.Heavy Merlin preditation.
2012. 89 eggs. 56 hatch, good fledge. Guards installed. Merlin not sighted at houses.
2013. First Egg May 24, first Baby June 13.
2014. successful.
2015. successful.
2016. Martin's population decline, suspect new housing in the neighborhood. Merlin eating well also!
2017.Population explosion :grin: . first egg May 25 in a BO-11
2018. Population stable.
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Bcorbs1217
Posts: 121
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:22 am
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland
Martin Colony History: Active colony since 2005.

I was thinking the same thing just this morning. I was wondering if the house sparrow in the vicinity had already started nesting elsewhere before I opened and raised the gourd rack. Then again, I hear male HOSP's trying to attract a mate but they are leaving the gourds alone. Fingers crossed but traps are set regardless! Becky
Becky Corbett. PM landlord since 2005; 12 supergourds.
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Kuemic
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:17 pm
Location: Topeka, KS
Martin Colony History: 2015 1 pair, 2 eggs destroyed by HOSP
2016 1 pair, 2 fledged, HOSP 46
2017 1 pair, 5 fledged, HOSP 14
2018 daily visitors, HOSP 12
2019 1 pair, 2 fledged, HOSP 14
2020 1pair, 5 fledged, HOSP 17
2021 2 pair, 7 fledged, HOSP 21
2022 3 pair, 12 fledged, HOSP 18
2023 8 pair, 35 fledged, HOSP 16
2024 13 pair, 55 fledged, HOSP 11

Our numbers are down also. Only trapped 8 sparrows so far, down from 21 this time last year. Hoping we are diminishing the local population. I sill hear or see a male sparrow occasionally, makes me very nervous. Thankfully, the bluebirds go on offense whenever one enters the yard!

Michelle
Michelle in Topeka
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~Ray~Gingerich
Posts: 2122
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Delaware/Dover

They are headed for extinction!!!!!!!
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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pcolamike
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:20 am
Location: Oklahoma

You are more than welcome to come down here to Oklahoma and collect some of ours. I've trapped 32 in the last 8 days. I'm within the city limits so shooting is out of the question. The repeating ground trap works great though. Pre-baited with bread crumbs for 3 days before it was delivered. Set it on a board so the could see a bottom, and set that on a large garden pot. It's working. I now have a pair of Blue Birds building a nest in my Blue Bird box. Just wish the Martin's would do more than come sit on the perches and porches.
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handyman315
Posts: 300
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
Location: SW Ohio
Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.

Maybe less HOSPs this year . . . or I've become a better shot. This is my first year (in four) that NO HOSP has built a nest in any of my cavities . . . again maybe better at following PMCA recommendations of keeping houses closed longer.

Now the bad news. Absolutely my worst wannabe season (of four), e.g., it is generous to even call my PM presences "visits". Really disappointed.
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
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marcus
Posts: 314
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 10:21 pm
Location: Fairland OK
Martin Colony History: Mom n Dad had a plastic 12 unit martin house with some martins as long as I can remember. In 2013 they had 1 pair. I don't think they fledged any. I then started learning how to take care of martins and in 2014 we took that house down and put up a Troyer 18 gourd rack. We had 7 pair with 28 fledged.That summer I built a T-14 (I was only 12). I was also given 4 natural gourds that I hung beneath the T-14. In 2015, we had 23 pair although only 22 pair fledged young. They fledged 88 young. In 2016, we had 36 pair, 210 eggs, 163 hatched, 149 fledge!! One pair fledged 2 broods. In 2017, I had 36 pair with 35 fledging young. They laid 204 eggs, hatched 155, and fledged 152.

Have one sparrow hanging out on the gourd rack who will not let me shoot him and won't choose a gourd so that I can trap him. He just harasses the martins. Other than that I don't have many hanging around. :)
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mayboy
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu May 04, 2017 8:07 pm
Location: Berea, KY
Martin Colony History: Just starting.

I haven't seen a House Sparrow on my place this year, which I think is odd as well, but no Martins yet either. I'm just returning to trying to attract them after giving up a few years ago, because I wasn't here during the day to ward off the Sparrows and Starlings. Now that I'm retired I can keep a watch. I got the house up about two weeks ago, but probably too late since I haven't had any PMs visiting.
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jpp77
Posts: 175
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:21 pm
Location: Lawrence, KS area
Martin Colony History: 2015 - 1 pair, not successful (Sparrows)
2016 - 1 pair, 4 young
2017 - 5 pair, 23 young
2018 - 8 pair, 40 young, two deaths most likely due to heat.
2019 - 18 pair, 74 eggs, 1 nest abandoned, all the rest successful.
2020 - 32 nests, unknown exact egg numbers, 1 death.

I've dispatched of 3 this year which is pretty typical. Still have a few around that I can't get rid of. Repeating traps don't work for me as I don't think there are enough Sparrows. Cant put a trap ina gourd as the damn male sparrow just keeps hanging out. I live in the country so I just use a 20 gauge. They get pretty spooked so it's difficult to get a clean shot. I have 8 Martins. One nest already has eggs. I always worry the sparrow will get to them as the Martins are gone for a good hour at a time mid afternoon. I'll just keep trying. Not much else I can do but hope all works out.
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KaraInTexas
Posts: 60
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:29 am
Location: North Texas
Martin Colony History: 2020 - 10 nest sites.

2019 - 8 nest sites and 28 fledged.

2018 - Three mating pair. 12 babies, all fledged. Found one adult female dead in house. Cause of death - unable to ascertain. Very sad day.

2017 - First mating pair in Heath house. May 3-5: 5 eggs laid. June 1-3: all hatched. July 3: all 5 fledged.
Approximately 20 adult martins here for the fledge party.

July 1: Installed 4 gourds as well as the 3 houses. The Martins love them!

2016 - Many martins, no nests or eggs. Too many HOSP.
I have a 12 compartment Heath house I converted to a 4 compartment house to allow the Martins more room and hopefully evade owls. I have put in a second house, the S&K 12 compartment one which I converted to 6 compartments. My neighbor also has the same S&K house I converted to a 6 compartment house.
I have eight or more Martins that visit daily.

I think they all decided to come live in my neighborhood.

Bad idea. >:-)
May the Martins be with you. :grin:
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