Aspiring landlord and need help: sparrow trapping, etc.

[Flumenque]

I'm an aspiring landlord and need help attracting our first few SY martins to the area while also dealing with a HOSP infestation. We have an 18-room house from Health and have implemented all the recommendations for attracting our first martins: good air clearance to the martin house, decoys in place, mud around the entrance holes, dawnsong playing loud with occasional switch to daytime chatter in the afternoons. I am scanning the scout reports and it looks like SYs are due to arrive any time in the next few days in my area. I really want to maximize our chance at this being our year.

Regarding the sparrows, I have a single universal sparrow trap from the PMCA store in the martin house that has worked to catch a male and female that are now bait for the Blaine's repeating trap. The other compartments in the house are closed besides the one with the trap. So far in the first three days, I haven't made a single catch in the Blaine's trap even with the bait birds in there. The first day I baited with a mixed that included white millet and cracked corn, but I just saw a single sparrow eating from the top of the trap. A few float around to look at the bait birds. I glued some small white feathers to cardboard and put that in the bait tray yesterday, but no catches. We just moved a bird feeder with white millet to an area right above the trap and within firing range from a window to take shots. Just this morning, I removed the feathers and loaded the bait area with white millet, but there hasn't been attention to either the millet in the feeder or the bait tray today. I did see one sparrow flying around the trap this morning to see the bait birds, but again, it didn't make its way to the trap's elevator and it flew off.

I have a few questions about trapping HOSP and attracting our first martins:
- Now that we have bait birds, should we remove the house trap and open up our compartments to the martin house and risk the invasion by the HOSPs since the SYs might come soon?
- What do people have success trapping with this time of year? There has to be a better way to get sparrows to congregate around a trap: I read someone on the forum who put a baby sparrow in the trap and had success. Last week, I witnessed a squirrel approach what must have been a sparrow nest in the tree outside our window. A nearby sparrow sounded the alarm, and, within seconds, all the sparrows in the area flew in to the rescue as if out of thin air--how can we simulate that alarm-like behavior in these sparrows to make our traps more attractive? My two bait birds just run circles in there and never make a sound, so hardly any other sparrows come by. Isn't there a creative way to get their friends to flock in, like the baby bird or squirrel attack scenario?
- Should I try the Blaine's trap in another area? It seems like I picked a bad location for the trap.
- How can I get connected with another local landlord in the community? I'd like to talk more details about attracting martins and dealing with the suburban sparrow infestation, and I'd like to get connected with local landlords! I'm in the NW suburbs of Chicago, IL.

[C.C.Martins]

I hope you get your martins!
I'll take a stab at the sparrow trapping: as far as the blains, (iv two) its a great trap and especially good with bait birds. Give them food, water, some grit, and shelter they will last a while. They will call to other sparrows, you will hear them get excited and jump around. Fledges or yound sparrows are great bait, they just don't last long.
Move the trap around, some say put them on the ground, some say elevate. Both mine are elevated, dont think it makes too much diffrence really...if you see sparrows near a low Bush, put it there. If they are near a fence, place it there. Its slow during nesting season but can be done. Id put a piece of flat wood under the entrance flush with it, elevated up so they are able to hop right up to the entrance. They like to hop. Bait the area with white millet, slowly wean em off so they go into the cage to eat.
You can also tie up the drop cage with a twist tie or something, bait the trey as normal, let them get used to going in and out, then after you can't take it anymore, remove the twist tie and arm the trap.
Getting them to go into the trap is tough, iv used calls from the phone, remote call boxes etc they will go when they go, but its a waiting game. If you want them to get near the trap find baby sparrow chirping for mother on YouTube and project it with a blue tooth speaker. They will come, but getting them to go in is a diffrent story...so I shoot them off the trap.
The best trap right now is probably a nest box trap, simple bird house with a van ert trap in it. Have to watch close in case you catch a native. Iv caught 4 in nest box traps and only one in the blains so far. They are nesting, not necessarily going into tight spaces for food.
Ok, your going to get lots of replies so thats my 2 cents.
Think you can find other landlords on the PMCA scout arrival study, look for the purple dots near your area.
Again, wish you the best with attracting martins. Hope this helps.
Tom

[flyin-lowe]

I used to have one of the Blaines traps and found it to be very hit and miss. I might go weeks without a catch and then catch 5-10 in a day or two, then another dry spell. This time of year the sparrows are in nesting mode so cavity traps will likely work better. Since you have no returning martins I would keep all cavities closed excepts ones you are using for trapping. Once/if you start seeing martins in your area you can open some cavities.

Sparrows seem like a never ending problem, but it will get better. They have a pretty small home range where they spend most of their lives. At my first colony when I got started I was killing over 100 a year the first couple years, then it dropped by 25 or so each year. Eventually it got to where I would only get a few each year. You just have to stay on top of them. I am fortunate enough that both houses I have lived in is in an area where I can shoot so I trap a lot but get a lot with the shotgun as well.

[Flumenque]

Thank you so much for the responses! The morning, I moved the trap closer to where I see them hang out and added some white feathers glued to cardboard to the bait tray--I caught 4 more and have 6 total now in the cage!

One crazy thing happened: a male house sparrow was down the elevator and stuck on the bottom. My tuna can full of water or food was in front of hole to the cage, so the bird struggled for a few minutes at the base of the elevator. Maybe it couldn't get through the mesh with the can in the way? I watched to see how things would unfold. It found its way back up to the bait area by bouncing around and flew off! I was shocked! I hope that's not horrible news for a potential colony, as I can't expect the male to try that stunt again with the trap.

There are still 4 or 5 sparrows around the immediate area of property. My strategy will be to try the same scenario tomorrow with 6 in the cage, then maybe move the trap somewhere else if there are no more hits. If I have a few days without success, I will probably try to tie and disarm the trap to get the comfortable as Tom suggested.

By closing my cavities and keeping my trap up, do I risk having a less attractive site? I want to maximize my shot at raising our first pair this year (and ensuring we have a compatible site). What is the risk of trapping a SY martin, releasing it, and scaring off my only potential pair this year? Maybe I'm overthinking things

Nest box traps seem to be a very good investment for this time of year. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Matthew

[C.C.Martins]

Yep, watched a few refuse to go into the trap when the drop arm goes down. They flutter around and out they go if I don't get there in time. It will be back.
I have 5 sparrows in one trap, 4 in another right now. Id not keep more than 5 or they fight and just dirty up the place...up to you. I shoot the visitors and rely on the nest boxes to mop up.
I think your doing great, get as many as you can. A pellet gun with scope will knock them off the porch.