Managing English House Sparrows around Bluebirds

[EllenW]

I called animal rehab places in my area to see if they wanted the house sparrows that I trapped. None of them wanted them.

[fishlkmich]

Maybe my pet shop idea would work. They feed snakes dead rodents and birds would be a natural addition to their diet. You could even put up a poster at the pet shop if they let you. People could drop by and pick up their pet treats from you!

[Birding Bunch]

Ellen, that is quite disappointing. We're they raptor rehabs? When we dropped off our HOSP and Starlings, she was ever so grateful because they feed their raptors day old chicks, but they want the young to recognize what they will be eating in the wild. They really rely on donations of this sort.

Besides those, we give them mice caught in indoor traps and she said she'd be glad to take any rabbits, if we got those. We just have a bit of a freezer constraint with the super-sized rabbits we are now seeing. The DNR gives them road kill deer and people fish for carp.

[Birding Bunch]

My husband actually picked up a small chest freezer. I need all available freezer space for the upcoming harvest. I kind of cheat on tomatoes. When they are ready for picking, I put them in freezer bags after coring. When it cools outside, that's when I juice my tomatoes and the skins come right off as they thaw.

We hope to take another batch to the rehab place tomorrow. I jokingly said we may just run out of HOSP here. I am tempted to ask a neighbor or two if they would like to get rid of any.

[hawkeyewx]

Birding Bunch,

Where in Iowa are you located? I'm in Cedar Rapids, so of course house sparrows are everywhere. I'm glad you have had some luck catching and disposing of them. I would love to snap my finger and have the flock that hangs out in/near my yard disappear permanently(along with every other HOSP in North America), but I am just using monofilaments to keep as many as possible away from my sunflower, nyjer, and suet feeders. It works fairly well.

I would love to attract bluebirds, but it's just not a favorable environment. Even if I trapped HOSPs, I'm sure there are thousands of others waiting in line to take their place. I've actually only seen bluebirds once in my life... a few years ago during south migration three of them briefly stopped in my yard.

[Birding Bunch]

We are in Central Iowa, out in the country. I have a friend in town who has a problem, but there's not a lot she can do about it being surrounded by neighbors.

We enjoy all the native sparrows, so there is plenty of food on the ground for the HOSP to get. They do not often try the suet or other feeders. The occasional Starling tries. They do not have much success with their fear of Kestrels (We have had a female Kestrel here for months now) and the Blue Jays chase them away.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by hawkeyewx

... I would love to snap my finger and have the flock that hangs out in/near my yard disappear permanently(along with every other HOSP in North America), but I am just using monofilaments to keep as many as possible away from my sunflower, nyjer, and suet feeders. It works fairly well.

Welcome, hawkeyewx.

I hear you regarding the house sparrows (and European starlings)--luckily, for my first 6 years here (in the country in NE PA), I've only seen these birds a couple of times in all of those years. I thought by just offering the black oil sunflower seeds, I was keeping them away...however, over the past few days, they seem to be showing up here.

Originally Posted by hawkeyewx

I would love to attract bluebirds, but it's just not a favorable environment. Even if I trapped HOSPs, I'm sure there are thousands of others waiting in line to take their place. I've actually only seen bluebirds once in my life... a few years ago during south migration three of them briefly stopped in my yard.

Until we moved here, I'd only seen a bluebird once or twice. Within a month or so of moving here, I spotted a bluebird in December. Early that spring, I put up nest boxes. A bluebird pair gas nested here ever since. Now that I seem to be seeing a half dozen or so HOSP coming this winter, I'm a bit concerned about this spring--although, I think I did spot one or two last winter, but none come springtime. I'd hate to have trouble for our resident bluebirds.

[EllenW]

HOSP's love black oil sunflower seeds. I have had a terrible time with them here. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I now put out safflower seed and grey striped sunflower seed and so far no HOSP's.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by EllenW

HOSP's love black oil sunflower seeds. I have had a terrible time with them here. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I now put out safflower seed and grey striped sunflower seed and so far no HOSP's.

Strange, because for years I never saw them coming for it...and the couple I saw always seemed to move on quickly, so I assumed black oil seeds were not to their liking. Now, I have to wonder if we just never had many HOSP around here--I hope that that is the case...although I hope it hadn't changed now that I seem to be seeing more.

[dapjwy]

Other than cardinals, what eats the safflower seeds?