Sat
Apr 7 2007
12:16 pm
Saturday Bird Blogging
By: R. Neal

This handsome little fellow is giving me the evil eye because we lost the battle with the house sparrows* for his bluebird house.

We've torn out the sparrow's nest three times, once with eggs in it. I felt awful. But they keep coming back. Haven't had any food out for weeks. But they keep coming back. There's another nest in there, probably with eggs again.

The bluebirds and a chickadee were fighting with the sparrows over the house, but the sparrows won. (The chickadee put up a hell of a fight. He/she still comes around every now and then to harass them.)

A male and female bluebird pair were spotted this week fluttering around the hole in a watering can on the back porch as if they were thinking about that as an alternative. I felt awful.

Is it too late for the bluebirds to try to evict the sparrows, again?

(*House sparrows are actually Weaver Finches, imported from England in the 1800s. Supposedly, the entire U.S. population, estimated at 150-400 million, comes from 100 birds released in Brooklyn in 1851. At least that's what it says on the internets.)

Topics:
Andy Axel's picture

If it were me? Help the

Submitted by Andy Axel on Sat, 2007/04/07 - 1:07pm.

If it were me? Help the blues out. Trap & kill the invaders.

These are non-native sparrows we're talking about, right?

I don't think there's much to feel bad about. I've been locked in a similar struggle with some starlings squatting in my woodpecker boxes.

I understand their need to make a living & all, but at the expense of my downy and bluebird population, no way.

____________________________

People getting rich. Some people saying "Markets!" More death. Neil Young. Death.

talidapali's picture

Why not...

Submitted by talidapali on Sat, 2007/04/07 - 3:32pm.

just put up some more houses? If you can...find out what size hole is the absolute minimum diameter for bluebirds, and whether that is small enough to keep sparrows out? If it is...then try that. If not...then kill the sparrows if they are an invasive non-native species. Otherwise, sparrows are nice too, just not as pretty.

_________________________________________________________

"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"

"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

bchesney's picture

That's a great shot and a

Submitted by bchesney on Sat, 2007/04/07 - 5:16pm.

That's a great shot and a beautiful bird. I've seen some real nice ones today at my feeders. Thanks for sharing!

gttim's picture

More Houses

Submitted by gttim on Sat, 2007/04/07 - 7:33pm.

I would just put up more houses. It is not the Sparrow's fault that they are not native. Quit killing the baby birds / eggs.

I can't get hardly any birds to come to my thistle feeder at my condo. I think it is too shaded. I can't put out regular seed because of the squirrels and chipmunks. I don't mind feeding them, but it seems I am just fattening them up for the owls and hawks. Evidently there is a pair of golden arches above my building.

edens's picture

>I would just put up more

Submitted by edens on Sat, 2007/04/07 - 10:44pm.

>I would just put up more houses.

Not in my back yard!

Les Jones's picture

BWAHAA! www.lesjones.com *

Submitted by Les Jones on Sun, 2007/04/08 - 12:05am.

BWAHAA!

www.lesjones.com

* <--my point     what metulj is usually babbling about--> *

Eleanor A's picture

Put up two more houses (and

Submitted by Eleanor A on Sun, 2007/04/08 - 5:33pm.

Put up two more houses (and make sure you put raccoon baffles on the poles...trust me on this one).

That is one sure way to keep everybody happy. But I'd still kill the sparrows...I realize some folks think that's barbaric, but they will kill baby bluebirds. They'll tear their eyes out and stuff.

Since bluebirds are a.) native and until recently were b.) threatened, I don't feel terribly bad about it.

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