Escaped

[kandadaddy]

Got my Universal trap in yesterday. Well I got to use it today for the first time. Within 1 hour I had a male sparrow, I'm thinkn alright I can finally begin controlling the pest. So I lower my house and remove the trap, it peck at my hand of course I jump and drop the trap. My sons are laughing their heads off at seeing me jump and drop it. Well they aren't done laughing at me yet. Now I try and get the little boogger out and that didn't go good either. I'm opening the back up very slow and trying to squeeze my hand in to grab it. Then as you guess, it got away. So I have to figure out how to get to the demon without it getting away. So thats my tell for the first time catching a HOSP.. LOL..

[DebA]

Ni...ce. I had one escape too and it seemed to trigger an avoidance of my trap. Like they all had a meeting and everyone knew. I assume you are going to do a thumb to skull or cervical dislocation move. I throw my whole trap in a bucket with lid and spray ether through a small hole in the lid. Then I get it out of the trap.

Kids. Aren't they around at the best times?

Deb

[kandadaddy]

When you use spray, how much do you use?

[DebA]

Enough to euthanize a goat. I tend to overdo. The whole elimination thing is tough for me to do. Which is why I like my black 5 gal bucket method. Don't have to see it. Hearing the fluttering bugs me. Darn HOSP in my houses bugs me more though.

It doesn't take much. Especially if you use a smaller container like a bag. Just a squirt or so.

Deb

[bluetick]

I just reach in my S&S and grab them and twist their necks one turn and it's over. My 85 year old friend show me how he did it on a starling and it works good but my wife can't do it that way. She sticks them in a bucket of water when I am not there. I say any way to get rid of them. Dave

[MamaBruff]

I have my method to add to all the ideas here. I put the whole trap in a tall kitchen bag (or cover the whole trap with a plastic bag, in the case of larger traps) so the bird does not get away when I open the trap. Yes I learned this the hard way too, and my husband was laughing at me too! Then I grasp the bird thru the bag and euthanize quickly (being sure it is a HOSP or Starling first of course)... You could use this same method and squirt your ether into the closed bag as well. I don't use the ether myself, as I take the terminated S&S to the back fence of my pasture for the vultures/crows and such to recycle.

It's a crappy job, but so important for the safety of our native birds. Each HOSP you terminate effectively eliminates him and future HOSP ( about 15 per pair per year)

[kandadaddy]

Well the escaped HOSP has not returned. I reset the trap lastnight after my fiasco. It has been set all day, I just checked it a few minutes ago and NOTHING. I wonder if he will return? In a way I hope not but in a way I hope so. I would like to get another chance at fixing a problem. Oh by the way there was no nest being built in my house today. I wonder why?

[KathyF]

Kanda,
I can't tell you how many have escaped me because I was in such a hurry to get them out of the nestbox or trap that I goofed and let him go. There are lots of good suggestions here. I like the Starter Fluid (Ether) when you drop the trap in the bag. Make sure you seal the bag well and let it sit for awhile. (Yes, I didn't spray enough in one time and when I checked on it, it was still breathing).

When I retrieve them from my repeater trap, especially when there are a lot of them, I practice cervical dislocation (break their neck). It seems to be quick and humane also. But the Ether spray works just as well. Those are the 2 practices I prefer.

And Yes, - he will be back - HOSP bond to nest sites and particularly to nest boxes. He'll be back - he'll just be harder to catch and sneakier. You may have to put your thinking hat on and be sneakier.

[Siberman]

I put mine in a plastic shopping bag and slap it against a tree or the house. Drop it in the garbage and you're done with no chemicals or mess.

[DebA]

Siberman,
Is the moment of impact horrible? Noise? Any weird feeling by your hand? Do you ever have to smack one twice? Still trying to find my most tolerable way.
Deb

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I take the bird and trap to the garage, go into a small room, and close the door. If he escapes into the room, I again catch it and kill it. The door stays closed until the bird is dead.

[BuddyS]

Even though I didn't get martins this year, I am getting really good at trapping hosp. I picked up a little zip up garment net from wal-mart used for laundering delicate garments. It's about 12" X 20" or so. I place the nest trap into the garment bag and open it there. The hosp flies out into the netting and is easily removed. I then trim it's wings and place it in one of my repeating sparrow traps as bait...then I get even more! How you discard is up to your comfort level.

[MamaBruff]

I tried the mesh bag when I had to open my PMCA NB trap, as unless you see the bird go in, you don't know what bird is in there... A female BB in the mesh bag was not a good experience for her or myself. Her little claws hooked in the mesh, and she made the most heart wrenching cry as we both gently struggled to get her loose! (You then have a poopy bag to clean. YUK)

So from now on, I just tick to trash bags to cover all traps. I have had 2 HOSP at once in both my Gilbertson and Trendsetter NB insert traps, and the trash bag saved the day. The trash bag exception is the PMCA NB trap; I use a 788gm (large) coffee cannister with the bottom cut out and a gallon ziplock bag taped on over the open end. I just put it over the access door and generally the bird flies right in. Some will not, and I use a large zip tie to encourage them to "go to the light". On 2 occasions, I have had a pair of birds come out, and that was a little challenging! I keep the lid to the coffee cannister handy for those times, as grabbing 2 fat starlings is a little difficult with one hand! And like Emil, I take all my S&S to the garage for their last rites.

[GeneP]

Somewhat like Emil, I bring mine into the bathroom along with a net. Lately they've been figuring out how to get out the the Brad Biddle tunnel trap.

One thing I might add, around here I was told the raptor rehabbers no longer take the HOSP's due to West Nile Virus having been found. Might consider that before feeding them to other birds or animals.

[KathyF]

The two most humane methods for euthanizing a trapped HOSP and / or starlings are 1) cervical dislocation (breaking their necks) or 2) putting them into a plastic bag and spraying in a generous amount of Ether (Starter fluid).

I prefer to put any trapped HOSP in my repeater trap to act as 'bait' to attract other HOSP into the trap (clip their wing flight feathers first - http://sialis.org/wingtrim.htm ). It IS the most effective bait you can use in a repeater trap at this time of year. Oddly enough, it does not work that way with starlings, so any of those that I trap, I just euthanize quickly.