Next Try

DelmaWhisenhunt · Sun May 18, 2014 7:19 pm

Did a number of things to sparrows so determined not to be stopped/ now will try heavy duty masking tape, placing just inside on some of the nest and by the entrance. Know this sounds crazy, but whatever works I am voting OK. Anything to stop the damage they are doing. Feel lucky that many martins are still around and doing their best to nest. Hopeful the dudes will fly into nest cavity before they realize it is taped lined/ the sparrows not the martins. If this works will be a good Monday morning show.

avesrun · Sun May 18, 2014 7:36 pm

You must employ the method you're describing ina manner that guarantees martins will not be affected. Making a hole reducer with inch and a quarter hole will keep martins from entering cavity but will allow sparrows to enter.
Tim

4th Gen Martin Fan · Sun May 18, 2014 8:54 pm

Delma,
Tim is right. An entrance hole reducer should be employed to exclude the purple martins.
This hole size has been discussed extensively in this post.
http://purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic ... ht=#203619
I settled on 1 3/8" hole because that is what is on the Spar-O-Door. The Spar-O-Door has been extremely successful for me.
Someone will point out to you that other native birds must be considered in a glue/sticky tape trap. It must be monitored very closely.
Mark.

avesrun · Mon May 19, 2014 7:43 am

Mark: Thank you very much for posting. I have been wondering for weeks why my hole reducer plate made at inch and 1/4 has never been entered by hospital yet the spar o door continues to be effective. I assumed the spar o door was same size; I believe I will make new reducer plate at 1 3/8 for my t14 . Wrens and chickadees are not an issue at this time.thanks again!
Tim

threelilkids · Mon May 19, 2014 4:20 pm

Good Luck Delma

DelmaWhisenhunt · Mon May 19, 2014 8:17 pm

Had second thoughts about using the tape. The one nest that I would really like to render justice is so close to martins nesting. Most likely will tear sparrow nest out again and re-think my strategy. So lucky I have martins in both houses. A squirrel tried to visit again and the martins took care of him, chased and sky dived him clear out of the yard.

Gary W · Mon May 19, 2014 8:59 pm

Hi Delma,

I am sorry to hear you're in such a battle with those house sparrows! I have used mouse glue boards effectively to get rid of them. I have utilized two small strips of wood or plastic on each side of an SREH entrance hole, attached with duct tape. I allowed the entrance opening to be about 1 5/16 inches wide. Martins cannot get in an opening that small. I have always pushed the glue board towards the back of the compartment so a Martin looking in, could not get itself stuck.

I wish you the best of success in stopping those sparrows!

Gary

William A · Mon May 19, 2014 9:11 pm

DelmaWhisenhunt wrote:Had second thoughts about using the tape. The one nest that I would really like to render justice is so close to martins nesting. Most likely will tear sparrow nest out again and re-think my strategy. So lucky I have martins in both houses. A squirrel tried to visit again and the martins took care of him, chased and sky dived him clear out of the yard.

Delma, I used to tear sparrow nest out and that seemed to set the male hosp off into a tirade of pecking eggs in every nesting cavity he could find. Lost a lot of bluebirds. After leaning that lesson, I only trap and shoot now and just leave the nest alone unless I have trapped and killed the builders of the nest.

eyeamtheman · Tue May 20, 2014 4:30 am

You'd be better off catching or killing them, ASAP.

Suzanne · Tue May 27, 2014 9:28 pm

Hello everyone. I have trapped and eliminated 3 pairs of house sparrows but there is one pair that out-wits everything we try to do. The male sparrow sits on a nearby roof top chirping loudly , waits for the martins to leave then bam he is in and out of 3 compartments before I can scare him away! I am pretty good with a slingshot, hissing at him , but he will not go in where I have nest traps! I can't shoot him because we live in a residential neighborhood. We have lost 4 of our 25 eggs thus far and we now have 8 nestlings some at 8 to 10 days old. The martins just look at me now and probably think gee that crazy lady is our landlord! We have a ground trap and nest box trap and even built a bird house just for them. No luck he will sit on the fence and chirp at me! I am nest checking every 3 days and binoculars are my favorite necklace now ! We tried glue traps and that worked great but can't do that now with martins in and out feeding the nestlings! Please give me words of wisdom on how to get rid of the devil bird. Thanks!

taxidermy lady · Wed May 28, 2014 6:05 am

He'll screw up some day. Keep at him. Good luck