Relocating HOSP to a "Ghetto"

[Guest]

First-time poster, here, but a long-time reader of these forums and the magazines PMCA publishes. I'm also the tech-savvy member of the family, so I always end up doing the research for my father, who has been a small-time martin landlord for about five years now.

One thing about my father is he loves his back yard and the critters that come with living on the Texas Gulf Coast. He's collected numerous gourds, bird feeders, tray feeders, and martin houses over the years...some of which he's set up, while some of the others sit unused in the garage workshop. Among the legions of birds, squirrels and rabbits that visit the back yard feeding stations, we've also become hosts to those little pests, sparrows and starlings.

The starlings we have effectively contained with the use of SREHs on all of the active gourds and our martin house. They've occupied an old birdhouse that is back near the woodline, and show no interest in the SREH-equipped housing. Not so with the HOSP, though. The HOSPs have basically taken over the gourds, as well as a few cavities within the martin house.

Surprisingly the HOSPs we have do not appear to be overly aggressive towards the martins. I believe this is due to a plentiful supply of food, water and cover, and an overabundance of housing (we have a very small martin colony). There doesn't seem to be any signs of nest-site competition between the HOSPs and the martins, at least not yet.

Our martin colony is growing. And, after having done some research, we'll be modifying our martin house for larger nest cavities when I can spare some time from graduate school here at Texas A&M. I'm sure that the HOSP situation will become problematic as my father's martin colony continues to grow. My father is not a very active landlord, and refuses to shoot/trap the HOSPs, so I have had to come up with alternatives (not an easy task).

Now that I've finished with the background, here's the idea:
We have eight conventional (non-horizontal) gourds that are not being used, as well as an old, large capacity bird feeder. I'd planned on mounting those eight gourds on a pole that is back near the treeline, where martins would not want to nest, but HOSP would. Nearby would go the old-n-busted birdfeeder. Our new bird feeder (yes, we have two) would be equipped with one of those "magic halo" devices I've read about, which should keep the HOSP away from it. A similar set of halos would be attached to the martin apartment house as well as the Troyer horizontal gourds. Given the choice, I figure the HOSP would go after the non-halo feeder, and nest in the nearby gourds back near the woodline.

Do you think this strategy would be effective in relocating HOSPs away from martin housing? (I would also perform HOSP nest tear-outs on the martin structures).

Thanks in advance!

[John King]

KILL THE SPARROWS. THEY WILL TAKE OVER AND YOU WILL HAVE NO MARTINS. John

[Sparky]

Your intentions are honorable, but the HOSP's and Starlings must not allowed to prosper. Elimination methods are suggested by shooting and trapping. Any of the S & S allowed to prosper in the vicinity will cause you to be "chasing your tail" and creating a lot of work for yourself. The S & S are too numerous already with several broods each year. I personally practice S & S elimination year-round.

[Guest]

No doubt S&S is a serious problem, but like I said before, my father won't shoot or trap them (more likely, he just doesn't like going outdoors in the heat of summer).

I can only return home once every few weeks, and being a martin landlord is a full-time occupation.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Your father has a choice to make, and that is whether he wants to keep the martins, or whether he is satisfied with the sparrows. If you do nothing, the sparrows will win. There is practical no chance that your halo idea will work.

There is one thing that will work to some extent, and that is to keep the houses closed until you see martins at your houses, and then open the houses. Some of the sparrows may have nested some other place by that time so maybe you can tolerate having some of both. If you go that route, you must close the houss as soon as the martins leave, or take the housing down the day the martins leave.

By taking the housing down when the martins leave, some of the sparrows may go elsewhere.

It really is difficult if people refuse to do the thing that is recommended, that which is proven to work, and that which is necessary to keep martins. Can't you get on your knees and beg him to trap the sparrows? ha ha

[Guest]

I'll be having a chat with him this evening. Sometimes he needs a little "convincing" to do the right thing. I'm hoping to get him more involved as a landlord, and that might require a swift kick in the rear to get him started.

He really does need a hobby, and I really wish he would turn this interest with martins into a full landlord status.

Wish me luck.

[Guest]

I understand the desire to maintain a martin colony without using lethal control. I have had bluebirds for many years and never killed a HOSP. My theory was that I had a large enough habitat (5 acres, barn, woodlot, etc.) that the HOSP could live on my property, the bluebirds could have their own house and we could all live in peace. Sooner or later, this theory fails us all.

Last year as well as my active bluebird box, I had a gourd with tree swallows and 2 gourds with purple martin nests. I had 5 bluebird eggs destroyed by HOSP and decided that some lethal control might be indicated. I could no longer tolerate HOSP living on my property if they were going to kill my bluebirds. Since I can't (won't) shoot, I decided on nestbox traps. I feed a lot of birds and felt a bait trap would be filled with "good" birds most of the time.

As well as trapping (and killing) HOSP early in the season, I continued to practice my nonlethal control methods; I tear out any HOSP nests in housing designated for BB, TS, or PM; I used a "Sparrow Spooker" on the bluebird box from the time the first egg was laid till the young fledged; and I don't offer seed that attracts HOSP, namely the cheaper seeds mixes that contain a high percentage of millet, milo, and cracked corn.

I think the seed you offer your desirable birds is important in controlling the HOSP population in your yard. I chuckled when I read your comment "Yes, we have 2 (feeders)" since I have 7 or 8, not counting my 3 hummingbird feeders or the one with orange halves and grape jelly for orioles. I have 2 feeders for nyger (thistle) seed, one of which is exclusively for goldfinches. The holes are BELOW the perches; since goldfinches can feed upside down and house finches can't, the house finches don't steal all the nyger. It is my experience that HOSP can't/won't use these feeders. Whether they don't like nyger or can't use the tiny holes of this style, I don't know. Another of my feeders is a tube feeder. I only use safflower in this one - it is a high oil seed desired by all the smaller birds (chickadees, titmice, finches) and disliked by squirrels. I put a mix of safflower and black-oil sunflower on a platform feeder for the jays and cardinals, and more black-oil in a larger mesh feeder for the biggest birds. I have 2 styles of peanut feeders - one for peanuts in the shell, one for shelled peanuts - blue jays and woodpeckers love these. I also have a suet block holder for woodpeckers, but found that the starlings would clean me out of suet in an hour. I have switched to a woodpecker cake w/out suet, thus nearly eliminating starlings.

I rarely have S&S at my feeders; this mix of seed and nut choices attracts all my favorite feeder birds. I do have a smaller population of "good" sparrows (song, chipping, white-crowned, white-throated, fox, American tree), but I will offer some ground seed (millet usually) for them and the towhees when the HOSP numbers are low.

As for halos and sparrow spookers: I have not heard of using them on feeders, only on nest boxes. The idea is that once the desired species (bluebirds are the most common species where these are used) has claimed a nest box and laid the first egg, the female is so committed to her nest she will continue to enter the box despite the weird thing outside the door. Other birds, not committed to that site, are "spooked" away. You cannot put up a halo or spooker on an unclaimed nest box and assume that the HOSP will avoid it but your "good" birds will enter. My guess is that you will get no birds at all that way.

Nonlethal control of HOSP is more labor-intensive than killing them. If your dad's reason for not trapping or shooting the sparrows is because it is too much work, I doubt he will want to take on the daily maintenance required for nest removal, etc. Once the HOSP get a foothold, they are hard to remove. Since they can have 3 or 4 broods a season, they take over your housing pretty quickly, then you lose your martins (or bluebirds.)

Nonlethal control is possible. It isn't easy and it isn't pretty.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies, all. The chat with my father was quite productive, and the problem was pretty much what I expected: he messes up his back raising and lowering the current houses we have.

I brought up the subject of lethal control, and all I got was a thundering silence. Answer enough, there. Non-lethal is the choice my father has made, and he's been informed of what that will involve. It's not the choice I would make, but I'll respect his decision.

The problem that I now face is one of engineering. He and I have decided that we'll be needing an easier method of raising and lowering the martin house. Most likely this will involve a pulley and winch system, and so a new pole is in order.

Do you all buy your poles, or do you make them on your own? I'm also curious as to how well treated lumber would work, given that we don't have a full machine shop at home.

Thanks, Kathi, for the information on the food that HOSP prefer! I know my father uses some of those HOSP-attracting foods you mentioned, and I shall inform him what seeds to switch to.

Thanks for the responses, people!

[Guest]

our treated lumber has been working perfect for 5 years now.


It is made from the T14 plans

We are going to use a 3 inch square aluminum tube for our next pole.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

AggieMEEN, the are several ideas about poles, winches, etc

1) an easy lift pole assembly has a counterweight inside the pole, it is very easy to raise & lower, as the assembly is the same weight as the weights. It stops anywhere and stays where you stop it

2) a conventional winch system usually with a steel cable. These can also be made with an electric winch for extremely heavy houses.

3) usually homemade, but to use 2 pulleys at the top, the results of the 2 pulleys are that it only takes 1/2 the effort to raise & lower it. This can work very easily with a rope with light assemblies.

4) put up lightweight housing, and then you can pull it up with a pulley and a rope.

All of these work good, so you may wish to choose something that fits your budget. There are many easy to lift poles on the market, as most people don't like to make their own. The homemade systems are usually much cheaper to make.

[Guest]

Thank you, all, for the replies. It looks like we will be going with a homebuilt solution using a winch and pulleys to allow quick and easy access to the housing for nest checks and HOSP nest tearouts.

The pole itself will be made of galvanized steel pipe, probably around 2" in diameter, threaded on both ends. We will be consolidating what housing systems we have in an effort to reduce the "pole farm" we've been growing. Steel cable and a winch to handle the weight.

The only snag I can think of deals with the length of pipe that is available. If we can find only 10' lengths, we might have to link them with a coupling.

Where do you all buy your material for homebuilt poles? Is there an online source (McMaster Carr), or do you use a hardware store (such as Home Depot and Lowe's)?

[Dale Hrncirik]

AggieMeen,

Check with your local plumbing supply store. They should carry a variety of galvanized steel pipe in 21 foot lengths. Never use a coupler on a martin house pole that supports a heavy house. Good luck,

Dale

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

If you are going to buy a steel pole, you may inquire about a square pole, as they are a lot easier to use. On a round pole, you must use some sort of device to keep the house or gourd assembly from rotating. On a square pole, the rotating problem is eliminated. I would recommend a 2 inch to 3 inch square pole, 21 feet long. By having a 21ft pole, you could put 3 to 4 ft into the ground, and then the height of the house would be just right

[Guest]

I get my steel tubing at scrap yards, its a fraction of the price at a hardware store. I use 2 types : 2 - 2 1/2" electrical conduit pipe and 2" steel galvanized pipe (type used in indoor sprinkler systems) - I prefer the 'sprinkler' pipe: 2 pieces can be joined togather easily.

In Canada electrical winches (both 12V and 120v) can be had for under $60 cn - can't go wrong with that.

In my housing rotation is not a problem: when the house is in the raised position the pulley on top of the pipe rests against the house frame. The house always comes up in the same position.

.

[John Miller]

Hello

Just two or three more cents. When we include nest removal among non-lethal controls, sometimes we set the male sparrow off on a "revenge" syndrome. You'll want to read "male house sparrow revenge" in the archives.

I'm not saying to let house sparrows and martins coexist. There's a stuggling martin colony in a public garden near me that's over run by sparrows -- which are allowed to coexist -- and each year there are fewer martins. They also have abundant seed feeders, stocked with shelled sunflower (they don't want to have clean up the shells), and sparrows seem to relish this seed choice.

Controlling house sparrows is not easy functionally or emotionally. At a site I manage in a large park, we've been lucky by locating housing in very very open sites that minimizes interest by sparrows. I too in the past have considered adding housing just for sparrows, but decided it'd just add to the population.

You may be able to alter the habitat a bit and keep sparrows to a minimum. Many folks find natural gourds somewhat less attractive to sparrows, and porchless gourds may be best in a heavy sparrow population -- porches them them a platforam from which to defend the cavity.

Many colonies have a few sparrows in residence and the martins manage to breed successfully to the point that some return each year, but male sparrows in these sites are aggressive competitors and will continue to occasionally kill martin young and break eggs (even when not incited by nest removal), intimidate investigating sub adult martins and block compartments with their bulky nests. The colony just will never thrive.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

[Guest]

Thanks, John, for the reply and the heads up on the Sparrow Rage issue.

Unfortunately I am not the landlord of the martin colony. That's my father. And he currently refuses to use lethal control measures. Perhaps if he sees graphic evidence of sparrow attacks he might change his mind, but at present we're limited to non-lethal measures. I can only return to the folks' place every other week.

If lethal control can be done on a bi-weekly basis, then that's great. I'll just tell my father to go inside and read a book for a few hours while I take care of the situation and clean up the evidence. But I suspect the shooting of sparrows is a full-time requirement.

EDIT: there is also the issue of housing behind our property. Having stray rounds going into someone else's yard is something I want to avoid.

[Sparky]

I'm a full time landlord and have been for the last 7 years. I work in the offshore oil industry and am usually gone 11-12 hours a day 6 days a week and sometimes I'm gone for up to 2 weeks at a time. I still manage to shoot and trap as best as I can and it has made a big difference. It is wise to read all you can about being a martin landlord and regarding the lethal control issue, when your Dad does a nest check and finds the eggs and or young martins pecked to death, as MNGal mentioned above, he'll have to see the need to dispose of HOSP one way or the other.

On the pipe/tube issue. College Station and the Houston area have an abundance of suppliers for round and square tubing in various wall thicknesses and dimensions. If your at A&M, you might check with the Materials Engineering department for local sources of these materials, as they have to aquire these materials to do their experiments with, including welding capabilities.