>
>In swoops the male house sparrow, full blast, terrifying the swallow and
>scaring it away from the nest box. He then proceeds to sit on top of the
>box singing and keeping everyone else away. All the while bouncing between
>the roof of the box and hanging on the side looking in the hole.
>
>I never did see him go inside so I can't actually say he fits, but his
>ferocious guarding of the box makes me suspicious.
>
>Am I doomed?

I hope not, Peggi.

I don't know how much what I am about to suggest fits your tolerance for
mayhem, but you can trap the little bandits.

Last year I put up one of Wild Bird Center's "bottom entry" VG Swallow boxes
(large hole in front end of botton of box, supposedly too tricky for
sparrows to figure out). I also never had House Sparrows (before). One
Swallow family set up housekeeping and I kept track of its progress as it
hatched one chick. Just before fledging, a male house sparrow showed up,
figured out how to get in, and pitched the little fellow out. Found his
dead, perfectly feathered, miniature form on the ground in front of the box.
I was bent and took the house down.

So, during the winter, I mail ordered a sparrow trap from an ad in a
bird-watching magazine. Fairly imposing three compartment cage with spring
loaded trap doors.

This year I put up a VG Swallow house I got from the Auburn Audubon folks,
with a small slot opening. It also has a strip of metal flashing sticking up
from the front of the roof, which helps keep the sparrows from leaning over
from the roof and tormenting the female swallow as she looks out (although
they still hop around on the roof and hover in front of the slot). So far,
the swallows have been doing all right and the sparrows have not been able to
get in. I also set up a house with a 1 1/8" diameter hole, which now has
chickadees nesting. Again, the house sparrows have tried to get in but have
failed.

Now, for the sporting part. I also put back up the bottom entry house, and
mounted the sparrow trap directly below it. I have so far attracted four
house sparrows who, after getting frustrated with the other two houses, start
calling from the roof of the bottom entry house. I baited the trap with
dried grass and started hauling in sparrows. Got three in one morning, and
the other on another day. I did not rehab them. After several days with no
new house sparrow sightings, I took down the trap and now have a VG Swallow
pair in the bottom entry house.

Obviously, you don't want to resort to a trap unless you have time to watch
it, and this may not be your cup of tea, but I find it hard to give nesting
spots to house sparrows.

Incidentally, Clarice and I just returned from a month in the UK, birding and
garden touring, and saw very few house sparrows. One birder I spent some
time with said they'd take a few of them back, if we could figure out how.
-------------------------------------
Name: Jerry Broadus
jbroadus at seanet.com
901-16th. St S.W.
Puyallup, Wa. 98371
206-845-3156
05/22/96
18:10:12