Subject: Re: Are Wedgwood House Sparrows smarter than others?


>
>
>On Fri, 5 Jun 1998, Charles Evans wrote:
>
>> In my yard, House Sparrows have built nests in two bird houses
>> designed to allow Violet Green Swallows to nest but to exclude House
>> Sparrows. One of the houses has an openning on the front that measures
>> 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch vertically, with rounded corners. The other
>> has a 1 1/2 inch round entrance on the bottom of the house.
The Rainier chapter of the audubon society "re-issued" new fronts (for the
defective houses that they sold) with re-engineered holes that are only
7/8th inch high. The house sparrows can still get in, but the ones around
here don't seem to "like it". They have not nested in the box even though
they can squeeze in.
We also have the round entrance on the bottom style and it's the same
story - they can get in, but it must be more hassle that it's worth.
Be sure to use flashing to make guards on the top of the boxes, if yours
didn't come that way. This is a tall false front that sticks up and makes
it harder for the male to sit on the top and sing and fly into the box after
the female. Anything that makes their life difficult will help discourage
them from using the box and look elsewhere for easier lodging.
clarice