Thursady I got a call from my wife saying some HOUSE SPARROWS had taken
over the
chickadee nesting box. When I got home, it was immediately clear that
the
4 male house sparrows were able to perch on the nest box hole and
were trying to do damage.

My presence in the yard kept them at bay and the chickadees are used to
me.
I built a sort of iron maiden out of some steel screen and cut a whole
big
enough for a chickadee to get throw and attached it to the nest box so
there was
about 4" between the screen and the box entrance.

The evil sparrows tried to get in several times. They could be couldn't
keep their
balance in the more confined space and finally gave up.

Late today I notice no whiney baby voices from the box, and maybe they've
popped out. If so, I'm sad because watching baby chickadees get their
flying wings is quite an enjoyment. They fly an extra yard for every
minute
they're out of the box. 10 yards at 10 minutes, 30 yards at 30 minutes,
then
they're pretty much experts at flying, but NOT at landing! Little fluff
balls pumping they're little wings as fast as possible, and hits some
shrubs
and hanging on for dear life.

I'll go back out. If this is they're first day, they haven't gone far.

I've never had house sparrows attack like that before. Very unpleasant.


Douglas Daily
Northgate, Seattle, WA
mailto: dfdaily at juno.com