I just couldn't take the abrasive behavior of the house sparrows at the
sunflower feeder.
It's a tube feeder with two openings at the bottom with no perches but
the HSps still have managed to perch and take over.
I have a screen seed catcher under the feeder which the HSps use to
gobble up all the spilled seed and launch themselves at the feeder holes.

I have ducttaped some clear plastic around the holes, about two inches
above the holes and hanging down about even with the bottom of the feeder
holes, leaving about 1.5 - 2 inches between the plastic and the hole.
Somewhat like a anti-squirrel doom.
I lowered the seed catcher from 8 inches (the HSps hop up to the holes
from 8 inches) to 14 inches from the bottom of the feeder. Too far for
the HSPs to hop.

So far, brilliant success. The chickadees either fly in or land on the
seed catcher then fly up or land on the chains holding the seed catcher
from which to launch themselves to the hole. The HSPs are baffled and too
chunky to attempt the fly in.

House finches are trying and may eventually figure out how to do it. If
they do, then maybe the HSPs might figure out a way too.

But so far i have fat happy chickadees and grumpy hungry sparrows.

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