Sparrows vs. Bluebirds: Enter The Starling

Ten days ago I observed a pair of bluebirds tidying last year’s nest.

That early couple, which carried nesting material in their beaks while ducking in and out of the box, seemed completely devoted to the location and I assumed they were last year’s couple returning. But they didn’t show up the next day, nor since. This has me perplexed, wondering why.

House Sparrows had invaded a nearby box…but we placed a block over the hole to discourage them and since then have not seen them performing any nesting behavior. Nor have they been showing aggressive behavior toward other birds. They’ve simply been absent.

To manage House Sparrows, we purchased a set of Van Ert Sparrow Traps to install on the flicker box. For a few days, we removed the hole blocks and tried to encourage HOSP nesting so that we could eventually trap the birds in the box. But in the last week of cold weather, we’ve observed no sparrow activity.

Just when we thought we’d successfully kicked out one European visitor, another showed up, and brought his wife! European Starlings began to investigate the flicker box this week. They’ve ducked in and out and pushed out mounds of sawdust we’d placed inside.

Meanwhile, bluebirds are still scarce in the backyard. The score is an uncomfortable:

Bluebirds    0

House Sparrows   0

European Starlings  1

Who said bluebirding was easy?

I’m not discouraged yet. Bluebirds are scarce at other locations, as well. My dear husband was kind enough to build three boxes this year. We installed one at a friend’s 5-acre grassy plot and the other at our small (2-acre) organic coop farm (maybe a pair will enjoy those pesky grubs!). And though nine days ago a bluebird showed up on my friends’ 5-acres, which has ideal habitat, her box has also been quiet since.

Perhaps variable weather put a crimp in nesting behavior. I wait with baited breath to see what the warmer winds of April will bring.

House Sparrow Traps

Van Ert Universal Sparrow Traps are produced by Floyd Van Ert from Leon, Iowa. 76-year old Floyd, formerly in the glass business, runs this business from home and has made about 20,000 of the universal traps and shipped them to 7 or 8 foreign countries. Floyd says, “I’m so happy for the people that put forth their great effort to raise bluebirds.”

The Van Ert trap is $8.50 plus shipping.

If you buy, tell Floyd I sent you.