Sparrows vs. Bluebirds: Round One

What a day! The drama in my backyard has waxed and waned and the outcome is still not clear.

No sooner had I clicked “Publish” on my last post before I went outside and discovered a rogue pair of House Sparrows INSIDE the flicker box on our barn.

I knew they’d viewed our rental listing, but nobody told me they’d called the moving van! The male was measuring inside dimensions while the female was outside examining the windows, peeking in the doorway to see what her mate had found.

Male House Sparrow examining nestbox

I gathered more photographic evidence of their illegal squatting, turned around, and saw ANOTHER bird silhouetted on top of my bluebird  house. General size and impression suggested this bird was more likely a House Sparrow (HOSP) than an Eastern Bluebird. I ran inside for bins, but it was too late. I assumed the worst.

In the space of two minutes all my hopes of hosting spring nesters, those I’d cherished throughout the entire winter, crumbled to pieces.

Female House Sparrow examines nestbox while mate is inside

These HOSPs had clearly bonded with the flicker box. Not surprising, if you assume this is the same pair that raised a brood here last year. The only solution was to take down the flicker box. Yet, it follows that the only way to discourage them from taking over the other box is to take BOTH boxes down.

Then what does that leave? Two Eastern Bluebirds migrating thousands of miles only to return to a box they can’t find!

What a Hobson’s choice:

Leave the bluebird box up, invite takeover by HOSPs. Or,

Take the bluebird box down, have no chance for bluebirds this season.

This racked my brain all day.  If only the Eastern Bluebirds were here to take control of the bluebird box, perhaps they could resist a territorial overthrow. Wishful thinking, but where would we be without wishful thinking?

So at 5pm I went outside again, this time armed with bins, a camera, and a ROCK (just in case those HOSPs came back with fresh-cut flowers and new linens). I asked my boys to be on high alert in case–

“Hey! There’s a a bird, now! It’s probably one of the sparrows. Come see what they look like!”

I rolled the rock over in my palm a few times before approaching the tree next to the bluebird box. I picked up my bins, squinting through the afternoon sun, and followed the bird.

“Wait! That’s a bluebird!”

The first bluebird of the season! A female eating grubs from the ground!

But now what? Do I only remove the flicker box? That would displace the nesting HOSPs, but it could make them MORE aggressive with the other bluebird box.

Or, do I remove BOTH boxes for awhile? How can I do this when the bluebirds are on site and ready to claim their old home?

Alternatively, do I leave BOTH boxes up and hope that giving the HOSP a home will let the bluebirds live free? Maybe, but that might strengthen the idea that my whole yard is Old World Sparrow territory.

I have a feeling there’s no clear answer to this dilemma, but I’m taking suggestions (hint, hint) and will report on what I find. I have my reading cut out for me the next few days. On Friday I’m heading over to Cornell Lab of Ornithology to see old friends, including, coincidentally, the former leader of Project Nestwatch.

Meanwhile, my husband plugged up the flicker hole and we’re all on heightened Box Watch this weekend.