Home › Forums › Bluebird Chatter › Caught my first two van ert trapped HOSPs!!
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Carol – Mid-Mo..
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June 19, 2020 at 9:07 pm #8407
I have been fighting sparrows all spring and finally ordered the van ert. First day, got a male! Took care of him, set the trap again…got another 30 minutes later! The second sob got out of my net!!! I hate these things….but this is encouraging.
June 19, 2020 at 9:37 pm #8408Good for you. At least one is out of the way. In a few days you might be like Carol and trap a pair. Keep on trapping!!!
David
Stafford, VAJune 19, 2020 at 9:43 pm #8409Yes. I think I got it down now though. Trap is set for the morning. Always scared I’ll trap a bluebird though. This is right around the time I saw them last year in my yard, but I also didn’t have a too bad of a sparrow problem last year.
June 19, 2020 at 10:38 pm #8411Good job – you probably got the pair (female & male) that was committed to that box – if you got the female first then the male would still hang around looking for another mate. Do you already have another pair claiming the box where you set the trap? I usually wait until there is some nesting material before setting the trap, but everybody does what works for them. Also usually wait until there is a pair hanging around the box – I find this is the very best time to set trap.
June 20, 2020 at 8:41 am #8412I had been ripping the nests out so much they haven’t been bothering at this point. Awful year…wish I did this much earlier.
Doesn’t help when there are people in the neighborhood breeding them in boxes and multi holed mansions designed for purple martins or God knows what. Just sad, the ignorance.
There are plenty more in line to meet their fate. I also have a trap set up in my shed with a faux birdhouse on the exterior that leads to the trap. So far nothing, but a guy on Youtube used this method and was catching 500 a year! He says he finally has made a dent in the population that he catches much less now.
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This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by
phillyblues.
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This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by
phillyblues.
June 20, 2020 at 10:29 am #8416Just disposed of another male! Thank you Mr Van Ert! And the local wildlife get another snack tonight…feed some fox or possum babies.
June 20, 2020 at 4:16 pm #8417Yeaaa. A big pat on the back for you.
David
Stafford, VAJune 20, 2020 at 11:42 pm #8423Any chance of me getting a late or second nesting this year you think?
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This reply was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by
phillyblues.
June 21, 2020 at 7:51 am #8425Philly Blues, there is a chance for 2nd nesting yet – I have had a 3rd nesting before in mid-July. Depends of weather, situation, etc. Good luck & congrats on your good luck with the Van Ert.
June 21, 2020 at 8:36 am #8426Philliblues – Mine just started their 2nd nesting. Possibly 3rd egg today. So there is still time. Good luck for the rest of your season.
David
Stafford, VAJune 22, 2020 at 8:52 am #8427Phillyblues, way to go on the HOSP trapping!!! Woo hoo! Since I have bluebirds in the yard, more neighbors have put up boxes. If the oppty ever comes up in convo, I mention HOSP trapping. Otherwise those good-intentioned bluebird houses become breeding grounds for the HOSP. Meanwhile, yes, time for another brood! Mine just started incubating their 2nd set of 4 eggs yday. There are so many bugs now that it’s a great time to nest! Keep up the great work! And keep us posted on the shed trap. I’m intrigued by that.
June 22, 2020 at 10:23 am #8431Caught another male yesterday morning! 3 down 497ish to go. Haven’t heard that awful irritating HOSP chirp in about 24 hours. So encouraging. Please bluebirds come! I’m ready finally.
June 22, 2020 at 7:16 pm #8432Love it. Just Keep it up. They will return when they are ready. You are keeping a “safe house” for them.
David
Stafford, VAJune 23, 2020 at 6:56 pm #8442Peace in the valley for three days….so nice.
June 27, 2020 at 10:45 am #8476Van Ert would be my first inductee into the bluebirders hall of fame if it existed. Can you imagine just how many bluebirds and TRES have been saved over all these years because of his little trap? He is a hero in my eyes.
Phillyblues, keep up the not so fun work of trying to get the HOSP numbers down. I remember when I had so many around it seemed like an impossible task. This year (knock on wood), I’ve had to trap only two. One in the Spring, and one just yesterday. I also watch the boxes, see which ones a male has claimed (CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP ugh) then set the trap and watch.
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