To Block Vacant Houses Or Not

[Deb]

Hello – Got 4-5 EABL eggs in a house with a sparrow spooker atop of it and 2 other houses that are vacant which ol’ Mr. HOSP has been trying to set up shop it. Question: Keep em open to keep him occupied and/or trap or plug? I’m afraid that in doing the latter he’ll want to go into the EABL house all the more. Had one destroy a clutch on me last year. Not gonna let that happen again!

[nhhawk6]

Hi, Deb! I would consider leaving one of the empty nest boxes open, for trapping purposes, but I would be inclined to at least remove the other empty box. My rationale is that empty nest boxes attract HOSP; and trapping one in a nest box is the third best scenario, in my opinion. Best, is not having them present or interested in your property. Second is baiting and trapping high volumes of HOSP using a DRST away from any nest boxes, and third is attracting them to a nest box and trapping them one at a time. Just my opinion. Wishing you all the best!

Randy
Bedford, New Hampshire

[Deb]

Thanks Randy! I think we’ll put the Van Ert into one and plug the other. Never had much luck with the DRST with the exception of a few mice in the winter! Luckily we only have one or two rogue ones show up every spring.

[nhhawk6]

Makes sense. Keep in mind: plugged nest boxes infuriate HOSPs; often times making them more aggressive in their pursuit of “open” (EABL claimed) boxes.

Randy
Bedford, New Hampshire

[Carol – Mid-Mo.]

Deb, I would definitely leave one box up as a HOSP trapper machine! In my observances during the past 9 seasons, if you let a pair keep busy at one box and set VanErt trap when they are BOTH committed and have the start (not too much or trap will not trip) of a nest, works great. If you capture the female, the rule is to leave the nesting material in box and he will try almost immediately to draw a mate. If you capture the male (BEST) go ahead and take out nest because the female will not go back to box without the male. I do this all season with 3 empty boxes, which are about 250″ apart and away from the blues’ box. True, you can use your capture as a decoy in a DRT and lots of people have luck with this. All I catch are natives – I believe my HOSP have high IQs they are so smart.

[dogsandbirds]

Deb, I would use one box as a trap box and remove the other one. OR you could use both boxes as traps if you want.

Gin
Atlanta, GA

[tamsea]

So many different opinions. LOL Just to throw one more in, I would keep all the boxes open. Use both the other boxes to trap HOSP. You don’t need two traps, just screws in each box. Or you never know what other bird might end of picking one of the other boxes. I keep all mine open and I have 8 at my house and 14 on a trail nearby.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by tamsea.

Tammy

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