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I think we all understand how you feel
Everyone on this site is obviously a bird lover
None of us likes killing anything but in my situation it was the only option
Hosp had totally taken over
I hate to see you give up enjoying the other birds
Maybe you could contact a pest control service and have them empty your traps
I think you can hire an air-rifle marksman as well
Good Luck
Darrell in KCHosp will be nesting soon
That’s how they take over producing 4-5 broods a year vs 2-3 for natives
DarrellI think we all struggle with euthanizing hosp or starlings at first
Unfortunately if left unchecked the hosp will take over
I have been trapping since August and it has made a remarkable difference
Raptor recovery centers might take live birds or a reptile pet store
You can try asking any other bird lovers in the area-maybe you could team up with someone who could do the dirty work
Hope you find a solution-the native birds need all the help they can get
Good Luck 🍀
Darrell in KCYou could try a drst-just keep the elevator tied up when you can’t be there to monitor and just use it on weekends
Just a thought
Good Luck
Darrell in KCThere are some tricks to keep most of the hosp off the feeders
Any feeders with a platform are a sparrow favorite-get rid of them!
I cut down the narrow perches on my tube feeder to 1 1/4 inches and added some fishing line and I rarely see a hosp feeding successfully
A clingers only feeder is not quite as effective but does deter most of them
You can experiment with wire coat hangers or pipe cleaners on the feeder-anything that interrupts their flight path to the food or perch
There is a very effective homemade box trap on YouTube that you can make for about $20
A drst is about $75 after shipping but worth every penny in my opinion
Lots of good hosp info at sialis.org
Keep us posted! Good Luck 🍀
Darrell in KCI’m not sure what you mean by a wire predator guard ?
Best way I know is to not have a perch on the house and make sure entrance hole is 1 1/2 inches in diameter
Trapping is an option but very labor intensive-effective though!
Sparrow trapping is slow right now so I have been focusing on trapping the starlings instead
You might try a sparrow-spooker-not sure if it works on starlings and you have to be careful about timing so you don’t spook the bluebirds
Lots of good info at sialis.org
Good luck 🍀
Darrell in KCI am fortunate to have a wife that is at home most days and willing to release the unwanted prisoners!
I don’t have any bluebirds hanging out lately 😩
Darrell in KCFor what it’s worth I haven’t had any luck with the white proso millet
The sparrows won’t touch it here in Kansas City anyway
Still looking for best bait combinations
Anything peanut flavored seems to be a favorite but this attracts other birds as well
Catching lots of starlings though!
Darrell in KCThere are several different methods
Fishing line is the easiest
Avoid platform feeders !
Sparrows don’t like short perches
I cut the perches on my finch feeder to about 1 1/4″ and tied some fishing line around top-keeps 99% of them away
You can use wire coat hangers or pipe cleaners-anything that obstructs their flight path to the feeders
A “clingers only ” feeder is very effective as well
Sialis.org has all the info
Good Luck
Darrell in KCNot sure where you are but in the Midwest winter is not a great time to trap-although you will catch a few.
You have several options
Try feathers or nesting materials as bait
Try suet or sunflower chips as bait although this will attract other birds as well
Some people start by tying elevator up for a few days to let sparrows become accustomed to it
I personally didn’t have any luck with millet-a lot of sites recommended cracked corn
Check out sialis.org-tons of info
Good luck
Darrell in KC
