[stebet]

Thank you, that will be my preferred option. I’m a little uncertain about how to get him in the bag, and close it, without him slipping out. Will try to be very careful not to lose my grip before I can cinch the bag shut. Still awaiting my first catch…….

[stebet]

Thanks Julie, for the helpful information. I’ve elevated the DRST a few feet off the ground, with cardboard underneath, and the HOSP haven’t seemed to notice it at all, which is odd because it’s right next to a favorite gathering spot of theirs. I sprinkled seed all around the trap, on the perch, and on the inside. I will give it a few more days, and if no luck, then will put it on the ground. Good to know that I don’t need to lug the trap someplace else to remove the birds, but as you suggested I will “shuffle off their mortal coil” in the shed.

I’m so curious, why to avoid eye contact with the male HOSP? I hadn’t heard that before!

Hope you enjoy the beautiful spring day outdoors!

[stebet]

Also — do you remove the birds from the trap right there, in plain sight so to speak of their free “relatives”, or do you take the trap someplace out of the way, to perform the disposal? I’m wondering if the watching birds might be leery of the trap if they see what we’re doing.

[stebet]

Julie, quick question for you — the DRST instructions recommend elevating the trap. What do you think of keeping it on the ground instead? There is a small tree in the yard that the HOSP congregate in, and placing the trap on the dirt underneath would be very convenient. Plus, it is often quite windy here, and the trap would likely blow off any platform it was placed on.

[stebet]

The trap arrived today! :-)

[stebet]

Just placed the order…..! Thank you for all of your advice. Interesting that the native sparrows keep away from the trap. I’m so glad to hear that. One of my concerns would be trapping the “good” birds.

[stebet]

Good advice, thank you. I will bookmark this thread, so I can refer back to it. (And I will go back to the DRST thread and read it all the way through.) We want to encourage the songbirds to stay, and would love to minimize the HOSP. We are in Central PA, too (Lancaster Co.).

I’m wondering if the remaining birds will figure out what is happening, and avoid the trap, after some of their colleagues disappear? I want to leave it out 24/7, and catch them all, but your idea of being “strategic” sounds wise.

[stebet]

Hooray, thanks Julie! I’m going to order one this week. So glad to have discovered this forum. We are new to the rural life (in PA). We put up a bluebird house, and a feeder for meal worms. We attracted a beautiful pair of bluebirds right away, and a few days later found a terrible sight in the bird house. Awful. I wanted to “declare war” on the sparrows, but didn’t know the first thing about it. So it’s great to discover resources like this online. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you for being so generous with your time and knowledge. I really had doubted whether I could actually do this. I’ve shot skunks and groundhogs, but that was from a distance. This will be “up close.” Wish me well. Thanks again.

[stebet]

Great! That’s the one I am planning to buy! It looks like the best one out there. You’re happy with it?

More questions, if you don’t mind:
So you always keep a few in there, as bait?
And after a while, don’t the others take notice and avoid the trap?

Thanks for the encouragement! This will toughen me up! Ugh, they are so detestable. But I really wanted to avoid handling them, so I was thinking of shooting them with a pellet gun. I hope that wouldn’t damage the trap? I think drowning them would mess up the wood. The ether process seems complicated, so if I handle them, maybe I’d get them into a mesh bag and hit it against a cement wall. Is that an OK idea, you think?

[stebet]

Thank you, Julie! I’m hoping for a non-exciting experience, so I’m a little nervous about getting the HOSP out of the trap. What kind of trap are you using? The elevator trap is the one I’m partial towards….

[stebet]

Thanks Julie, that sounds like a good method, and I may give that a try.

[stebet]

Hi friends, I just purchased a DRST, and I think it’s going to work great. What do you recommend as far as disposing of the sparrows? I’d prefer a method where I don’t need to handle them….

Any ideas are welcome…..many thanks.

[stebet]

Hi Carol, it’s a ground trap, so I may need a different method. I like the idea of not handling the birds, though…..!

[stebet]

Thank you for the suggestion! The link did not work, unfortunately. Will definitely consider that, although I think I’d prefer a method that doesn’t involve handling the birds…..I’m using the Deluxe Repeating Sparrow Trap.

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