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Don’t clean out your future bluebird nestbox. Buy a Van Ert trap on line at http://www.vanerttraps.com/. Trap those house sparrows after they start building. A life saver!!! If I was only allowed to own one trap it would be this one. They are very inexpensive little traps that you put inside your nestbox.
Tammy
Chris, you can successfully have a bluebird nestbox, even with an abundance of HOSP.
I’m like you and have a arborvitae line right by my house and I can hear the cheep cheep of the HOSP constantly. I’ve dwindled down my numbers some, but they keep coming. My numbers are as follows:
2009- 406
2010-111
2011- 352
2013- 86
2014- 130
2015- (not sure yet. I’m afraid the numbers aren’t good as I was lazy this year)
Maybe I’ll be better if you keep me accountable. During that first year I was on a forum and we were in competition with each other so it spurred me on.
But I’m showing you this to say that you can successfully have bluebirds. It is a little more of a battle for those with a lot of hosp like us but I’ve had great success.
If you wait until you your numbers are low….you’ll never do it.
I live 5 miles away from Anderson’s grain elevators and I’m wondering if that is an issue even though it seems far enough away.
209 since mid summer is amazing!!Tammy
Put my trap out. Right away caught 3 juncos and then 2 again later. I’d better try raising my trap. Although I never have anything at home to put it on. I could put it on 5 gallon buckets but they are usually are white and then a raccoon will come by and topple it over. I’ll look in my garage and brainstorm. I usually keep it on the ground with great results but so far just juncos.
Tammy
Merry Christmas to you too, Carol. My bluebirds have only visited me a couple of times so far. This is how it was last year too. All the years before they were here almost every day like clockwork. :( It looks like it’s mostly just you and me on here. It might have worked better if we had switched things over in the middle of the season after the regulars were heavily involved. Oh well…time will tell. Maybe they will come over during the beginning of the New Year.
Tammy
You should have a personal message option. It’s on the right-hand side of the page and it’s called Your Cafe Mailbox. It shows when you are on the main forum page. (haven’t tried seeing it on the others.) Do you see it?
Tammy
The only caution with that is, the house sparrows might get used to the monofilament line and so they may not be as spooked as usual with your sparrow spooker. I don’t do it for that reason but give it a try and see what happens. let us know.
Tammy
I didn’t see the wire until now. I’m glad you found a solution. I get MODOs in the trap all the time! If I don’t see them right away they get bloodied up a bit but usually I find them quickly.
Tammy
I know this is hard to believe….but I do not have any squirrels at this house! I don’t know what I’d do about trapping if I had squirrels. I do have a chipmunk that thinks I’m feeding him though. And I’ve caught mice too.
I SO need to trap but now I’m going to be out of town so will have to wait. I’m just plain lazy!!Tammy
