Box #1 - not a bird in sight. A few grasses were in the nest box.
I expected to see the adult male we've been seeing on the box the past few days. The students looked around and discovered the male, dead on the ground. The only sign of trauma was a hole in his skull where his left eye had been. He must have been killed relatively recently. His other eye was still intact and we spotted only one insect on his feathers.
Box #2 - bluebird nesting materials in the nest.
A pair of bluebirds were flying around, singing and perching on the utility wires nearby. Lots of other birds around, including a very vocal house finch.
How do you prevent sparrows from invading your bird houses.
ReplyDeleteI assume you are referring to House Sparrows, also known as English Sparrows, as our native sparrows do not nest in bird boxes - and therefore are not a "problem."
ReplyDeleteThese birds are not "native" to the US and, like European Starlings, they compete with native cavity nesting species for nesting cavities.
If you have a bird feeding station - you can eliminate visits from both of these species by not using a bird seed mix. If you offer sunflower in a tube feeder, take the tray and perches off.
There are a number of strategies for eliminating house sparrows and starlings from nest boxes. Take a look at this link:
http://audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/ban/hsbyse.htm