Bluebird nest box and fending off house sparrows (2 Viewers)

[1940LaSalle]

A bluebird nesting pair arrived here (southern NJ, near Philadelphia) on 13 March. Within 48 hours, house sparrows had driven them away and I haven't seen them since. I was going to deploy a sparrow spooker made per instructions on sialis.org, but never got the chance, since that site recommends waiting to do so until there are bluebird eggs in the nest box.

So: am I stuck waiting until March 2025 and hoping a nesting pair will arrive, or is there anything that can be done to induce bluebirds to come back even though those infernal house sparrows drove them off? And if/when bluebirds do return, what can I do to keep house sparrows away from the outset? Is the timing of deploying a sparrow spooker that critical that I have to wait and risk another incident?

If I had anything to say about it, that invasive introduced species known as house sparrows would be extinct in a wide belt running from Boston to Washington, with Philadelphia as the buckle of that belt.

 

[Blins]

A bluebird nesting pair arrived here (southern NJ, near Philadelphia) on 13 March. Within 48 hours, house sparrows had driven them away and I haven't seen them since. I was going to deploy a sparrow spooker made per instructions on sialis.org, but never got the chance, since that site recommends waiting to do so until there are bluebird eggs in the nest box.

So: am I stuck waiting until March 2025 and hoping a nesting pair will arrive, or is there anything that can be done to induce bluebirds to come back even though those infernal house sparrows drove them off? And if/when bluebirds do return, what can I do to keep house sparrows away from the outset? Is the timing of deploying a sparrow spooker that critical that I have to wait and risk another incident?

If I had anything to say about it, that invasive introduced species known as house sparrows would be extinct in a wide belt running from Boston to Washington, with Philadelphia as the buckle of that belt.

First thing is do you have bird feeders out and what kind of food are you using? They say do not offer the mixed birdseed that has corn and millet in it. Sparrows love that. Also, bluebirds will have 2-3 separate clutches each year so you still have time. What I did was removed all bird food from my yard feeders except mealworms & peanut chips (bluebirds love these) in a very small feeder, I have a finch feeder (sparrows don’t like), hummingbird feeder and that’s it during bb nesting time. Keep checking your birdhouse, entrance hole should be 1.5” (no bigger), remove all sparrow nests from birdhouse and keep removing them! They do have some kind of sparrow trap for houses but I didn’t need to do that. Then once when my bb laid her first egg I installed the sparrow spooker. Keep that up only until bb babies fledge then remove the spooker so the sparrows don’t just get used to it and come back. If you put the spooker up before there a bb egg it will probably scare away the bb too. Good luck! I’m learning so much after having my bb first clutch this year destroyed by a cowbird and sparrow. Same bb couple returned and rebuilt thankfully so my fingers are crossed it turns out better this time.

 

[1940LaSalle]

Sorry for not responding sooner.

First: no, I don't have any feeders apart from a hummingbird feeder, so that's a moot point. Assuming I do stock a couple of feeders, I'll avoid any mix that has millet and/or corn.

Second: good to have that concrete advice on what to do and when. One thing I will verify pronto is the entry size. I'll also remain vigilant for returning bluebirds and install a spooker if/when the right time arrives.

Thanks for your guidance.

 

[vorobushek]

A bluebird nesting pair arrived here (southern NJ, near Philadelphia) on 13 March. Within 48 hours, house sparrows had driven them away and I haven't seen them since. I was going to deploy a sparrow spooker made per instructions on sialis.org, but never got the chance, since that site recommends waiting to do so until there are bluebird eggs in the nest box.

So: am I stuck waiting until March 2025 and hoping a nesting pair will arrive, or is there anything that can be done to induce bluebirds to come back even though those infernal house sparrows drove them off? And if/when bluebirds do return, what can I do to keep house sparrows away from the outset? Is the timing of deploying a sparrow spooker that critical that I have to wait and risk another incident?

If I had anything to say about it, that invasive introduced species known as house sparrows would be extinct in a wide belt running from Boston to Washington, with Philadelphia as the buckle of that belt.

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