Sparrows eating mortar (1 Viewer)

[marsh_dweller]

Hi,

As mentioned in my "Say Hello" introductory post, I have a big problem with sparrows eating the mortar between my house bricks.

After having started putting sunflower hearts, fats balls and peanuts out for the birds we get inundated with sparrows (I counted over 20 at one point, all around the feeders), that's lovely to see BUT, the birds have also started to eat away at the mortar between the bricks. These bricks were only freshly repointed 12-18 months ago as great expense.

Next to my house is an empty plot of land which is very overgrown with brambles and nettles, the sparrows like to sit in these brambles and when there is no obvious danger to them, they fly up high and have decimated about 2 * 15 foot lengths of mortar, I have actually seen about 10 sparrows all fluttering high, trying to hold onto the bricks whilst eating the mortar.

I have read that they do this for 2 reasons, firstly it can be for the calcium in some mortar to help with egg shell production (surely it's the wrong time of year for this) and secondly, the birds use the grit to help with digestion.

I have put some sand down (as an alternative source of grit) near the feeder and also on a flat roof near to where they are eating the mortar but this appears to have no effect. I have read suggestion of having a fake owl close by but some have said the birds soon get used to this.

I have seen some "glittery" reflective tape which I could hang down from the soffits to try to detract the birds but not sure if this would work.

Until such time I can stop this bird behaviour I am very reluctant to keep putting food out for them.

Can anyone offer any suggestions.

 

[stonechat1]

I would choose anything from those:
http://www.northstardoves.com/Pigeon Minerals.html
http://natural-granen.com/en/complementary-products/minerals/picking-stone

 

[marsh_dweller]

Thanks for the reply, I assume it doesn't matter that these are intended for pigeons.

I've found something similar (at a UK based site), are these the same sort of thing?

http://www.gardenfeathers.co.uk/versele-laga-red-pickstone_p384.aspx
http://www.gardenfeathers.co.uk/versele-laga-pickstone-white_p847.aspx

or a bit smaller

http://www.gardenfeathers.co.uk/versele-laga-clay-bloc-mini-x-3_p337.aspx

 

[stonechat1]

Here you can check the stones on the producers website at "Colombine Supplements" in the left vertical row: http://versele-laga.com/NUTRI/Nutri...=3&mkt=11973&fam=227&ani=-1&ran=8057&pro=8023

Here are other UK sources where you may choose stones (in my experience it´s cheaper to buy a 6er box then single stones. Miniature stones are always overpriced!):
http://www.bjffeeds.co.uk/categories/Grits-Minerals-Pots-Blocks/Pick-Pots-&-Blocks/
http://www.masonspetsupplies.co.uk/loft_accessories_.html
I would take this one for example: http://www.interpigeon.com/products/163460_crumbling_blocks.php (£7.49 for 6 stones sounds reasonable to me). But the most important is that the stones aren´t too hard for the birds. In aviculture many breeders do feed pigeons stones (the red from Versele Laga) for e.g. canaries and parrots. But the birds must be used to it so that the know what it´s for. That takes a little time.