A few years ago, I caught a House Sparrow in the act of destroying the eggs
of Violet Green Swallows in our nest box. All eggs inside the box were
pecked open and the sparrow was in the process of taking another of 2 eggs
outside the house and dropping them. Although we cannot read little sparrow
minds, it is thought that this is a territorial act, eliminating the
competition. Something else surely could have killed the babies, but I
would not be surprised if it was the sparrow.
Sorry for the loss. Even though it may be just the way of nature, it is an
awful thing to see.
Carol Hiler
N. Albany
-----Original Message-----
From: sheila chambers
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 12:13 PM
To: OBOL
Subject: [obol] Death in the nest
The last few days I noticed I wasn't seeing the swallows feeding their
young & I didn't hear them in the nestbox.
Yesterday, I saw a house sparrow on their nestbox, today I saw it go
inside while both Tree's sat preening on a wire. I knew something was
terribly wrong.
This was the first year the Trees didn't nest in the back, the build a
nest there then they built a nest in front & laid their eggs there.
There was a House sparrow in a nearby nestbox but I never saw any
interaction between them.
Today I got out the ladder & climbed up into the Swallows now silent nest.
Inside I found six, cold, dead Tree swallows one week away from fledging.
On the bottom was a crushed, maggoty dead swallow, the others were more
intact, one had some blood on it.
My suspicion is that the male House sparrow killed them, buy why?
Or had one died, gotten maggots & caused the adults to abandon them? I
don't think so.
His own young had fledged, I took out his nest from the nestbox in the
event he had any idea of nesting there again.
My hip was hurting so I didn't take out his nest sooner, I now wish I had.
Down at the port, there were some DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANTS in the
river, a few adult PELICANS & W.GULLS & nothing else but fishermen &
their boats. No pigeons at the port either, a few CROWS were walking
about eating trash left by POS.
At home, things are also too quiet, SCRUB JAYS, WREN TIT, ROBIN, SONG
SPARROW, HOUSE FINCH, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, BLACK HEADED GROSBEAK,
STARLINGS, BREWERS BLACKBIRDS are scarce now, their used to be flocks of
them here, absent also are the Violet-green swallows, NO swallows were
seen flying over the fields across from me. Also missing are the WHITE
CROWNED SPARROWS, I used to have at least one pair during the summer.
Our planet is dying & we are the cause.
Sheila in Brookings, OR.
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