Tree swallows do not need perches, but neither do house sparrows. They are
very hard to get rid of, especially once they become attached to a box.
It's the male that's the biggest problem, and if you can trap him (I've
heard they are often in the box early in the morning to relieve the female,
at least once there are eggs), the female will often leave, too. There are
traps made for this purpose, but you have to be willing to check the trap
regularly so you don't accidentally trap another species. I have a friend
who would actually stake out the box, watching from around the corner of her
house, wait for the male to go in and run over and put a bag over the box.
When the male flew into the bag, she would have him! (She often wondered
what her neighbors thought of this behavior.) However you catch them, you
have to be willing to then kill them, not just remove them from the area.
Since the bird is new to your yard and isn't yet too attached to the site,
you could try using a smaller nestbox. Since house sparrows like to build a
bulky, tunnel-like nest, this will sometimes discourage them. We've had
luck using a Troyer box (you can probably find the plans on the internet) at
one trouble spot at Hanging Rock Golf Course in Salem. Or you could try
raising the floor of the box you have so that it's more shallow. Even just
closing off the entrance to the box for a while will sometimes make them go
elsewhere.
You probably know that house sparrows are more than just a nuisance. They
will kill both adult and baby birds in a nestbox. If they become too much
of a problem at a particular location on our bluebird trails, we often end
up removing the box entirely.
A note about tree swallows and nestboxes. Their wings are so long that the
young sometimes have trouble maneuvering out of the box. It's a good idea
to have a ladder below the entrance hole on the inside of the box so they
can climb out. This can be as simple as horizontal scratches in the wood,
or shallow grooves cut in it. Or you can attach a small piece of hardware
cloth below the hole, but be sure there are no sharp edges.
Alyce Quinn
Bluebird Trail Co-Chairman for the Roanoke Valley Bird Club
Virginia Bluebird Society County Coordinator for Roanoke County
-----Original Message-----
From: va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Ellen OD
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 1:59 PM
To: jeffreytaylor@xxxxxxx; va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [va-bird] Re: HELP!!!
Removing perches will help with my wren boxes, if I need to get sparrows
from checking out
the houses. Do swallows need perches for their entry to the house?
Ellen O'Donohue
Vienna VA
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Taylor <jeffreytaylor@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Apr 19, 2004 10:47 AM
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [va-bird] HELP!!!
I have a nestbox problem. I live along a golf course with lots of open space
and few close neighbors. For the past 2 weeks we have had Tree Swallows
checking-out a Bluebird nestbox and have started to build a nest. The
problem: HOUSE SPARROWS! Uuuuugh! We moved from the city to be free of these
brown bullies. The sparrow couple that are attempting to evict our swallows
are the first House Sparrows we have had here in our time in this house.
HELP! Is there anything we might do to encourage the swallows while
discouraging the sparrows?
Any help is appreciated!
Jeff Taylor
Roanoke
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