Good stuff! I have 5 Bluebird boxes and 1 Chickadee box. Sparrows are here now and looks like they are taking over a box used by sparrows the last couple of years. Some Bluebird males have checked out their boxes and then singing to a mate on top of the box. We live 45 miles NE of Syracuse, NY. It was 25 degrees yesterday morning and 21 degrees this AM. No hummingbirds yet. Cheers, Bob
Thank you so much! This was very informative and I hadn't found a good explanation about the fishing line prior to this video. Very interesting and I've learned something here. Thanks and I wish you all the best!
Buy a sparrow trap and eradicate them. I found the perfect trap on TH-cam and have trapped and euthanized dozens. My songbirds came back immediately and between our bluebirds and tree swallows they have had 6 successful broods since last summer to now. It’s ongoing battle w the sparrows but well worth it!
This year my husband made me a few V shaped Sparrow Spookers after not being able to trap and kill a very determined male sparrow. Very easily made out of dowels with some reflective shiny streamer type material hanging down to flutter over top and sides and a few long enough to touch the top of the opening of bird house. After eggs were laid I added these to the back of the houses with Gorilla tape and they worked perfectly. In fact the Blues and Tree Swallows used the dowels to perch on once they were used to them :)
Thank you for this video. I tried it but the sparrows figured it out. Too many sparrows in this area. They get to the box before the Bluebirds, no matter where we put the box. We do have a pair of Bluebirds nesting in a Gilbertson box and I have a sparrow spooker up . 🤞🏻 So we put a second Gilbertson box up but within a couple of hours, a male sparrow claimed it, so I took it down for now.
I’ve had bluebirds nesting in my boxes for a number of years. Every spring it’s a fight keeping the sparrows out of the boxes, but at least we have these tools. What can be done for the wrens? I’ve lost eggs and hatchlings to these awful birds. Can’t find any information about stopping wrens. Thank you.
this absolutely does NOT work AT ALL. house sparrows figured out how to still get around this in less than a day. UGH....i just detest them. getting the BB gun!
Fierce competition is occurring between tree swallows and bluebirds for our 2 bluebird houses. But, today, sparrow thugs took over, tussled with the birds, and then started to nest within a couple of hours, We put the fishing line up quickly and cleared out the boxes. Any idea if the fishing line will deter bluebirds or tree swallows?
@@CarolBrownCA Sorry to hear this, Caroline. I have 2 nest with chickadees, and my bluebirds from last season started building a nest a few days ago in my third box. Mama blue was halfway complete with her nest when a male sparrow began bullying my blues. The blues have now left my yard, and I saw them taking twigs into my next-door neighbors box today. I am saddened. I was so looking forward to hosting them again this year. The male sparrow is now harassing my chickadees, but thankfully he cannot enter their box with the hole reducers. Any luck with the fishing line?
@@ree8581 The fishing line did deter sparrows. That said, for a few days after I place the fishing line, sparrows harassed any bird that came near the box. While the sparrow seems to have moved on now, wrens have moved in one box. Tree swallows and bluebirds have done some browsing in the remaining box, but thus far, it remains vacant. The bluebirds did not seem to be deterred by the fishing line.
@@CarolBrownCA I am happy to hear that the sparrows have moved on from harassing your birds for now. I have taken my box down that the bluebirds got bullied out of by the sparrow, and I have removed the nest. I will add fishing line to it tomorrow before putting it back up. I have a mama chickadee in box #1 with babies a little over a week old. Box #2 has another female chickadee still laying eggs (4 so far). Same chickadee male with two different females. Hopefully, I can have some success with the fishing line, as well. Thanks again and I hope you have some bluebird or tree swallows soon. 😀
Good stuff! I have 5 Bluebird boxes and 1 Chickadee box. Sparrows are here now and looks like they are taking over a box used by sparrows the last couple of years. Some Bluebird males have checked out their boxes and then singing to a mate on top of the box. We live 45 miles NE of Syracuse, NY. It was 25 degrees yesterday morning and 21 degrees this AM. No hummingbirds yet. Cheers, Bob
Thank you for the advice! I set up with the fishing line! So far so good!
Thank you so much! This was very informative and I hadn't found a good explanation about the fishing line prior to this video. Very interesting and I've learned something here. Thanks and I wish you all the best!
Buy a sparrow trap and eradicate them. I found the perfect trap on TH-cam and have trapped and euthanized dozens. My songbirds came back immediately and between our bluebirds and tree swallows they have had 6 successful broods since last summer to now. It’s ongoing battle w the sparrows but well worth it!
Van ert trap works wonders..
This year my husband made me a few V shaped Sparrow Spookers after not being able to trap and kill a very determined male sparrow. Very easily made out of dowels with some reflective shiny streamer type material hanging down to flutter over top and sides and a few long enough to touch the top of the opening of bird house. After eggs were laid I added these to the back of the houses with Gorilla tape and they worked perfectly. In fact the Blues and Tree Swallows used the dowels to perch on once they were used to them :)
Good ole daises BB gun I hate them thangs
Thank you for this video. I tried it but the sparrows figured it out. Too many sparrows in this area. They get to the box before the Bluebirds, no matter where we put the box. We do have a pair of Bluebirds nesting in a Gilbertson box and I have a sparrow spooker up . 🤞🏻 So we put a second Gilbertson box up but within a couple of hours, a male sparrow claimed it, so I took it down for now.
1-1/2" wide hole by 7/8" 0r even as low as 3/4" is too small for a Sparrow but Swallows can enter.
I’ve had bluebirds nesting in my boxes for a number of years. Every spring it’s a fight keeping the sparrows out of the boxes, but at least we have these tools. What can be done for the wrens? I’ve lost eggs and hatchlings to these awful birds. Can’t find any information about stopping wrens. Thank you.
There's a wren guard you can put on the hole so that wrens can't bring sticks into it.
will the fishing line work if they have nested in the box previously? I have already removed one nest😡
no; dont waste your time threading fishing line. does not work at all
My male Blue Bird like to perch on top ,won't that discourage them also
Omg. It worked so good
Thanks
I will give it a try. Sparrows around the house keep fighting off the song birds. And take over the nest box. Thanks 😊
this absolutely does NOT work AT ALL. house sparrows figured out how to still get around this in less than a day. UGH....i just detest them. getting the BB gun!
Sorry
The fishing line part
Thanks for the great information! Thanks from Chile.
how do you humanely get rid of it?
Air gun.
bb gun
I use the method that Nest Hollow suggest. Put them in a pillow case and wind up and smack it on something hard. Works perfectly!
try a slotted entrance
Fierce competition is occurring between tree swallows and bluebirds for our 2 bluebird houses. But, today, sparrow thugs took over, tussled with the birds, and then started to nest within a couple of hours, We put the fishing line up quickly and cleared out the boxes. Any idea if the fishing line will deter bluebirds or tree swallows?
…and THANK YOU for posting this information.
@@CarolBrownCA you can get a Van Ert trap to put in the house and eliminate the HS, they are around $10.
@@CarolBrownCA Sorry to hear this, Caroline. I have 2 nest with chickadees, and my bluebirds from last season started building a nest a few days ago in my third box. Mama blue was halfway complete with her nest when a male sparrow began bullying my blues. The blues have now left my yard, and I saw them taking twigs into my next-door neighbors box today. I am saddened. I was so looking forward to hosting them again this year. The male sparrow is now harassing my chickadees, but thankfully he cannot enter their box with the hole reducers. Any luck with the fishing line?
@@ree8581 The fishing line did deter sparrows. That said, for a few days after I place the fishing line, sparrows harassed any bird that came near the box. While the sparrow seems to have moved on now, wrens have moved in one box. Tree swallows and bluebirds have done some browsing in the remaining box, but thus far, it remains vacant. The bluebirds did not seem to be deterred by the fishing line.
@@CarolBrownCA I am happy to hear that the sparrows have moved on from harassing your birds for now. I have taken my box down that the bluebirds got bullied out of by the sparrow, and I have removed the nest. I will add fishing line to it tomorrow before putting it back up. I have a mama chickadee in box #1 with babies a little over a week old. Box #2 has another female chickadee still laying eggs (4 so far). Same chickadee male with two different females. Hopefully, I can have some success with the fishing line, as well. Thanks again and I hope you have some bluebird or tree swallows soon. 😀
tree swallows will help if you can get them to come. Of course than you will have less birds in your yard as Tree swallows are pretty territorial.