Karen,
You can also mount another box right next to the current box,mount it higher,use a 1-3/8 reducer,put the inbox trap in that box for the HOSP,There is a very good chance they will check it out.Just be sure to keep a eye on it.

Matt

I wish you the best of luck. I just got in from practicing shooting a target with my pellet rifle. I have two male HOSP that have been hanging around my yard, but they have not gone near the boxes. I have not been able to get a clear shot of them so far because they are always hanging around the other birds. I was hoping they would try for one of the spare houses, but they haven't even seemed to notice them. I'm going to try hanging a few pieces of grass and a white feather out of one of the entrances in the hopes of enticing them. The Blues should hopefully be safe as the spooker was added right after the first egg was laid.

So far I have only seen the female back once, but the lady across the road swears she saw an Eurasian Tree Sparrow this week. I am prety sure what she saw was a first year male HOSP, ERTS should not be in this area. I don't have to go anywhere this week so I will be working either outside or right near the screen door to keep an ear on things. Both the Blues and the TRES are quite loud when they are not happy. Am I correct in my asumption that ERTS are not any more of a problem to my cavity nesters than Blues, TRES, DEES, TUTIs and Nuthatches are to each other? There are hunderds of natural cavities out here.(Lots of woodpeckers in the woods)! : ) Karen I know you will get them! I'm saying prayers for you!

CRAP! I was right, I have another pair. I didnt get the female and she went and found herself a young male, no real bib yet so guess she was desperate. Pretty sure this is what my neighbor thought was the ERTS. They are trying to take the box the TRES wanted but I think the TRES have decided to move on to my cam box! YEA! Neither pair are building yet. I may open the HOSP box forcing them to chose the plexi sided view box or the cam box it's much less scarry when you know what you have before you open the box.
Did you get yours yet?

NO!!! They didn't even come to the box yesterday. The tres still sit on their box everyday, no nest building yet. I'm waiting for them. I will wait until they pick a box they seem to be going back and forth between two boxes and can't get them yet. I have 5 bb eggs :) I put my hummingbird feeders up this morning. Think they are in Michigan.

Karen

About a month ago, Bluesman posted on the Bird watching forum about a type of entrance hole that allows Tree Swallows to enter, but not HOSP. He said -

"There is a House Sparrow resistent entrance to keep them out of Tree Swallow houses but unfortunately Bluebirds cannot get in this. It works great for Tree Swallows though. I will see if I can post a picture of it. I first heard of it from a man in Canada named Bernie Nikolai. It is simply a 7\8 of an inch tall slot that is about two inches wide. It is in a thin plate around 1\8 inch thick. The House Sparrow cannot enter this but the Tree Swallows being more streamlined and slender bodied can flatten out and get right in. It works so good."

The link below is the whole thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: Male Purple Martin Using My Clinger Entrance Video!

Thank you terrene :)

Karen