Put up a second box to help eliminate competition between the EABL and HOSP. Then you can observe to see if any more HOSP come around either box. If so you can safely use an inbox trap to get rid of any more HOSP that show interest in your boxes. Glad you have gotten rid of 4 that's a good start. I have gotten rid of 11 HOSP so far on my property. They are thick in the city it seems.

I have another box that is empty and one more that has tres. in it. The female blue is building so fast, I think she will have her nest done today. I put a spooker in the tres box because I had a male hosp. trapped in another box and I can't get him out myself...I have to have my husband help me. The damn female hosp. found a new mate in 10 minutes and went after the tres. nest box so I HAD to put a spooker up. It kept the sparrows away. When my husband got home I took care of the hosp and now there is an empty box. I think the dang wrens are after that box. The blues booted them from the one they have now. I don't care if the hosp. and wrens fight over a box. Hopefully she will lay an egg soon so I can get the spooker up.

I have blues feeding babies in one box and I put up a sparrow spooker. I have another box that the HOSP have taken to for the 3rd time that is about 100 feet from the blues box. They started building a nest yesterday so i put a stick inside the box and at the hole. I also have fishing line beside the entrance hole. This has deterred them. I guess I could put a sparrow spooker on the box too. Have seen no other blues around.

Do you use the fishing line on the boxes?? I swear sparrows do not go near my boxes with the fishing line guarding them. The HOSP were terrorizing my blues as I watched helplessly -- then I saw the fishing line trick online and I put the fishing line around my box -- I watched the sparrows try to get at the box and run into the fishing line -- ONCE!!! they have NEVER come back -- not to roost for a second -- never to go inside -- I have three boxes I monitor with fishing line on each... HOSP never go near my boxes. EVERYONE should sparrow-proof their nestboxes with fishing line, I think!

I have fishing line beside the entrance hole on both sides on all three of my boxes. It seemed to deter the HOSP some. They keep coming back to this one box, so like I said, I put a stick inside the box at the entrance hole. They still come by every once in awhile and sit on the box but they don't go in. They started building a nest 2 days ago with the fishing line on the box. How do you put your fishing line on your box?

I put push pins on the corners of the top roosting area -- then I run a "tripwire" of fishing line around the perimeter about a centimeter or two up... I also then run an "X" across the middle of the top of the box as well... I have never seen a sparrow roost on the boxes after that is put on..

Seems as though I saw an illustration of that somewhere. Thanks for the advice. I will try it. I assume it doesn't bother the blues that perch on that box.