Does the HOSP have a nest in the nestbox? You can order a vanert trap and trap and dispose of that HOSP. Getting rid of the HOSP will protect your Blues. A HOSP can only kill a bluebird if it traps it in a nestbox so as long as the bluebirds don't enter the nestbox they should be ok, if you don't want to get rid of the HOSP then take the nestbox down.

As far as feeding the Bluebirds, yes you can but you need to train them to come to the feeder. To do this you need to watch and see where they normally perch. Bluebirds are drop feeders, so they perch and watch the ground for movement and then drop down on the bugs they see move. If you put a dish of mealworms under where they normally perch, they should see the movement and drop down to eat them. Once they know the worms are in the dish you can slowly move it to where you feeder is and then into the feeder.

Good luck! Check out sialis.org for lots of Bluebird nesting info!

Here is a link that might be useful: universal sparrow trap

As dzyg said, you need to either trap the house sparrows or block off the hole, or take down the box. Please don't let the house sparrows reproduce in your box. They can have up to five clutches a year, which will greatly increase your house sparrow population. That would be disastrous for your local Bluebirds and other cavity nesting species.

Hi Dana. Bless your heart. Thank you so much for wanting to help the Bluebirds by buying a house for them. :o) Unfortunately, successfully hosting Bluebirds usually involves more than just erecting a house. I think that dzyg is trying to say that it would be best for the Bluebirds if everyone who erected a Bluebird house would take a little time to research them and their nesting preferences and to learn about how to offer the safest place that can be offered to them. The sialis website offers so much valuable information. It's a wonderful place to learn all about what you will absolutely need to know. The first thing you want to do is to learn about nest box placement to be sure that yours is properly placed and also has appropriate guards in place. Once you have accomplished that, you need to know about what can go wrong and what to do about it. House Sparrows (HOSP) are not native to this country and are not protected by federal laws. Thus, it is legal to remove their nests, eggs, chicks, and to trap and kill the adults. HOSPs cause so many problems for the Bluebirds that a Bluebird host really has to deal with them swiftly and diligently, never ever allowing them to nest inside any nest box. Even if the only thing you do is to plug up the hole to prevent the HOSPs from entering the box, that is doing something good for the Bluebirds. Once a male HOSP has laid claim to a box, it is really really hard to deter him. If you close it and wait patiently though, he will eventually move on. Of course, you may miss out on a chance to have the Bluebirds nest as a result. Still, that is better than allowing the HOSP to have the box. Bluebird pairs will raise 2-3 broods per year, so you still have plenty of time. If you can deter or eliminate the HOSP, and the Bluebirds build a nest in your box, you can place a "Sparrow Spooker" onto the box to deter the HOSPs. The sialis site tells you about those, and they can be purchased or made easily at home. I hope that helps you, and please feel free to e-mail me privately if you want to.~~Angie

Here is a link that might be useful: Sialis/ Advice for New Bluebirders