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Wrens/House Sparrows

13 years ago

I have a situation where a pair of house sparrows are fighting it out with a pair of house wrens for possession of a bird house. The house sparrows were in and out of it first....then after some time went by with no apparent activity the house wrens were in and out. Now I see the house sparrows back again. Anyone ever have this happen? Which species will likely win out? Is this common?

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Comments (7)

Konrad___far_north
13 years ago
Most likely the house sparrows will win. I have some houses with hole size specifically for wrens, nuthatch and chickadees which is 1 1/8", then the house sparrow can't get in, you could screw a reducer piece of wood over it.
Konrad___far_north
13 years ago
Another thing..make sure there is no perch in front, also, smoother the better, then house sparrows can't land easily.
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Perhaps you could put up a second house somewhere near just like the first and give them an alternative. I've had good luck with this when I get birds battling over a box. Of course that's a slippery slope and why I have so many bird houses. Maybe you shouldn't listen to me.
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Bet, Thanks for the response as the email had some kinda error & was returned. Okay, obviously I've just been lucky so far. If I take down the boxes in the thicket (woods) & put wren guards on the BB houses in the fields, remove "dummy" nests-is there anything else? I didn't actually encourage them in the first place, these boxes used to be in a grassy area but I let it grow up for a more woodland habitat. Also the CA Chickadees use one of the boxes in the thicket & this year sucessfully fledged 5 young!The dees fledged before the HOWR arrived. I would like to return the boxes in the fall for the flying squirrels & sometimes the downy's roost in them. Unlike the Carolina's who will come right up on the porch, the HOWR seems to stay down the hill in the cedar thickets-of course the Carolina's are year round residents & the HOWR aren't so maybe that's the difference. Thanks for everyone's sage advice & hopefully "my" wrens will not take revenge when I remove their boxes. (after they fledge this batch) Susan
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lisa11310
13 years ago
The HOSPs will kill the HOWRs BUT HOWRs pierce eggs and toss babies of other cavity nesters...not so great of a loss. Then you have only to deal with getting rid of the HOSPs (you may not know they will kill bluebirds, Dees etc). See www.sialis.org for Sparrow control.
Renkosiewicz
Original Author
13 years ago
UGH! I had no idea the HOSP were so mean or the HOWR either. I think I'll just take the bird house down and be done with it. I do not have any bluebirds around here that I know of....have never seen one. I did see the other ideas on the sialis website. Does anyone know of the magic halo works?
joan754
13 years ago
The magic halo works for the first week or so until they get used to it and brave enough to ignore it. My HOSP use it to swing on and land on the short perches I use. They also swing on it back and forth to get the seeds out of the feeder without having to actually land on the perches. It does seem to keep the numbers down as some are wary of it and it does seem to hinder them somewhat, but I have lots of HOSP and they will try anything.
Renkosiewicz
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you all for enlightening me. Barb
Renkosiewicz
Original Author
13 years ago
Okay, so today I see the House Wrens are in and out of the house. Could I safely take the birdhouse down and attach the reducer and then rehang it in the tree without disturbing them??? Barb

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