Ahhh, got lots of pesky sparrows here but the even peskier grackles keep them in check. The mockingbirds and great kiskadees then in turn keep the grackles in check. While the big birds are fighting amongst themselves the little hummies zip, zing and zoom around without any fear. The hummies are pretty territorial and they have staked out the eastside yard and backyard. I've seen them chase off mockingbirds from the fruit trees back there! I don't have it in me to kill off a bird - even a pesky sparrow...but I have resorted to removing sparrow nests from my birdhouses - everytime I see them starting to build - I grab the ladder and chase them away. They built nests in the neighbor's birdhouses :o) ~ Cat

That sounds like a good mix. Depending on where you are and what type of tree cover you have, it should attract blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, LBBs (little brown birds = sparrows, finches, et al), nuthatches, woodpeckers, etc. These are mostly woodland birds, so if you're on the prarie, you'll get somewhat different results. The corn may attract doves, pigeons, grackles, etc. I'm not sure what a "hopper" is, but it definately should be higher than 3 ft. Most birds like to feel protected from ground predators and that's really too low for them to feel safe. I would probably put a mix like this on a platform feeder. You can also feed on the ground. I'm in the cities (old established area with large trees) and the birds at my feeder in winter include juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and of course the ever present English sparrow. During the dead of winter here in MN, no matter how well I keep the feeder stocked, the only real diehards are the English sparrows. Everyone else seems to go elsewhere during the really frigid times. Even the juncos. Come visit us over at the Birding Forum! Here is a link that might be useful: Birdwatching Forum

Gibby, house wrens and house sparrows are entirely different species. House sparrows are a non-native bird and are considered pests by many, thus are not protected by law. House wrens are native birds and it is illegal to tamper with their nests. I do not allow house wrens to nest in my boxes, however, because as you said they are can cause harm to the eggs and hatchlings of other cavity nesters. I remove any sticks I find in my nestboxes and, fortunately, have not come upon a completed house wren nest (or else I'd have to leave it alone). Since I monitor my nestboxes twice each week during nesting season I can usually catch early nesting attempts by wrens and stop them. You can find out more about both species at this link: www.sialis.org Kathy

I was afraid that might be the case, they all look around the same size (martins) and info I found today said that the martins usually start to arrive here in February and look for nesting spots. In addition to All the other potential dangers/problems with the house/location where these martins are possibly planning to nest and raise babies, same neighbors also have a HAMM RADIO tower in their back yard and every year around late spring/ summer a great horned owl perches up there on and off and and hoots, I've heard him and seen him up there several nights in a row before. Is there anything I can do at this point, like put up a safe Martin house, or will they stay there now regardless? I'm hoping that if I talk to neighbors and explain the situation, they will do something about it. I feel sick at the thought of the martins going through whole process and end up losing babies or being harmed themselves. If I thought there was a possibility that they would relocate this late in the game, I'd gladly put up a safe place for them to nest and make sure it stays that wAy, although I'd be learning as I go, ughh, whole situation makes me nervous. I'm going to post the pics of the house and the birds tonight, I'm pretty sure the house is not the ideal layout either, it has little porches with metal railings on both floors and another railing across top and from what I've read so far, that makes it easy for owls to get to them. Thanks