Lisa You will be losing sleep and pulling your hair out before this is over. I have not worked the last few years so I do nothing but watch out the window during nest building. I have seen these situations more than once. This year I am working and can only hope while I'm gone tragedy will not strike. Running out screaming and waving at hosps is always a good tactic. LOL It does work. First Keep trying with the drst. The natives will not go in it again after they get caught. The titmice always bite me when I let them out. So cute! I like to put it near a brushy area where the hosps hang. Next shoot at them with the bb gun every time you see them at the box. You will find out they are very smart. Even if you don't hit them you can sway them to another box by doing this. I would try to notice where they are flying in and out of your yard from and situate the drst there and also put another box with a 1 1/4" hole near there to see if I could entice them to switch boxes. Then let them get comfy and keep them busy. Then use the Van Ert. Of course like all traps it still must be monitored as other birds fit through that hole. You have to stop feeding the other birds or use only safflower seed when using the drst. Once they get busy nest building for real they will be more apt to eat from the trap. Keep us posted on your situation and your sanity. Any questions don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck Cathy

Please do get that spooker up quickly. A male HOSP will not give up. I fear he will be back with a new mate. Could you put up a second, cheap box to use for trapping him with a Van Ert? You can just stick it on anything, even a Shepard's hook. Just remember to take it down or close it off once you've gotten him so no native bird will try to nest in there.

Yes, if it's the Van Ert, cover or remove the orange dot. Just wanted to add my input. I agree, and they should be EXTREMELY easy to trap with an active nest of theirs. I usually capture the male before he has a mate, so it can take some time before he FINALLY goes in. Let me tell you, I've had the trap set and watched, and a few males would chirp on the box, land on the door, return to the roof, fly off, etc, without going in. This will put you in a bad mood, especially if you're impatient, like me. You may also trap BOTH birds at once. This happens on strange rare occasions with the Van Ert. I've had it happen twice. It was hysterical! both birds were chirping in the box, all panicked! I know how you feel about the chirping too! There is nothing attractive about House Sparrow vocalizations! They're annoying, if anything. ~Tim~

Thank you Lisa. Now the parents took the mealworm and flew away, so I opened the box this morning. All babies are gone, evidently fledged. There is a half build new nest on top of the old one. I think that I will remove the old one, and keep the new one in there. I think that the new one was build by a different female, not the Mom.