I used to have 50-60 HOSP in my very small urban yard. Winter was terrible. They would empty my feeder every day. I tried a home-made magic halo and it worked for the first week. Once they got used to it, it became ineffective. One spring I had a pair of tree swallows decide to nest in my yard in the nesting box I have. I had heard that HOSP were dangerous to have around with other nesting birds. I became alarmed when they constantly checked out the tree swallows nesting area. I finally purchased a live sparrow trap. The results were unbelievable. My yard now has very few HOSP. In the winter, I get only about 5 or so that come to the feeder and I am alright with that as I don't get alot of different birds in the winter. Summer I have a good variety of birds and only a few sparrows. If the numbers start to climb, I bring out my trap and effectively control their numbers. Some birders might disagree with my controlling their numbers and I really dislike having to do it, but because they breed so heavily and can be such a detriment to our native birds, I feel it is warranted.