Thanks for letting me join. Do people dislike house sparrows as much as me? I just purchased an air gun, not really sure if I made contact but I'm seeing way less sparrows than using a sparrow trap.
House Sparrows
- Thread starter LuAnn Drakos
- Start date
Common house sparrows aka HOSP's are an invasive sparrow species. I too dislike them...females are very aggressive towards other small bird species as well as their own....too bad my wife luvs birds...
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Yes, the females are bullies at the feeders but the males destroy bird eggs from nests. I have Robin's that have not been able to successfully raise young for 2 years because of HOSP and starlings. I love bird's too but not all brown ones at the feeders. Your wife has good taste.Common house sparrows aka HOSP's are an invasive sparrow species. I too dislike them...females are very aggressive towards other small bird species as well as their own....too bad my wife luvs birds...
Welcome to AGN the best place for infoYes, the females are bullies at the feeders but the males destroy bird eggs from nests. I have Robin's that have not been able to successfully raise young for 2 years because of HOSP and starlings. I love bird's too but not all brown ones at the feeders. Your wife has good taste.
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They wander into my yard on occasion. Caught one last week and introduced him to Sparky. You can see it waving goodbye. 
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That's terrible....hope you have a solution....Yes, the females are bullies at the feeders but the males destroy bird eggs from nests. I have Robin's that have not been able to successfully raise young for 2 years because of HOSP and starlings. I love bird's too but not all brown ones at the feeders. Your wife has good taste.
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Is Sparky a mexican black knig? Anyhow...tiz beautiful! And...helping with the hosp population....
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Yes. Mexican Black King, little over 5 years old. I try to vary his diet as if he was out in the wild. I get a lot of snakes passing through our yard here in AZ. I get a few pics then relocate them to a local preserve…some folks in the neighborhood don’t like them like I do.Is Sparky a mexican black knig? Anyhow...tiz beautiful! And...helping with the hosp population....
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Cool! When I was much younger I had a large female calif king. I also occasionally see and pick up but release same species on golf courses I play here in CA. I think the Mex Kings are one of the most beautiful of the king species. Thanks for sharing!
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Living on 10 acres in a rural area in Ontario, Canada we have a diverse environment (open field, hardwoods, beaver pond, marsh) and wide variety of critters - furred, feathered and scaled.
Over 60 species of birds and during busy times there can be half a dozen types at the feeders at the same time. It's not unusual to go through a couple of pounds of seed in a day.
Sparrows (3 species) aren't the problem here, it's grackles that try to commandeer all the food and cause trouble. I don't mind them too much as they give me a lot of (pesting) entertainment plus the foxes, ravens and racoons find them tasty
Cheers!
Over 60 species of birds and during busy times there can be half a dozen types at the feeders at the same time. It's not unusual to go through a couple of pounds of seed in a day.
Sparrows (3 species) aren't the problem here, it's grackles that try to commandeer all the food and cause trouble. I don't mind them too much as they give me a lot of (pesting) entertainment plus the foxes, ravens and racoons find them tasty
Cheers!
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@LuAnn Drakos - Hello from the other side of Michigan and welcome to AGN! I recommend some of these around the house. HOSP's love to poop all over my deck. These keep them away for the most part.
www.birdbgone.com
How to Keep Birds Away (5 Visual Deterrents that Scare Birds Away)
Learn how to keep birds away with these 5 easy to use visual deterrents. Find out why experts recommend these methods to scare birds away.
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Welcome to a great forum LuAnn!
Sparrows and starlings are very popular targets for most members here.
I have to shoot them in numbers in spring when they show up early to claim the swallow nesting boxes.
Then the swallows get a chance to raise their families.
But the sparrows fledge early and then they come with the adults and attack the swallows.
It’s really sickening to see and I mop up every sparrow I get a chance at.
Once there was a mob of young sparrows and adults mobbing a nesting box that was near the neighbors yard and they were barbecuing so I couldn’t do anything about it.
In the fall I checked the nest box and it was full of dead swallow babies.
I even think less of starlings, but I’ve hammered them so hard they don’t even come close anymore.
It’s really amazing how smart they are, they get the word out somehow and they avoid my yard.
Again, welcome to a fun place!
Sparrows and starlings are very popular targets for most members here.
I have to shoot them in numbers in spring when they show up early to claim the swallow nesting boxes.
Then the swallows get a chance to raise their families.
But the sparrows fledge early and then they come with the adults and attack the swallows.
It’s really sickening to see and I mop up every sparrow I get a chance at.
Once there was a mob of young sparrows and adults mobbing a nesting box that was near the neighbors yard and they were barbecuing so I couldn’t do anything about it.
In the fall I checked the nest box and it was full of dead swallow babies.
I even think less of starlings, but I’ve hammered them so hard they don’t even come close anymore.
It’s really amazing how smart they are, they get the word out somehow and they avoid my yard.
Again, welcome to a fun place!
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Between the sparrow trap and the air gun, currently working on it. Gonna need an optic tho.That's terrible....hope you have a solution....
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Umarex Browning buck mark urx pistol. Pulling the trigger interferes with the aim. May have to invest in something better in the future but for now, I'll make the best of it.
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If you decide you are interested in stepping up your game just a bit, really shopping around often makes it possible to find the Crosman American Classic 1377 and 1322 air pistols online for the same ~$50 price I paid for my first about four years ago, if you prefer air pistols. Either should help you take out nearby sparrows handily, and the variable pump power source gives you the option to vary the oomph for whatever the situation demands (for example, I use only three or four pumps in either one, for my own indoor target shooting at thirty feet).
Another great option might be to get the combo P1377/P1322 package, that includes both pistol and shoulder stock (the Pxxxx packages usually are cheaper than buying the pistol and stock individually, but of course, your mileage may vary). Attaching the stock turns these already accurate air pistols into short carbines that shoot even better, at least that's been my experience! The accuracy I get out my own .177 and .22 caliber Crosman air pistols, with their shoulder stocks attached, using only their standard open sights, is MUCH better than I could do with either of them in pistol-only form! In fact, it made such a huge difference in the accuracy I could squeeze out of both that I haven't taken the stock off either one for at least a couple of years! If I have the urge to shoot pistols, I happen to also have the .177 and .22 versions of the basically comparable Umarex Strike Point variable pumpers that fill that need more than adequately. ;-)
On the other hand, by taking another small step up from what you're using now, you might want to check out something like a Daisy Powerline 880 or 901 air rifle: they're about the best you can get if you're wanting an accurate, inexpensive (about $60 to $70) and even more powerful air rifle. As I'm sure you realize, there just about are too many inexpensive air rifles of several types to name here, any of which probably would fill your need, but I'll spare you being swamped with sub-one hundred dollar options. Just a friendly FYI, if you do decide to step up your anti-sparrow efforts a bit more, but don't want to spend a lot of money to do so. Whatever you choose to do, good luck with your anti-invasive-sparrow campaign!
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I consider them the number one pest because they are so smart and aggressive. I target them every chance that I get, but only at my pesting permission. My sub 17 FPE Atomic has been murderous on them.
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