Expert: Bluebird Bob Walshaw - 4/23/2011

Question
QUESTION: A pair of English Sparrows are beginning to nest in a house 50 yards from Bluebirds with 5 newly hatched nestlings.  Have set a trap in their house.  How do I humanely destroy the English Sparrows once I capture them?  If I catch the female first, will the male eventually go into the house too?  Where do male bluebirds spend the night?  In the house?  Saw one following an owl around the back yard last night, singing a warning like crazy.

ANSWER: If you catch one reset the trap and you will usually catch the other. I usually wait until one egg is laid so they are bonded to the nest. They are very fragile so they are easy to kill humanely. Some people just squeeze them hard across their chests, others just whack them against a hard surface with their fists. I lay their heads on a hard surface and hit it with the handle end of my screwdriver. If they are caught in a clear plastic bag put over a box when they are caught in an in box trap women usually prefer to swing the bag against a hard surface so they don't have to handle them. All of these methods kill them instantly. At night most birds find places to hide in evergreen trees or other places where they are safer from owls, etc.

If you will send your mailing address to me at walshaw1@cox.net I will send you my free 20 page Bluebird book (I have sent out nearly 2000). The address will be used only to mail the book. If this concerns you google Bluebird Bob Walshaw to see the work that I do. Good luck! Bob Walshaw.

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QUESTION: I took the trap out and will wait for them to start building the nest before I trap them.  I have your book it is great!  That's how i know English Sparrow is Public Enemy #1.  Are they a threat to the nestlings and their parents now?   Can I lure them close to the house with some special food and pick them off with a bb gun.  What would you suggest?  So, the male bluebird never spends the night in the box?

Answer
Glad that you like the book. Nearly 2000 copies sent out. Please use my email for any questions. That is easier and quicker. walshaw1@cox.net Yes, House sparrows are always a threat - it depends on the time of year, their disposition,especially of the male, etc. You can put some small cheap seeds on the ground in a good spot for shooting them. A pellet gun works better than a BB gun. Just be sure that you are shooting house sparrows. Many good sparrows look like the female. And the female will stay in the box at night when the babies are small, but I don't believe that the male does. Bob Walshaw.