If that happens to you again with the eggs and The sparrows fighting for the nest boxes, instead of destroying the eggs, if you have a wildlife rehabilitator around in your area, you can give them the eggs and they will incubate them and have surrogate sparrows that cannot go back into the wild raised them. Hi Libby, I too feed the wildlife outside and I put up many different boxes of all sizes so many birds could choose their nest boxes. ( photos by Cris Hamilton, Chuck Tague, Marcy Cunkelman and Robert Greene, Jr.) Post navigation When another invasive species wants their nest they’re out of luck. In the city there’s cruel justice for house sparrows. (Click here to read more at the bluebird website, .) You can to do this because house sparrows aren’t protected by law. The only way to protect bluebirds is to trap and kill the house sparrows. They kill the nestlings and even the adult bluebirds incubating eggs. They claim several boxes even though they use just one. House sparrow eyeing a bluebird nest box (photo by Bobby Greene)Īggressive and well armed, house sparrows always win. House sparrows are another story, though.
The wider the selection, the less they’ll compete. They trump the other three.īy law you can’t interfere with these native species but you can put up more boxes. House wrens don’t need to nest in boxes but when they’ve picked one they are persistent, quick builders and will remove the eggs and very young nestlings of other birds. Tree swallow arriving at the nest (both photos by Marcy Cunkelman) Eastern bluebirds checking out a nest box. The swallows arrive later and pick the other. The bluebirds begin nesting earlier and pick a box. They usually lose.Įastern bluebirds and tree swallows are well matched and can share the same territory if two nest boxes are placed next to each other. The winners are determined by timing, temperament, and weaponry.Ĭhickadees are brave but small. Chickadees, house wrens, bluebirds, tree swallows and house sparrows all compete for the same nest boxes. Good nest locations are highly contested both within and between species. While the wren sang near the box, a Carolina chickadee peered out of the hole. Last week in Schenley Park I watched a house wren claiming a nest box at the golf course. Carolina Chickadee (photo by Cris Hamilton) and House Wren (photo by Chuck Tague)
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