What a crappy video. So much background noise that it is almost impossible to watch

We don’t have eastern bluebirds but have a lot of tree swallows so I start trapping English sparrows early before tree swallows return in the spring. I just ring their bell of the side of the garden shed when I catch them. Haven’t seen house sparrows in years. Tree swallows are doing great!

If invasives do wind up laying eggs in your nestbox, violently shake the eggs to prevent them from developing. This failed batch will delay the invasive mother into laying another clutch of eggs. I did this for starlings and after they realized no incubation they left the nest. I think they associated failed clutch with the box. Haven't tried the Gilbert box or spooker but everything else I confirm, especially not using cheap seed with millet and corn... attracts nuisance birds which tend to be more aggressive than our native songbirds.

Novice blue birder here…those sparrows are pesky! Here’s how I had success: Requires 2 bluebird houses. Put the first one up and remove the sparrow nest daily. Let the sparrows and bluebird fight for 2 weeks while you keep removing the sparrow nests. After 2 weeks put up your 2nd bluebird house. Mine was about 40 feet away from 1st one. Bluebirds took to it immediately. Sparrows stayed focused on the first box. After 2-3 more weeks bluebirds had built their nest, laid 3 eggs and babies were quickly growing. BUT the pesky sparrow returned to 2nd house and aggressively defended it preventing bluebird feeding. So I tried the fishing line suggestion without success. Then tried a sparrow spooker made from a coat hanger and heavy duty strips of aluminum foil. Once I mounted the spooker I also removed the sparrow nest (including eggs 🥴) from 1st house. Sparrows refocused back to first house! Success!

Great tips, thanks for posting something short and to the point!

I put a new bluebird house up yesterday 4/26/24. This morning 4/27/24 @ 10AM a pair of bluebirds are showing interest in the house. I used your info to help determine placement of the house. The entrance is facing east in the middle of large mowed back yard. The pair sat on top of the new house for a couple of minutes together. Prior to that the male flitted about the entrance multiple times acting as if he wanted to go inside but i never saw him actually go inside.

I will never destroy a bird nest even if it is not my favorite one.

Gotta fix those wind pops

Dude, the wind sound is quite loud.

My dad use to shoot house sparrows. It really upset me. All God’s creatures are good.

You dont care much for sparrows huh?

Can't hear anything. Did you film this in a wind storm?

This is a good, simple reference video. I am confused though, about the distance from wooded areas. Here in the video you say 50 yards. At least twice on your website you say 50 feet.

Seriously, 1/6" difference is going to matter?

I'm here so why are yu redirecting me to another webpage. Just show me what a sparrow spooker looks like. downvote

I have a question for you.. I’m wanting to put a camera inside this house do you think there’s enough space ? Thanks so much.

YOu are racist

I set an old bluebird house up against the south end of my pole building as it needed a new roof yester evening. Next morning bluebirds were checking it out even though it was not secure and the side monitoring panel needed the nail replaced. I have not seen a bluebird on my property for a long time!) Unsure where to put it, and certainly not in the busy location that I temporarily set it (which is also too close to an active wren nest) - I am going to place it on the opposite end of the 30 ft pole building to see what happens. I was really surprised to see that a pair of bluebirds found it so quickly! Figured they would all have nests set up by now - end of May.

Thank you so much for this video bc i have a bird house and dident know where to place it. This is so perfect. I loooooovvvveeee birds sooooooooo much❤

Yikes...close up of poster way too close...kinda scary! But good advice.

When put side by side with Peterson bluebird house styles, eastern bluebirds select the Peterson style entrance. They can perch on the outside to clean the nest. With a 1.5" hole they must enter the nest. Peterson style is oval, 1" 3/8 x 2" 1/8. Critics of the Peterson style says that Starlings can enter, but I have never had an issue, despite many starlings being in my area. If they become a problem, the front of the house swaps out really easy. My house is 30 years old, now, and never a starling. Everyone uses the Peterson style in MN. 40 years ago we were using what you use now.

Tip #6: Shoot the damn house sparrows! Starlings too. Tip #7: Use 10 to 20 pound monofilament fishing line, dangled off the front of the lid of your nest box. It will scare off the house sparrows. Weigh the lines down with fishing line weights or a small hex nuts. They’re a little bit too proud of those Gilbertson nest boxes. $43 for a bluebird house? You’ve got to be freaking kidding me! I’ll buy some pipe and make one myself.

Oh great. Just another Google scholar handing out regurgitated info.

Thanks for the info

I know we need the sparrows but they always beat the blue birds out of the nest boxes and 2 has turned into 25 at the feeder. I'm pretty fed up with them right now.

Disturbing comments.

As if 1/16 is going to make a difference!

Can’t hear

How do I know if the blue birds have laid their first egg?

Great video!

Sparrows are very easy to deter without harming them. Simply drill a medium sized hole in top of birdhouse roof & with something that is semi-transparent. Its something about the light that deters other birds .I was having sparrows/other birds issues. After modifing my bluebird houses, no more problems over a four year period. Sometimes they will place a few twigs in house & then stop. Bluebird house modification plans: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqm8dZ57mpqUrK8

Audio quality very poor. Low volume and wind make it almost impossible to hear and understand.

Almost impossible task...thank goodness for the van ert trap

Lost a clutch of 5 bluebird eggs saw the mother go in one evening checked it a few days later and all eggs gone, no sign of a struggle like pieces of egg shell or feathers just empty. I had to be either a snake or a very delicate eating racoon.

ban bird feeders

How terrible! Advocating killing sparrows? Bragging about killing them? Disgusting.

I have 2 Gilbertson bluebird boxes. A sparrow found one right after one set of bluebirds fledged. The sparrow will not leave this box and I’ve put up a trap boxes to catch that devil bird, no luck at all. I’ve caught my blues instead. Very frustrating! I’ve tried the spookers as well, didn’t phase that devil bird. I ended up taking that box down. Really wish those devil birds were NEVER introduced here😭

Madness or stupidity......

Really enjoying the videos! Look forward to more! Thanks!

I use a highly accurate. 22 cal pre-charged pneumatic air rifle on house sparrows and starlings. House sparrows are very aware when you target them! They are very smart! I used to trap but I was trapping chipping sparrows and other natives!

Trapping & shooting house sparrows is many, many times more effective than any other method of control. All other methods are marginal at best. Detergent methods, if they were to work at all, just move the problem onto to some other unfortunate native cavity nesting bird family, so you aren't actually helping overall. And simply removing the nest without dispatching the sparrows is a good way to end up with dead bluebirds due to retaliation by the house sparrows. Stop wasting time and jeopardizing bluebirds by avoiding humanely dispatching house sparrows.

If you have house sparrows nesting close to a Bluebird nest with eggs, babies' never pull that house sparrow nest bcuz they will go on a rampage killing Bluebirds and babies thinking they did it. You should put in a Van Ert trap in the HS wooden house and catch them demons first. I pulled out a HS nest 1994 first year with Bluebirds just 50ft away and came home from work to see the eggs busted on the ground, I caught the male HS next morning and rung his neck. Bluebirds when on to nest that spring, summer.

🙋🏻‍♂️ Close to house’s….. well, blue birds built their nest under our patio in a garden hose reel ( hose is wound onto these reels ) These is a cavity on these reels, and that’s where the nest is. I’ve used my reel to store an extension cord on, which I’m unable to use now there are 2 babies in this nest. We are in and out all the time passing by this nest at our back door area. Those birds will just have to adapt, since I cannot use the extension cord ( a little give and take …haha ). 4-27-2022 Central Louisiana 👍🏻💪🦾

HOSP serial killer is killing all the eggs around our house killed 3 of our bluebird eggs and then another type of egg not sure the species so upsetting!

Van Ert trap is an essential weapon February through September

Wow why couldn’t you just give us all of the information on this video? Everything was really good up until then

How can you tell house sparrow nest from a bluebird nest? Materials?

Thank you for these great tips. When do the bluebird's make their nest?

Last year, we had the most territorial and aggressive House Sparrow that we have ever seen. He kept trying to build in one of our bluebird boxes and no matter how many times the nest was thrown out (which he would build up again in a day or two) he would not leave this box... and he never had a mate! It was one of the most frustrating things, because this went on for weeks. He would not go into the sparrow trap we put out, so he was finally eliminated with an air rifle.

Ive had a lot of HS in my area and last winter a year ago I eliminated 100's and I also used a nestbox trap for HS and caught about 20 in it . This yr Ive decided to try and eliminate all preferable seed of HS so that they will want to be elsewhere. I launched that same nest box trap this season and have only captured 1 HS so it must be working somewhat. Ive never had bluebirds here but want them. About a month ago I did put up a gilbertson nest box and have seen a couple HS check it out but did not use it at least not yet. So I still have hope that I will eventually get bluebirds here.