Mad sparrows

David G

Well-known Member
I got new roof on shed and lean to this week due to hail damage, so decided to clean up more under lean to. I had a bale conveyor strapped to bottom of rafters that I was using as pipe rack. The sparrows had built nests in the larger pipes, I tore that down today. The adults are up in the rafters really chewing me out now, I think it is time to get the pellet gun out and remove them too. There is a swallow nest in the rafters that I left alone, they are good birds.
 
Swallows "good" and sparrows "bad?" How is that decided? Neither ever did anything to me worth killing them for.
 
Swallows have the name of good bug killers, sparrows are more of a grain bird. Sparrows usually got blamed for spreading diseases such as among hog yards, starlings did too. No idea how much truth there is to it all
 
I hate sparrows! Period! Every building on both farms is sparrow tight and trespassers are shot on sight.

Swallows are different. This afternoon when I was raking hay I was enjoying watching the swallows swooping and diving for bugs. How in the world can they see those bugs and catch them when they are flying that fast? There must have been a dozen, the air was full of them.
 
"Neither ever did anything to me worth killing them for."

I have to disagree with your statement, at least when it comes to house sparrows. These birds are not native to North America and have greatly reduced birds that are indigenous to North America. They stay in an area year round and have their nests built (and possibly eggs laid) before the migrating birds have a chance to get into the area. They are mostly grain thieves and do really nothing to keep bug or mosquito population down. The house sparrow was introduced on the east coast in 1851 and within 50 years had reached the Rockies.
I have a bluebird house on my mail box post. Early this Spring, I pulled a completed sparrow nest out of it about every other day until the bluebirds showed up. When the bluebirds finally did arrive, you could hear the sparrow and bluebird fighting inside of the bird house to rule over the rights of who got to stay.
I currently have five blue bird eggs in my bird house, but the bluebird pair had to really fight to keep their nest.
About the only good thing a house sparrow is good for is cat food.
 
Sparrows just love free stall dairy barns , hard to keep them out , and tough to get rid of once they get in . They love to sit on the head rails of the feed fronts , and naturally leave bird droppings in the cow feed. Dirty useless little birds.
 
I know a fella that works for a extermination company , and he goes to local grocery stores at night , and shoots sparrows with a air rifle . Sparrows will slip in through automatic doors and loading docks, and are a pain in the butt for stores.
 
One comment on your comment . . " house sparrows. These birds are not native to North America and have greatly reduced birds that are indigenous to North America."

I think you can say the same for most humans here in the "New World." What does being indigenous have to do with anything?
 
Looks like you just want to get your posting numbers up, or.....you just want to argue. Have fun.
 
(quoted from post at 04:44:12 06/26/17) Looks like you just want to get your posting numbers up, or.....you just want to argue. Have fun.

JDEM had far higher numbers on his old account which he lost when he moved. He has been a big help to many here for many years, and has a tremendous amount of knowledge accumulated over many years as a technician.
 
People always throw out the 'Not native' argument for some reason but never mention that Not Native includes wheat,barley,watermelons,Ring Neck Pheasants and a long list of
others species including white and black humans.But of course Amaranth (including the common Pigweed is native) and no one is trying to save it(LOL)
 
They should be exported back to England ! where they came from.
I hate Starlings much more then Sparrows ! ! !
 
I too, have Bluebird house(s). It works best to plug the hole until Bluebird shows up.
Keeps the Sparrows from thinking it is their home.....
 
When I was a kid, I spent hours in the chicken house shooting sparrows with a Daisy air rifle. I got pretty good at it.
 

Did not even the humans come across the land bridge at one time?? so ALL humans were not here originally.. At some point even the birds were not here. The dinos where here first and apparently they screwed it up...

So where do you start??
 
(quoted from post at 20:01:48 06/25/17) I hate sparrows! Period! Every building on both farms is sparrow tight and trespassers are shot on sight.

Swallows are different. This afternoon when I was raking hay I was enjoying watching the swallows swooping and diving for bugs. How in the world can they see those bugs and catch them when they are flying that fast? There must have been a dozen, the
air was full of them.

I agree on the barn swallows--they come back to our place each year--follow disc mower around during hay time and brush hog later in season closer to evening hours AND--NO mosquitoes around the yard for outdoor activities!!
 
Really makes you a hero with the barn cats doesn't it! Free food! They would follow me around anytime I had my air rifle out.
 
The lower part of our hip roof barn is full of swallows. They've all gotten use to me coming out there 2+times per day to feed the cattle except one. That sob dive bombs me within a couple feet of my head. About one more day of that crap and I'm bringing the 12ga with me.
 
If you are referring to me, I have zero interest in getting my posting numbers "up" as you say. Are you mentally projecting? I have been on this site, off and on, since it started and come less and less. Mostly due to posters like you. As to sparrows? I said they have done nothing to me to make me want to kill them. I cannot speak for others. The "they are not native here" statement is a silly argument though. Neither are humans (not even American Indians). Neither is much of the food we eat, fish we catch, etc.
 
Well, I think it's a bit late now to list whether the house sparrow is native or not (as a reason to kill them) to North American don't you think? After almost two centuries of being here, it's pretty much a native species I'd say. After all, it's just a definition of a term we're dealing with. Personally, I have no opinion on whether to let them thrive or to waste my time killing them (which won't make any difference anyways).
 
My old dairy barn blew down about a month ago. The barn swallows were devastated. I see they are making do in the machine shed and on the bulk bins, but I am sad for thm. They'r great insect control. Common Sparrows (which are actually finches) on the other hand, can all die. Crap everywhere and only eat grain as far as I've seen. I shoot them and knock down thier nests at every opportunity.

Do you think the swallows would take to mounting a 2 by 4 on the side of the shed under the eave?
 
(quoted from post at 08:43:56 06/26/17) When I was a kid, I spent hours in the chicken house shooting sparrows with a Daisy air rifle. I got pretty good at it.
I also, many moons ago.
Doesn't seem to have made a difference in the total number of sparrows today.
 
Chris it was the same for me when I was a kid. I would go out in the buildings at night with a dim flashlight (this was the early sixties) and shoot sparrows. The cats followed me like bird dogs. They wouldn't eat starlings but a pigeon was a real feast for whichever cat was quick enough to get it away from the rest of the cats.
 
(quoted from post at 21:04:19 06/25/17).... The sparrows had built nests in the larger pipes, I tore that down today. The adults are up in the rafters really chewing me out now, I think it is time to get the pellet gun out and remove them too. .........
any pellet guns will shoot through metal roofs. .22 bird shot will not however.
 
Some sparrows took over the swallow nest on the side of the house. The swallows built a new nest under the porch roof. They seem to have abandoned it now though. It gets pretty hot there in the evenings.

Sparrows outside are okay. I hate them in the barns. Messy nests falling down all over my equipment. Robins, swallows, and rens are all clean birds that I welcome.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top