The English Sparrow, also called a House Sparrow, is not native to the U.S. and loves hanging out near humans. They will consume their share of pest insects to feed their young, but they also can become something of a problem when they choose a nesting site or when they gather together in large numbers. The nest of the house sparrow is an untidy mass of dried grass, leaves, pine straw, string, paper, feathers, and who knows what else? These nests are built in all manner of locations. They can take over those bird houses you set up for the house wrens and the chickadees. They are a real problem if you have a purple martin multi-apartment dwelling. They will set up their nest wherever it will fit and be a bit out of the weather. They can block your roof gutters or set up inside the roof over your porch and poop a lot on your porch furniture.
English sparrows love to congregate in large numbers in trees that have been pruned improperly causing too many branches to emerge as likely roosts. If this roost is over your driveway, your car will be decorated with numerous droppings each morning.
How To Cope With English Sparrows
Protect Your Bird Houses - if you have any bird houses hung to attract some of the more attractive song birds such as house wrens, chickadees, and nuthatches, you will want to be quite vigilant in early spring to keep the sparrows from taking over the houses. If a sparrow tries to move in and begins to make its sloppy nest, you need to thwart that effort by simply removing the nest before the eggs are laid. It might take two or three evictions before the sparrow will get the message and move on to another spot.
Use Sticky Barriers - If you have some decorative trim on your porch or over a patio which in the past has attracted the nests of sparrows, you can make those sites unattractive by squirting a bit of sticky gel sold to thwart pigeons from perching in spots where they are a nuisance. There are several sticky products described in Yardener’s Tool Shed.
