Deterring House Sparrows

Flock of House Sparrows on the Brush Pile
Flock of House Sparrows on the Brush Pile

For weeks I’ve been on a crusade to get rid of House Sparrows that settled in over the winter. We’ve never had many House Sparrows. I only put out millet in the winter months for the White-Throated Sparrows and the Dark-Eyed Juncos. Each winter, I might get a couple, but they have always left once I stopped offering millet in the spring.

But this year, the House Sparrow population built up gradually over the winter. Now I typically see nearly twenty at a time and they’ve become a problem. If I let them stay, they will nest here and the numbers will climb like crazy. They need to go. This is the story of what has turned into one of my biggest bird feeding challenges. In the end though, I did get the House Sparrows to leave.

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Ways To Keep Squirrels Off Feeders

Squirrel Peeking Over a Baffle at A Squirrel Buster Feeder. The baffle keeps him out.

The secret to keeping squirrels out of a bird feeder is to use a baffle and locate it well. I have two dozen bird feeders in my yard and squirrels do not get into ANY of my feeders! You might think you have to accept squirrels eating at your feeders. But after many years feeding birds, I have found that you don’t have to give into squirrels. You CAN keep squirrels out of bird feeders.

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

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