Springtime In Lewes, Delaware Doings

Eastern Bluebird - my very welcomed Springtime visitors!

A few minutes ago I looked out the sunroom windows and what did my eyes see?  A bluebird taking a bath in one of the three bird baths I have in our flower oval.  It is official, spring is here!

Bluebird in my birdbath this morning - welcome!

This is one of those giant bluebirds.  This bluebird will be able to defend his bluebird house against the sparrows who are always trying to take it over in the spring mating season.  Every year it is a battle as to who get control of the prime bluebird house in our backyard.

I'm off work until next Wednesday which is delightful.  Last night we had an event at the hotel.  An event is just what it says it is, an EVENT.  Last night was the monthly Lewes Chamber of Commerce Mixer.  I get to greet all the attendees as they stroll in from their glass(es) of wine and finger food.  I must have been a greeter in my former life because I love the role of the Greeter.  I love to meet people.

Our Number One Industry - Tourism!

The monthly mixer is a chance for local business people to get together and drum up business.  We had several rooms open for display at the hotel and of course, I was ready to make reservations.

However, something different happened.  I was talking to one of the attendees who was leaving (trying to get him to rent a room) and I discovered he was a local portrait photographer.  I've been looking for a looking for a local portrait photographer!  What luck!

In my previous life, when I was more lush with cash, I used to have an annual portrait picture taken of me and my dogs to include with my Christmas cards.  When I lost my job at Mellon Bank in 1986 and then went through a series of jobs bouncing around, I did not have that luxury any more.  If you were one of the lucky recipients of my annual Christmas card, you will notice that the picture of me wasn't a professional one, I took it!

One of my annual Christmas card photos 1981

Now that I'm settled in, the mortgage is paid off and the bills are up to date I can imbibe in this luxury again.  My appointment is next Wednesday.  Only one problem, how am I going to get myself to look like this portrait picture that was taken in 1982?  I just realized that was THIRTY YEARS AGO!

The last time I sat down with a suit and tie for a formal studio portrait photo - this one for my resume when I was looking for another job after being canned by Mellon Bank in 1982

Dave, the photographer told me this morning not to worry.  He says he can do "wonders" with his computer.  This should be interesting.

Before picture - me Tuesday evening - 30 years later!

Then There Was One

The last baby bluebird - 15 minutes ago

As regular readers of my blog know, I raise baby bluebirds in my backyard oasis here in the coastal shores of southern Delaware.

I've been greatly concerned that the high heat and humidity of this past week would kill the second batch of baby bluebirds that hatched a few weeks ago in my backyard wildlife habitat.  There were four babyblue birds stuffed in that little bluebird house.  Every time I went past the blue bird box when I was refreshing the water in the many birdbaths I have lining by backyard, I would take a peek in the hole to the bluebird box and see gasping baby bluebirds.  I know from experience not to do anything but let nature take its course.  I suspected the baby bluebirds were at least a week away from flying from their nest.

Thus it was with some surprise a few minutes ago I peered into the hole and didn't see any gasping baby bluebirds.  Instead, this is what I saw:  a lone, terrified baby bluebird.  You can tell by the development of it's little wings that it isn't quite ready to leave its nest yet.

I'm wondering what happened to the other baby bluebirds.  I hope they're all right.  I know I have a fox out back.  Something knocked over my big cement birdbath.  It wasn't any bird that knocked over that birdbath.  Bill says he where the fox has dug holes in the compost surrounding my newly planted knockout rose bushes.  Plus, the baby rabbit that was nibbling on my petunias is gone. The petunias are flourishing now that they aren't providing an early evening salad for Peter Rabbit.

My little not quite an acre backyard oasis was quite successful this year in producing many batches of Purple Martins, swallows, bluebirds and (egads!) starlings.  I didn't know starlings were in my Purple Martin house until they were born.  By then it was too late for me to remove them from the birdhouse.

Soon our backyard will be quite.  No more the squawking of the Purple Martins and their many broods of baby Purple Martins.  No more swallows gracefully swooping over our backyard in the dusk of late day gathering flying insects that were unfortunately happen to be in their path of flight.

We're sweltering here folks under this unusual heat wave for this area of the country but the wildlife manages, with a little help from me.  I've been refreshing the birdbaths in our backyard at least a dozen time a day.

My neighbor Barbara just hollered at me from her back deck "Hey Ron!  What are you doing out in this heat!?"  I told her "I have to get water for my friends, they're thirsty!"  And indeed, they are.

I hope those baby bluebirds who left their nest today make it through the night.  I worry about them.

The Bluebirds of Happiness

Bluebird eggs May 1, 2011

At the beginning of May, when Bill and I left for our weeklong strip South, mama bluebird had just laid five perfectly oval blue eggs in the bluebird box in our backyard.  I was worried that the eggs wouldn't be there when we got back.  Last year when we left for our trip South, we left four young bluebirds in the box but when we came back the baby bluebirds and the next were gone, pulled out by the bored eight year old son of the Hispanic man who mowed our neighbor's lawn.  I vividly remember how angry, sad and disappointed I was that the stupid, mindless, thoughtless act of an unsupervised child destroyed a whole nest of baby bluebirds.  Especially after all the difficulty I had with keeping the sparrows out of that bluebird house.  The previous two years mama and papa bluebird had raised two sets of young bluebirds each season.  Last year they never came back.

Our Bluebird box in our backyard - home to generations of bluebirds

Thus it was with some apprehension that I left for vacation this year.  One thing, my neighbor no longer employed the Hispanic man to mow his lawn.  That kid is probably off somewhere else destroying something because of his bored curiosity.  I prefer not to think about it.

What was also ironic, that the bluebirds laid their eggs just as I was to begin a busy month of activity.  I knew once I returned from our trip south I would be working full-time at the hotel, until the new front desk clerk was trained.

I was very relieved when we returned from our trip and I saw that the bluebird nest was unharmed.  Mama and papa bluebird faithfully feed their young ones all day, every day.  In the past their were only four eggs so I could open the bluebird box and observe and record their growth.  This year, perhaps to make up for last year, mama and papa bluebird laid FIVE eggs in the tiny bluebird box.  I was able to open the bluebird box a few week before they got too big then I had to observe from afar.  I didn't want to take a chance of one of the baby bluebirds falling out of the box when I opened it.

Freshly hatched baby bluebirds

Growing baby bluebirds - the last time I opened the box to observe

Then yesterday, as I returned home from my last full-time shift at the hotel, I walked over to the bluebird box to see if I could still see a baby bluebird's mouth sticking out of the entrance to the bluebird box.  Much to my surprise (and delight), the bluebird box was empty!  The baby bluebirds were out.

Empty nest yesterday - they're gone!

Now wasn't that the perfect metaphor for my past month of hectic activity?  I began the month with the freshly laid bluebird eggs and ending the month with the baby bluebirds now having their freedom.  Just like me, I now have my freedom.

I love my job and hope to work at it as long as I can but I also want the freedom of enjoying and participating in my summertime activities.  I can't do that stuck behind the front desk at the hotel six days a week (then recovering the seventh day).  I am so happy to get back to my normal routine.  I'm back!

Returning to the Scene of the Crime

Bluebird eggs at risk yesterday with the arrival of the Demon Kid

Remember a few weeks ago that I posted that someone had torn out the swallow bird nest (with live baby swallows in it) when Bill and I were on vacation down South?  I did a little sleuthing and came to the conclusion that it was the eight year old Hispanic boy who was with the lawn maintenance guy that my neighbor Tom had doing his lawn.

My neighbor Tom's Hispanic lawn maintenance crew yesterday arrives

Bill had pointed out to me before "how cute" the kid was with his hyperactive antics whenever he accompanied his dad (?) to his lawn maintenance job.  Thus, it didn't take too much to figure out who opened the bluebird box that contained the live baby swallows.  It had to take someone about three feet tall to reach up and put his greasy little finger in the open and pull the wooden door down because the latch was still in place.  At first I couldn't figure out how the door got open with the latch still in place.  I thought maybe a cat or another animal got into the bird box.  But to have the strength to pull the latch?  No, couldn't be.

After running different scenarios through my mind, this hyper active kid popped to the front.  Yes, this would be something that a curious, hyperactive, unsupervised, eight year old brat would do.  I went back out to the bird box to look for evidence.  Almost immediately I saw a small indentation in the thyme that I have planted at the base of the bird box.  In fact, right at the very base is a wild rose bush.  The indentation was to the left.  Viola!  That's why he put his finger up to hook it into the hole that is the opening to the bird box.  Once he opened the bird box he was too short to see into the nest so he obviously put his stinking, dirty, greasy little paw up to the nest and pulled it out.  He was probably very pleased to find four naked, three day old baby swallows in the nest.  His short attention span was satiated if only for a moment.

When Bill and I discovered the bird box door was open the next morning after we returned from our trip, I immediately went out to see what happened.  I saw the empty nest on the ground.  No baby swallows.  No adult swallows.  Gone.

Not knowing what else to to, I put the neatly built nest (which was cushioned by many down feathers from unknown birds) back in the bird box, hoping the adult swallows return and lay more eggs.  The determined sparrows do it so why not the swallows?  Well, it was not to be.

The bird box remained empty for two week until a week ago when the blue birds returned. Hallelujah!  This was great news!  The blue birds had returned.  For the past two years the blue birds have raised two batches of baby bluebirds in that box.  This year, right on cue in early April the blue birds returned only to be met by a very determined sparrow.  The determined sparrow had already killed a swallow in that bird box plus in another bird box.  I guess the blue birds assumed it was too dangerous to build a nest in that bird box this year.  They left and the swallows took over.  Oh, Bill took care of the determined sparrow.  He trapped it and "disposed" of it.  One less sparrow in the world, hooray!

We figured if we couldn't have the bluebirds raising their young in that bird box this year, at least the swallows would have a chance.  That is until the ADHD monster arrived on the scene.

I told Bill "He'll be back."  Bill said, "No, I think that was a one time job Tom (our neighbor) had done."  I disagreed.  I said to Bill, "Oh no, that little destructive monster will be back."  And sure enough, yesterday the little hyperactive brat was back.  However, this time he was staying in the truck.

A ha!  Either his dad knew what he did or this ADHD kid caused trouble at some of his other job locations.  I wanted to go out immediately and have words with Miguel (or whatever his name is.)  Manual, Poncho, Pedro....whatever.  Probably Jesus pronounced "Hey Zeus!"

Bill said don't do anything unless he gets out of the truck.  I agreed with Bill.  I went to our second floor and kept an eagle eye on that truck.  Occasionally I would see The Brat popping out of the driver's window.  One time he was almost all the way out.  This kid has so much energy, he could hardly contained himself.  I figured now was the time to go out and have a discussion with his dad Jorge (pronounced Whore Hey!) or whatever his name is (Juan, Carolos, Fernando or Pablo - take your pick.)

As I was walking towards dad Jose (pronounced Hose Hey!) on his tractor, he stopped immediately and looked at me with dread.  He knew this was trouble.  The kid pokes his stupid little head out the driver's side of dad's truck, a HUGE smile on his face.  This kid is ready to do Major Destruction.  I say "Ola", which I think is a standard form of Hispanic greeting.  But then my Spanish fails me.  I know a few words like "Amigo", and "Gracias" but none of those words will apply to this situation.  I figure the best thing to do is speak very slowly in English (or as they say "Inglis") and do a lot of motioning with my hands.

The Little Terror has the driver's side door open, ready to pop out and cause mayhem

I got his attention.  Pointing to his brat in the truck I say "Someone opened that bird box (I point to the bird box) and took out the nest."  Pointing to his monster, I say "I have reason to believe that it was him!"  I continue (motioning my arms wildly hoping this would make him understand I am really pissed), "No! No! No!"  And pointing to destructive little monster that he has in the truck, I say "An this isn't funny!" (like he understood me.  Made me feel good to say it.)

I motioned again to the bird box and say as loud as I can "NO!"  I think I got through.  In fact, the look on Hector's face (or whatever his name is), led me to believe that he thought I was going to deport him.  I am certain he is an illegal.  He just had that look of utter terror when I approached him.

Once back in our house I continued to monitor the situation.  The Devil's Spawn kept popping in and out of the driver's side window.  Then about a half an hour later went to the door and said something to the kid and opened the door.  Damien sprung out and ran to the side of the house.  Obviously a bathroom call.  After pissing on the side of my neighbor Tom's house he ran right back to the truck and hopped into the cab just like his father Alejandro (pronounced "Alley Hand Dro") told him to do.

Note the Devil's Spawn running towards the tree to take a pee

After his dad finished the lawn mowing (along with another illegal who collected the grass and it in another truck), he opened the door of his truck to let his kid out.  Immediately ADHD kid was doing cartwheels on my neighbor's lawn.  Damn, this kid has about as much energy as that BP induced oil volcano in the Gulf of Mexico.  GET HIM OUT OF HERE!

They left around 5 o'clock.  I could finally take my afternoon nap, secure in the knowledge that a destructive, wild child wasn't going to destroy another bird nest.

The Illegals with their Monster Brat getting out of Dodge

This morning I went out to check the blue bird house and found that another egg has been added.  This make one more to go.  Bluebirds usually lay four eggs.  They take about a week to hatch and about four weeks for the bluebirds to grow into maturity.  During that time I am positive that Pedro, Diego or (oh no, this couldn't be his name "Angel" and Pancho will return.  When they do I will be ready for them.
I'm calling Immigration this time.

The bluebird nest today, a third egg.  Safe...for the time being.

Murder in Milton Part Two

The beautiful eastern bluebird

When Bill and I returned from our trip south we discovered that someone or something had opened the bluebird house and torn out the nest of newly born swallows.

For the past two years this particular  bird house has been the home to two batches of bluebirds each season.  However, this year the bluebirds were not able to build their nest because of the aggressive house sparrows kept the bluebirds away.

Bluebird fighting off house sparrow

Swallows tried to build a nest in that blue bird house only to battle the same house sparrows.  As I wrote in an earlier blog posting, one day I came home from work and checked the bird house to see if the swallows had laid their eggs.  As I began to open the front of the blue bird house a house sparrow quickly exited the hole of the bird house.  I opened the front of the bird house only to find a bloodied and dead swallow.

Swallow

To those of you who think house sparrows are cute consider this, in one of my other blue bird houses I found a nest of sparrow eggs.  A dead swallow was also in the nest, pushed to the side.  Yes, the sparrows were going to raise their young with a dead swallow in the bird box.  This is the same bird box that swallows had raised two batches of baby swallows.

House sparrow

Bill set up a contraption and was able to trap the house sparrow that was killing the swallows.  After disposing of that sparrow, we didn't have any more problems with sparrows keeping other birds away from that bird box.

House sparrow on top of perch at bluebird house

The swallows built their neat nest and laid their eggs in the former blue bird house.  Two days before we left for our vacation down south, I checked the nest and saw that the eggs had hatched.  The little featherless and blind baby swallows were ready to grow.  Thus it was with great anticipation that we were looking forward to seeing how much the baby swallows had grown.

Bill looked out the window and said "The box is open!"  We rushed out and, sure enough, the front of the blue bird box was open and the nest on the grown.  There was no sign of the baby swallows.  Now this was a real mystery because the latch was still closed on the door of the bird house.

We couldn't figure out what happened.  Could a cat have climbed the wooden pole?  But what cat could have that kind of strength that it took to open the front of the bird house without removing the latch?  It wasn't until the next day that we figured out what happened.

A few weeks ago our neighbor had some lawn service people in to take care of his lawn.  Bill pointed out to me that the Hispanics who were doing the yard work had a hyper active little kid with them.  Bill thought the kid and his antics were cute.  Me, not so much.  I'm not a fan of over active, bratty, little kids.
I didn't give this kid any more thought until this day.

Another thing we noticed when we came back from vacation was that our neighbor's back yard was completely trimmed.  This was very unusual because our neighbor Tom rarely if ever trims his back yard.  Alright, now I'm adding two and two together.

This Hispanic lawn service crew is working on my neighbor's back yard.  My bird box is near the fence of the back yard.  The swallows who built the nest hover over the bird box and sit on the perch at the top of the bird box.  So picture this:  a bored, hyper active, little kid sees the swallows around the bird box.  He goes around the fence and sees the bird box.  With me so far?  Then he sees the adult swallow enter the bird box to feed its young.  Okay, now the kid wants to see what's inside the bird box but he isn't tall enough to open the latch.  So he puts his greasy, dirty little finger in the bird box hole and pulls down.  Viola!  Then he sees the nest and pulls it out, baby birds and all.  Now he's no longer bored because he has destroyed the nest.

I go out to check my theory.  Around the bird box I have a wild rose bush.  At the base of the island I have ground cover of thyme.  To the left of the bird box and away from the rose bush I see an indentation in the thyme.  The indentation is the size of a child's foot.  Ah yes.  Theory proved.

Again, as has happened so often in my life of growing plants and trying to maintain a backyard habitat, it has been invaded and destroyed by kids, animals and insects.  We had so many problems with the neighborhood kids when we lived in Philadelphia I finally gave up even planting flowers in front of the house on the tree lined street where we lived.  I thought I had a safe place in our new home in Milton.  Apparently not.

Well, long story short.  This morning we had good news.  Bill spotted a bluebird on the perch atop the bird house.  That's wonderful news!  Maybe the bluebirds will be able after all to raise a batch of young bluebirds this summer in that preferred bird house.  After the deaths of two adult swallows, the deaths of four baby swallows and one murderous adult sparrow, this story will have a happy ending.

Me early this morning checking out the bluebird box

Not a pretty sight, me early in the morning

Taking out the old swallow nest 

Life and Death in the Backyard

Perhaps my greatest pleasure living in southern Delaware is my back yard.

I live in a development of three quarter acre lots.  I chose my corner lot because it is almost an acre and backs up to a farmer's field.  Beyond the field is Route 1.  I am far enough away from Route 1 that the constant traffic doesn't bother me but is rather like a living panorama.

The real panorama is what goes on in my backyard during the spring and summer months.  I love grow flowers and herbs.  I also love to provide a natural habitat for several native bird species.

I have my back yard lined with three blue bird (or swallow) boxes and one purple martin house.

The past two years I have had bluebirds take up residence in one of the bluebird houses and raise two batches of four baby bluebirds each season.

The blue bird house in contention

Each year I have had to fight the common house sparrow who are a non-native bird species.  The sparrows come in early and take over the bird boxes, fighting off and killing the native species of birds that I am trying provide a home for.

This year the sparrows have been particularly aggressive.  So aggressive that the bluebirds have given up even building a nest in the same box that they built in the past two years.

A pair of swallows is attempting to build a nest in that blue bird box. So far the sparrows have killed one of the swallows.  I came back from an errand one day and checked the box only to have a sparrow fly out of the box, leaving a dead swallow in the box.  That was two weeks ago.

Since then Bill has built a contraption to trap the sparrow in the box.  After I returned from my visit in Pennsylvania he showed me the male sparrow that he caught with a bottle that he put to the door of the bluebird house that he had trapped.  He intended to keep the sparrow for me but the sparrow died in the bottle.  He didn't know why it died because he left the lid ajar for air.  Maybe the bird died from shock that he was caught.  Good.  I was going to twist its neck anyway.

Since then another pair of swallows has been attempting to build a nest but without success.  Last Saturday I was checking one of the other bluebird boxes and I was shocked by what I found.  The sparrows had built a nest but to the side was a dead swallow.  As incredible as it seems, the sparrows were going to raise their young with a dead bird in their box!

I took the dead swallow out of the box and tore out the sparrow nesting.  Below is what happens when you let sparrows take over your bird boxes.

This is the dead swallow in the sparrow nesting.  

The dead swallow before I buried it

Last year I wrote several blogs about my battles with the sparrows.  I never caught one last year but they never did raise any of their young in my backyard.  I lost count of the nest I tore out.  I threw out a total of 19 if the brown speckled sparrow eggs.  I don't have a problem throwing out the sparrow eggs but I don't think I could destroy young sparrows.  I'm not that ruthless.....yet.  

At the present time there is a sparrow nest in one of the purple martin apartments.  I'll wait until they lay their eggs and then I'll take out their nest, eggs and all.  There is a downside to this.  Last year when I tore out one of the nest the sparrow got into one of the purple martin apartment and killed three baby purple martins.

Planter boxes that edge my back yard bull of herbs

I grow a lot of flowers and herbs in my back yard.  The bees and other insects love those plants and, in turn the birds feed off of the insect.  I love sitting out in the early summer evening and watching the purple martins and swallows soar up and down in my back yard catching insects.  I understand some people's concerns for all birds but I will not permit the sparrows to take over my back yard.  They can find somewhere else to raise their young because it won't be in my backyard as long as I live here.

The purple martin house with gourds for the swallows

Bring it On

This morning the battle begins anew with the house sparrows.



Bill told me that the bluebirds were back trying to get into their house that they have built their nests in the past two years. I have three bluebird houses in my backyard. The bluebirds prefer the house that is next to my neighbor Tom’s white PVC fence.

The past two years the bluebirds were able to fend off the sparrows but not this year. I tapped off their house after I came back one day last week and found a dead swallow in the bluebird that the sparrow had killed. I knew the sparrow had killed it because after I returned from work and started to pull open the front of the bluebird house, the sparrow darted out. I looked in the bluebird house and there was the dead swallow, the top of its head bare and bloodied. The poor creature had been pecked to death.

The sparrows started to build their nest in another one of the bluebird houses. I am going to let them build their nest to keep them occupied. My hope was that they would forget about the bluebird house that is next to my neighbor’s fence. Again, I underestimated the determination of the sparrow. As soon as I took the tape off of the box this morning the sparrow was over there checking out the accommodation. And not only that, he was chasing the bluebird away from the other bluebird house that the bluebirds were now checking out.

I had no other choice but to tape up the prime bluebird box. I’m taking a chance in letting the bluebirds and the sparrows fight it out for the other box. I won’t be able to monitor their activity today because I’m going to work this afternoon. But I do have tomorrow off. Thus the battle continues between me and the sparrows. One this is certain. There will be no sparrow eggs hatched on my property this year just as there were none hatched last year.

The bluebirds were able to raise two batches of young bluebirds last year just as they had done the previous year. However, I’m not if they will be able to raise any young this year. The sparrows really seem determined. I think part of the problem is my neighbor on the other side of my property took down his purple martin house to keep the sparrows out. I think I’m getting his overflow.

The sparrows are fighting a losing battle with me. I estimated I threw out about 18 sparrow eggs with their nesting last year. This year I’m going to wring some sparrow necks. My message to the sparrows this year…bring it on.

Murder in Milton

My backyard with its perimiter of birdbaths, raised flower beds and bird houses

Every year at this time in early spring migratory birds arrive in my back yard to begin their nesting. This year was no exception as the bluebirds, swallows, starlings and the sparrows swooped down and around, checking out the housing accommodations on the verdant green acre of lawn that is our backyard.

Two years ago I placed three blue bird boxes on the perimeter of the Back Forty. I also had a purple martin house installed by the Frank the Birdman of Milton. I’ve always wanted one of those multiple apartment purple martin birdhouses. Now that I had an open clear field of almost an acre I could do this. I also wanted to have those fence post bluebird houses like my dad used to have surrounding his three acres of land he used to lovingly farm his crop of corn, tomatoes and string beans.

My dad's garden in Pennsylvania

I couldn’t have those types of birdhouses at our home in Pennsylvania because we lived in the middle of the woods. The only kind of birdhouses that we had success with in Pennsylvania was the Jenny Wren birdhouses which my dad built for me. Here at our home in Delaware I only have one tree, an ornamental prune tree in the front of the house. Here in Delaware we no longer lived in home that attracted woodland birds.

My house in Delaware with its lone tree - no room for woodland birds

So I had had the bluebird and purple martin birdhouses installed. However I soon discovered my first visitors were the common house sparrow. I didn’t think too much about it at first. But then one day, Frank the Birdman was over adjusting my purple martin house and he happened to take a peek in one of the bluebird houses. Immediately after swinging open the door he discovered the sloppy bird nest of a house sparrow! Much to my shock he put his calloused hand in the bird box and scooped out the nest, eggs included, and tossed it into a nearby cornfield.

Swallow checking recently emptied birdhouse of sparrow nesting and eggs last summer

After tossing that sparrow nest in the cornfield he turned to me with a look of surprise and anger and said “That’s a damn sparrow nest! You don’t want that!” Well, excuse me but…….. Then he explained to me the trouble with sparrows. They are a very aggressive bird. They are not native to this country. The sparrow and the starling are the two species of birds mainly responsible for the decimation of the blue bird and other song bird population of the continental United States. If I permitted the house sparrows to nest on my property I was contributing to the extinction of the bluebirds. Frank’s comments caused me serious concern.

The Determined House Sparrow

Well, I did some research and he was absolutely right. In fact the sparrow and starling are so aggressive that they will kill any other bird that is in a nest they want. They will even build their nest over the dead birds and sometimes, the dead baby birds. I found this hard to believe until I witnessed it myself. Last year when I fought a six week battle to remove a sparrow from one of the purple martin apartment I found one nest of three baby purple martins that had been pecked to death by the sparrow. I wrote several blog postings last year about my frustrating battle with the Determined House Sparrow.

Baby purple martins last year - the type that were pecked to death by the house sparrow

So this year I was ready for their invasion. The house sparrows didn’t disappoint. This week they arrived. I was ready for them. I had taped the entrances to the six purple martin apartments. They couldn’t get in there. The purple martins don’t arrive until May 1st, so I had plenty of time to discourage the Determined House Sparrow.

My purple martin house

Of my three bluebird houses, there is only one in which the bluebirds nest. It is the one near the white fence of my neighbor Tom. For the past two years a bluebird couple has raised two batches of four baby bluebirds each summer. Early last week I saw the bluebirds checking out their house from their perch in one of Tom’s pine trees.

Baby blue birds in their nest last year

Then on Thursday I saw my worst fear. The Determined House Sparrow was on top on the bluebird house! Oh no! I have three other bluebird houses. I’m willing to let the sparrows in those houses but no, the Determined House Sparrow wants THAT bluebird house next to Tom’s fence. It ain’t going to happen.

Blue bird house next to my neighbor Tom's fence

At first I chased it away every time I saw it land on the bluebird house. But that was futile. Then I put a bucket over the house to discourage the damn sparrow. But that was only a temporary measure plus it prevented the bluebirds from using the house too.

The Determined Sparrow atop the blue bird house last year

So, I decided to do what I did last year. I would let them sort it out themselves. That’s what they did last year. I know the sparrow has a reputation for being the more aggressive the species but they did work it out last year. I think the reason the bluebirds won out because on of the bluebirds was pretty big. That one bluebird was like the Hulk Hogan of bluebirds.

The "Hulk Hogan" of blue birds guarding his blue bird nest last year

So yesterday, I took off to the 42nd Annual Kite Festival at Cape Henlopen. It was a beautiful, sunny day with lots of wind for all those colorful kites. After a morning of kite festival (and enough of the crowds) I came back home for lunch. But, before lunch I thought I would check the bluebird box to see if anyone had built a nest. As I put my forefinger in the bird box opening to bring the front down, a bird made quick exit from the hole, surprised by my invasion. As I lowered the front of the bird box I was shocked and saddened to see this: (WARNING – DO NOT LOOK IF YOU ARE SQUEMISH)

Dead swallow (pecked to death by the sparrow) in blue bird box yesterday

It was the body of a swallow that had been just pecked to death by that damn sparrow. I lifted it still warm body out of the bird box and took it to show to Bill, who was mowing the lawn on his riding mower. I wanted to show him what his “cute sparrow” had done. Bill is always sticking up for the sparrows, putting guilt trip on me every time I threw out one of their nests. Here was proof positive that this was a bird we do not want in our backyard.

With a sad heart I gently placed the limp body of the dead swallow in an empty planter on my back deck and went inside my house to have lunch.

After lunch I decided to take a trip to Milton to visit Frank the Birdman and ask him his advice.

He wasn’t at home. His wife told me he was out on a job. I told her my problem with the sparrows and asked her what Frank does to discourage the house sparrows. Frank has several purple martin houses in his yard which are always populated by a very noisy colony of purple martins throughout the spring and summer.

She went to a shed and opened the door and pulled out a cartridge of gold colored copper tipped bullets neatly arranged in a even row. She told me he shoots them with a 22! She assured me that shooting the 22 “didn’t make much noise.” Oh, well…..okay. Well, now let’s see. First I don’t have a gun. I told her that I didn’t have one which surprised her. Uh……okay. Another thing, I will never have a gun. The last time I fired a bullet was when I was in the Army during my annual qualification at the rifle range in 1962. My father was a lifelong hunter. None of his three sons were hunters. My brothers were also in the Army and fired rifles but none of us ever possessed the desire or need to have a gun. And I wasn’t about to start. Running through my mind at this time was a visual of me firing a Twenty-two from my back deck at my bluebird house. I’m sure my neighbor Tom and his wife Shannon would appreciate that especially since they have a couple of dogs who use their back yard and a two year old daughter. Talk about your Neighbor From Hell. I told Frank’s wife I would seek another solution to my sparrow problem.

This is NOT a picture of me firing a gun

Now what was really unusual about yesterday was the location where I was talking to the Birdman’s wife was only one road away from an actual murder that took place this past winter. The body was just discovered last week in the backyard of a singlewide trailer. It was under a blue tarp. Police suspect the badly decomposed remains were the son of the man who lived in the singlewide, his father. The police arrested the father on suspicion of shooting his son. So here I am yesterday, being given advice to use a Twenty-Two to get rid of a murderous sparrow. Do you not see the irony?

Michael Hudson, the arrested father suspected of shooting his son

Spencer Ashing, the suspected deceased son who decompsing remains were found under a tarp in the back yard of Michael Hudson

I taped the entrance to the bluebird box closed. The murdering sparrow was out there today pecking away at the blue painter’s masking tape. I went out and taped it about six more times. I think they gave up (they never actually give up) and began building their nest in one of the other bluebird boxes.

The taped entrance to the blue bird box this morning

My plan now is to let them build that nest. That should keep they occupied. Once they’re well on their way to building their nest I’ll take the blue tape off of the entrance to the prime blue bird box so the returning blue birds can use it to start their family.

Four blue bird eggs June 17, 2009 (the second batch)

The sparrows will never raise their family in my backyard in my bird houses. Once they build that nest and lay their eggs I will take that nest (and eggs) out. There were no sparrows raised on my property last year and there won’t be this year either. I don’t care how “cute” they are. There was nothing “cute” about that dead swallow.

A lone swallow from last summer keeping watch over my back yard