mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (06/03/88)
Since all this talk about house sparrows has been going on, I have a question for those on the net. I have been working on the Breeding Bird Atlas for Santa Clara County here in the Bay Area. My block consists mostly of the chaparral covered and live oak wooded foothills in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with just a corner of the block including residential areas. In the 2 months that I have been atlassing, I have not seen a house sparrow in my block until recently, when I finally got around to the residential areas. It seems to me that house sparrows are very dependent on human habit- ation for their survival, and that when one gets away from the human habitat, house sparrows are nonexistant. Has anyone else on the net had any experiences along these lines? Concerning the disputed birdhouses, how close are they placed to human residences and have you seen the same thing with houses that are placed out in the "wild"? Now starlings are a bird of a different color. These suckers are every- where. looking and listing, Mike
tbrownell@lafite.dec.com (Ignem Mittere In Terrum) (06/10/88)
>We live in an area east of Seattle where the housing density is about 2 >houses/acre (lots of trees and such). We've never seen a house sparrow >(at our feeder or anywhere else) in the area. But I know they're quite >abundant in Seattle proper. >One day last week we had - hummingbirds, 2 nuthatches, evening grossbeaks, >house finches, and a hairy woodpecker in our feed-tree (snag) at one time. >Also have a toehee (sp?) coming regularly. -- >Opinions expressed are strictly my own: >Shamus Mc Bride uucp: uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!shamus >(206) 865-5047 uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!wsc-sun!slm > > internet: shamus@boeing.com I live in a similar environment, as far as housing density is concerned but with a slight twist. The entire area, about 1000 acres is set on the edge of a typical urban environment. I have seen House Sparrows at my feeders only during harsh periods in the dead of winter and during feeding-the-young periods in middle summer. What is very interesting is that there are hoards of them living in a stand of tall ash trees at the end of my street, bordering a golf course. The distance from the sparrow infestation and my house is perhaps 200 yards yet they seem content to live there and not bother to travel down the street. I am not sure that an urban environment is required for them to be prolific, I am leaning more towards the reliable food sources that human congregations provide, ie litter and garbage. By the by, non-city House Sparrows are really quite beautiful. Apparently there are some nice markings under all that grime. Terry Brownell Hudson, Massachusetts
jim@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Jim Tear) (08/04/88)
My neighbor, who is a biologist for the Colorado Department of Wildlife, hates the house finches because they ruin his apples, hates the robins because they ruin his strawberries, and hates the orioles because they ruin his peaches. He loves the house sparrows because they eat a lot of insects but leave his vegatables and fruits alone. He puts out bird seed and nesting boxes to attract the house sparrows. I'm on the other side of the fence (so to speak). I put out seed to attach the house finches. I guess you can't please everyone. Jim Tear -- Hewlett-Packard -- Ft. Collins, CO Why do we always have a neighbor (on the other side) who has cats that run loose?