Dear Sir,

Spring is here and our Island’s bluebirds are trying to secure territories, build nests, lay eggs and hopefully fledge chicks. If only it were that easy! Sadly, they are not the only ones doing this.

The highly adaptable and invasive sparrow is also securing territories and building nests. Unfortunately for bluebirds, bluebird boxes are one of the sparrows’ favourite places to nest.

Just yesterday, a friend and I checked 20 boxes on local golf courses and all 20 were occupied by sparrow nests. I just want to remind bluebird lovers that putting up a nest box is not enough. You have to monitor the box.

This does not take a lot of time or energy — just a bit of thought and effort. What is happening right now is the same thing that happens every spring since we started erecting bluebird boxes — sparrows are taking them over.

Bluebirds are now completely dependent on humans for survival — more specifically, they are dependent on the bluebird boxes we put up. They used to nest in the hollows of old cedar trees, but as most of these old trees have been removed, there are not enough places for them to nest.

I was very happy to discover that Aberfeldy had sold out of bluebird nest boxes a couple weeks ago. It is very encouraging that so many people are trying to help this endearing little bird.

Unfortunately a lot of you are probably thinking, ‘Well, the sparrows need a place to nest too.’ They’re all birds right? And sparrows are cute, and cheeky. But the simple fact is, sparrows are an invasive species. They do not belong in Bermuda. They are incredibly adaptable. They are very smart. They are also very aggressive.

They have many other places to nest other than bluebird boxes. Until you find a bluebird mum who was trying to defend her eggs or chicks, killed in her box by sparrows, you many not fully understand what we are dealing with.

Even bluebirds that have secured a box may lose out to the sparrow. Sparrows have been known to peck the heads of the small bluebird chicks, killing them and then build their nest on top of the chicks and the bluebird nest.

If you erect a bluebird box and you do not keep the sparrows out of it, you are basically helping to boost the sparrow’s population. The more sparrows we have breeding in Bermuda, the less chance the bluebird has for survival.

Bluebirds build very neat nests that are typically made of casuarina needles. Bluebird eggs are light blue. Sparrows build rather messy nests — you will find lots of types of grass, maybe even paper and other rubbish. Sparrow eggs are creamy white with brown speckles.

If you find a sparrow nest in your bluebird box remove the entire nest and eggs and dispose of it.

If you are not sure if it is a sparrow or bluebird nest, just sit 30 feet away from the box and wait to see who is flying in and out of the box. You won’t have to wait long.

Brush out the box, and leave the box open for two weeks. If you close the box before then, the male sparrow will continue to secure the box as his territory and attack and potentially kill any bluebirds that think of using that nest box. Re-close box in two weeks and then check once a week again.

Despite ongoing efforts by Stuart Smith of Bermuda’s Bluebird Society to create a sparrow-proof bluebird box, all designs have not worked. Stuart continues to monitor as many boxes as he can but it is a very time consuming task. He is looking for volunteers to help with bluebird box monitoring from March to July, checking trails once a week.

Riddell’s Bay Golf course is one of many locations in need of a Bluebird Box monitor. What an incredibly rewarding way to spend your time! Please visit the Bermuda Bluebird Society’s website on www.bermudabluebirdsociety.com for Stuart’s contact details as well as to view a lot more information on how to help bluebirds from going extinct.

JESSICA RIEDERER

Southampton