According to Mulvihill, killing house sparrows is a typical human response. He stated, “Let’s be honest. If bluebirds and eastern phoebes have an enemy, it is we humans, not the house sparrows we brought here.”
Mulvihill explained that humans initially introduced sparrows to control pest insects, but now they are too good at competing with other birds. He warned against introducing adaptable species into new environments, as it inevitably upsets the ecological balance and creates problems. “It rarely ends well,” Mulvihill added.
Individuals can help by stopping bird feeding by February, avoiding inexpensive bird food mixes that contain cracked corn, milo, wheat, and rye, and instead using more expensive seed that contains black-oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and white millet. Changing from a platform feeder to a tubular one that house sparrows can’t dominate as easily can also help.
As the climate changes and species relocate, competition between wild birds may become more common. Mulvihill predicted that the problem is “going to snowball.”
While individuals can try to prevent nest-raiding house sparrows, there is little they can do on a large scale. Mulvihill stated that even if someone tried to kill all the house sparrows at their house, “you’d be doing that year in and year out.”
As humans interact with the bird world, we witness the results of our actions. A mother bird is simply trying to raise her young, dealing as best she can with what humans have thrown at her.
Daryln Brewer Hoffstot’s book “A Farm Life: Observations From Fields and Forests” was just published by Stackpole Books.
2023-06-02 07:38:07
Link from www.nytimes.com
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