Sparows???

[ShadowShot]

Ok, I read about people killing sparrows. Could some one post a pic of exactly what you are killing.
I hate to think there might be something else out here for me to help with the population control and Im not in on it.

[onemountain]

It's the English Sparrows (also called House Sparrows) people are lopping off. They're an invasive species here in North America, and unprotected, as they should be. They're one of the worst things to happen to North America in terms of invasive species, definitely up there with the European Starling and Common Pigeon. They have had a huge negative impact both economically and in terms of their effect on native birds.

A little reading for motivation

Here's what they do to Bluebirds and other songbirds (graphic)  

One problem with shooting them: they're sometimes easy to confuse with other birds, depending on where you live. Especially the females, which are 'just another little brown bird.' Make sure you're extra careful observing one of the rules of shooting: "be sure of your target."

Good all around page

Identification section of above page

Good news is that they go down easy. It's almost as if the R7 was made with Sparrow-plinking in mind.

[gamo2hammerli]

Wow...maybe I should start shooting them!!!!  I`ve been giving them a BIG free-pass.

[Mebits]

This is my favorite link, at least for birds in my area. It shows me just how similar some can be, especially the females.

http://www.sialis.org/otherbrownbirds.htm

It can be tricky at first until you get accustomed to the changes in plumage throughout the year. My rule of thumb is that no matter how much it looks like an English sparrow, if it has a speckled breast, it's a "friendly", don't shoot.

Make sure you glass those birds before you shoot.

Good luck.

M

P.S. The white throated sparrow for some reason looks a whole lot like a house sparrow. If you see yellow between the eye and beak, it's a friendly.

[Mebits]

Absolutely. They're kudzu of the skies. Just get the ID down. Females have a like "Cleopatra" stripe going back from the eye. Also, the little bastages are smart. They'll figure out that you're killing them and will scatter when you go by a window, or they just won't come to your feeding station.

I got the first sparrow I've seen on my feeder or yard in months and months. I put out bread and corn all winter two. They'll hang out in the street in front of my house but they won't go near my back yard.