How many of you ADC pros use 1" mist netting for clients inundated with sparrows - around crops, fruit, grain bins and farm buildings? For those using netting, do they get wise to it? Just curious. Thanks.

Jonathan

I use mist netting in stores never around grain bins ...

I think you're confused as to what mist netting is: it's a very light, specific design of net that is used as a trap, not as exclusion. It must be monitored at all times.
I think what you're referring to is commonly called bird netting, and has an entirely different purpose - as a full envelope to enclose an area. 1" mesh would be much too big for chippies.

Jonathan, I'd agree with Dave, unless you can elaborate on what you are trying to do?

Many people use draped netting on berry crops, that is just meant to exclude the birds, if you are talking
buildings and barns, again exclusion netting like that sold by nixalite, birdbarrier, bird b gone, etc.... We
are doing a job that has mostly pigeons but a few sparrows and the 3/4" netting is what we are using on
that. You will find that all the professional manufacturers give bird species and size net appropriate.

If you are trying to catch birds that would be different then a mist net is correct terminology, though not
sure you'll find many doing that versus traps and other methods, unless you are talking big box stores and
warehouses, then many folks do use some netting in that manner, but again, it is mist net, not exclusion
net.

Can you further explain your issue and what you are trying to do?

Justin

Thank you all for your kind responses. My intent is to use the mist net as a trapping device for house sparrows around my bird feeders, not for official ADC work.

I am an active bird photographer, working near my feeders several times a week. I would only set a net while I was out there in my blind, removing it at the end of a photo shoot. With that constant monitoring, I can release any desirable, smaller songbirds.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
I've had good luck in that type of situation using the elevator style sparrow traps. They seem to work best set on a platform of some type. I use stale bread/rolls to cut down on song bird captures. You still get a few but not as many as when using seed baits.

Tom,

I have an elevator trap that I set up on a platform as you mentioned, but I've only had success with it in winter months when the snow is around.

Jonathan

Jonathan, I'm sure you know this, but just so it is said out loud, the smaller songbirds would be protected under
the federal migratory bird treaty act, therefore catching them or handling them would be illegal without permit.
I'd leave the mist net out in this case, do something that has less chance of catching non targets, the mist net
would be equal opportunity catcher, even if you might not get caught or in a bind, the law is plain on that one,
not worth the seed loss!

Have seen many of your pics and threads on the traptalk, always enjoy them, don't want to let you run afoul
of the law for not mentioning the potential.

Best,

Justin

I've used an elevator style trap with good results. The one I have is Uncle Blaine's and it works great.

As suggested above, excluding songbirds is key. I've used white millet (the filler you see in cheap birdseed), which has limited food value and attraction for most songbirds, but the house sparrows love it. Tie the elevator up until they get used to eating in the trap and once they do, you can catch them year-round.

I was occasionally catching chickadees, titmice and wrens, which seem to go in "just because it's there", but the ratio was like 20 sparrows to one songbird, and the songbirds are easy enough to release. Monitor the trap closely, because the 1/2" mesh on most of these traps is not very "nare friendly" to smaller birds and the desirable birds should be released ASAP to prevent beak damage.

When emptying the trap, leave one live house sparrow in there (with food/water/shelter) to help attract the next batch. The increase in attraction with even one HS already in there is tremendous.

I like hvtrapper's idea of using baked goods and will try that when I have occasion to trap house sparrows again. I'm more out in the country now and seldom see one, but I caught several hundred a winter when living near BWI airport in MD.

Good luck, I hope you catch them all....

What is an elevator trap ?

When my son was born, I rushed to the hospital in the early morning hours and jumped into the elevator. I pressed the third floor button and the elevator moved about six feet and stopped between floors. I couldn't go up and I couldn't go down. That's what I call an elevator trap.

Follow the link in the first sentence of my post above^^^

That doesn't happen if you're are too claustrophobic to get in elevators. I only ride when it's more than 5 stories up. Can't be more than one or two other folks already on board, either.

What Justin said. Pretty cool hobby (business?), but don't run afoul of the law.