Narcissitic Sparrow

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madrone

Minister of Fire
Oct 3, 2008
1,290
Just South of Portland, OR
I've got a mentally ill sparrow spending hours out of each day attacking the side mirrors on my parked cars, and pooping all over them. It also attacks the windows on the house when the light's just right for maximum reflection. At first it was kind of amusing, but it makes it hard to use the mirrors when I'm driving. I'm getting sick of cleaning them off. Any ideas on how to put a stop to this?
 
this is just too simple to answer.

give the sparrow a membership to hearth.com!

problem solved...except for all the dirty on your computer keyboard!
 
The sparrow may just be "in love" and think it's found its mate in your glass. Try some fake owls and/or snakes that gardeners sometimes use to discourage birds from the veggie garden.
 
if it bothers you that much, put the car in the garage...or maybe hang a bag over the mirrors? probably quit as soon as he finds a girlfriend.
 
yooperdave said:
if it bothers you that much, put the car in the garage...or maybe hang a bag over the mirrors? probably quit as soon as he finds a girlfriend.

No garage. Plus it goes back and forth between both cars. I considered bags, but it would take 4 and I'm sure it would just come back the minute I forgot to bag the mirrors. Oh, and it's a female sparrow.

I like the rubber snake suggestion. It would be cool to drive around with rubber snakes flapping from my mirrors.
 
Do you have a cat?
 
No, both my cats died last year. Maybe it's time to get a new cat...
 
put out a decoy mirror. an old one you dont care about. maybe from a yard sale? make it nice and big and much more appealing than the car mirrors.

i also think if you just cover the car mirrors for a week he'll permanently go away. use old socks.
 
I saw two trucks parked at a house the other day with bags over the mirrors. Must be having the same problem. I was walking in my house today and noticed an exhausted bluebird repeatedly attacking his reflection on my stainless steel chimney.
 
Had a Robin do this to my kitchen window. Figured it is a territorial thing. The wife had me put chimes up in front of that window in an old flag holder. Gave the Robin somewhere to sit and he noticed what he thought was a rival in the windows reflection.
I tried everything from ultrasonic pest repellers to rubber snakes, mouse traps, removed the chimes and put wire mesh on the top of the bannister to prevent it from landing on that spot. He just went to another window and continued.
I even found it's nest and removed it from a tree in the yard, still was a nusance. Even borrowed a BB gun, by then I could never get close enough to get a good shot. After the end of July or so he just stopped.
I also noticed it was not the same bird year after year, but most likely one of it's trained offspring. As the years pass the behavior lessens with last years' onslaught only being once a week or so for about a month.

Last fall I cut all the low branches on the trees in my yard. I am thinking without a low spot to roost they won't see their reflection.

We had cats at one time and no bird problems, I think that is the only good solution. A female cat that spends time outside will keep things in order.
 
We had a Cardinal do this to our cars. Plastic grocery store bags on all of the car mirrors for several weeks and he finally stopped.
 
Orioles will do it, too.
Protecting their mate and future progeny from other males.

One year this one male eventually gave up on the "threat" in one window only to find another "threat" in the next window. Attacked all the windows on the south and east side of the house ( nest on the south side). Once it gave up on a window though it never attacked it again.

Someone somewhere did a DNA study on birds that "pair " for life and they aren't exactly 100% faithful to their lifetime mates. Study went on to prove neither sex was to blame, either. Kinda like people. :)

Supposedly hanging things like suncatchers or taping the window as for a hurricane will help them realize it's not another bird. I've never tried it. Hormones can make life interesting. :)
 
Sparrow? Robin? Cardinal? Oriole?

You think you have problems with birds attacking refletions?

My wife keeps getting woke up by the sound of a young tom turkey attacking his reflection in our glass storm door on the porch . . . said she has now woke up two or three times to the sound of the turkey smashing into the glass . . . nothing broke yet . . . my wife said she keeps yelling at the turkey to go away . . . me . . . I'm just waiting for the bird to knock himself unconscious . . . and then it's Thanksgiving in March for me. ;)
 
madrone said:
Jake wins! I thought a little sparrow poop was a nuisance...

Or rather . . . Jake's wife loses . . . sleep. ;) :)
 
Ok, got nailed on 3 mirrors right after washing both cars. I'm trying the bags. Thanks for the input, y'all.
 
sorry about the lost sleep issue, jake. but smoked turkey sounds real good, right now....
"if life gives you lemons, you gotta make...yeah, yeah, yeah..."
 
firefighterjake said:
. . . me . . . I'm just waiting for the bird to knock himself unconscious . . . and then it's Thanksgiving in March for me. ;)

Hmmmm - why wait?
 
SandManConservation said:
pellet rifle?

In my case, I'd probably just shoot my mirrors out trying.

As for Jake, it would just make the turkey angry.
 
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