The yard where I keep all my plants is also used as a utility area which houses things like gas bottles (we don't have direct gas connections in Malta), and a gas water heater. A couple of weeks ago we noticed that the water heater was not heating as well as it used to, and so my partner decided to take a closer look.
A couple of twigs jutted out of the outer cover, but nothing could have prepared us for what was inside. It seems a couple of sparrows had decided to make the heater their home for Spring. Every cavity was filled with twigs, pieces of hay, pieces of grass, and even plastic. The burners that are used to heat the water are further down, but I can guess they realized that this was a warm place to build their nest in. Not that they need warmth in this weather. The obvious problem for us was that the fumes from the burners could not get to the chimney because of all that nesting material.
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| Gas Water Heater Nest |
As we removed all the twigs and material from the gas heater I could see the male sparrow flying overhead chirping. I can image their disappointment as they saw us destroying weeks of labor in half an hour. We ended up clearing half a garbage bag of the stuff. Next we closed off all possible entry ways with wire mesh.
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| Entry ways closed off |
Since we evicted the couple rather ungraciously, I bought them a bird house, and we hung it right next to the gas heater in the hope that they can make it their new home. It's much smaller than their chosen location, but that's all they get I'm afraid.
Job well done we were ready to call it a day. I stood in the kitchen which leads out to the yard, and then I saw Mr Sparrow flew over to investigate.....
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| Mr Sparrow assessing the damage done |
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| Mr Sparrow flying down for a closer look |
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| Mr Sparrow accusing me |
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| Mr Sparrow calling out to Mrs Sparrow |
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| Mr and Mrs Sparrow eyeing their new home |
Will they go for it? Not yet.
They still come occasionally, but I don't think it will happen this year. We are in peak Sparrow mating season right now with countless sparrows chirping away building their nests and laying their eggs. Some birds are already being born (they sometimes fall out of their nests onto the street :( ) I think it's too late for them to start over now.
Maybe next year.
poor sparrows, but how thoughtful to give them a birdhouse. It's a challenge working out how to co-exist with wildlife. Interesting thought provoking post, Gra.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is very nice of you to still consider the sparrows and give them a home, glad you have your water working properly again, Frances
ReplyDeleteI agree poor sparrows, but I see the need for the relocation. Too bad they have not taken you up on the offer yet. Great captures of the homeless sparrows. You must have waited a while for them to return. They look dejected.
ReplyDeleteI hope your guests will change their mind and move into the new cute home! We have a big problem with birds building nests under our roof. The windows are dirty, the sidewalk is dirty... The babies are already born. We hope they'll fly away soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found that nest before they laid eggs! I do feel for the sparrows, and I hope they will find a suitable new home, though I doubt they will find another one with central heating! Maybe they will reconsider your birdhouse after all!
ReplyDeleteHi catmint,
ReplyDeletethank you for the lovely comment. Sparrows are regarded mostly as pests here since there are so many of them, and they nest wherever they can find a hole in the wall this time of year. A lot of them die in the summer heat due to lack of water, that will be my addition to the bird house, a nice bird table underneath it where i can leave them some water. The thing is you don't find bird houses for sale in Malta, it's not something people do here, so I will have to build one.
Best regards,
Graziella
Hi Frances,
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by. Yes everything is back to normal now :)
Graziella
Hi Tatyana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I suppose it's that time of year, theres not much anyone can do especially if you live in the suburbs.
Best regards,
Graziella
Hello Deb,
ReplyDeleteno luck so far, maybe they will come next year. Thanks for stopping by.
Regards,
Graziella
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteYes it took some patience to capture the photos but the birds are quite fearless this time of year. Their main priority is mating and they don't seem to mind as much.
Thanks for stopping by, best regards,