This morning I noticed a house sparrow exiting our backyard nestbox... that had been housing an increasingly noisy brood of violet green swallows.? Thinking this very much not good, I listened for any sound from the box, then climbed up and opened it to find the four very healthy, partially feathered young, dead inside.? Each of them had signs of being pecked and plucked to death...I'm assuming the house sparrow(s) had done this.??
Mostly just feeling gutted, but was there anything I could have done to avoid this tragedy?? This is the first time we've had swallows nesting for a couple years...they are so defiinitely declining :-(
Glen Thomson, South Langley
