Citizen Science Training: Sparrow Swap Project

Nest boxes are being increasingly erected in hopes of attracting beautiful bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees, and other birds. While it is great to see new birdhouses in our neighborhoods, many of these bird boxes are being used by the invasive house sparrow. The Sparrow Swap Project is a citizen scientist program with two objectives: test the effectiveness of house sparrow management strategies and determine whether house sparrow eggs might be a useful indicator of human exposure to environmental contaminants. This program will train you how to properly collect house sparrow eggs and send them to Sparrow Swap for analysis. Data collected will help find the most effective ways to minimize damage by house sparrows.

Jim Bancroft is a Master Naturalist who monitors bluebird and American kestrel nest boxes. He is on the advisory board of the Sparrow Swap Project.