Chickadee house takeover

I have a bird house sized for a chickadee hanging from the eves of my front porch. It has been used by chickadees and wrens in past years. This winter, a downy woodpecker enlarged the hole in order to sleep there every night. This spring, the chickadees moved back in, built a nest, and may have gotten to the egg laying stage. Yesterday I noticed, to my dismay, a pair of house sparrows in and around the box; clearly they thought that they had possession! But my brain is still a bit larger than theirs, and I installed a metal ring sized for a chickadee over the front of the bird house. This morning the male house sparrow was trying to stuff himself into the hole. I think without serious dieting, he won't get in. I don't know if the chickadees will come back to that house now. I had seen some chickadees (I don't know if the same or different pair) going into the wren house, so they may have started over in the wren house. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

Susan in Minneapolis

Sounds like there's a shortage of holes! Maybe put up another nestbox or two?

Resin

Please let us know how things work out.