From Mildred Kirk
Bryant Furlow’s article on birds’ use of herbal remedies to control nest pests
(22 January, p 36)
explains my problem with sparrows.
I have watched house sparrows nesting under a hot corrugated iron roof carry
in sprigs of yarrow, basil and capsicum raided from my garden. Basil is very
aromatic and may contain “defensive volatile compounds” as yarrow does. The
capsicum was the sweet variety (not hot chilli), but as a Solanum it probably
also contains protective or poisonous substances.
The birds, usually the males, only nipped off the seedlings from my garden
when there were young in the nest. Now that the nestlings have all fledged, they
have stopped and I have planted out more seedlings which the birds leave
alone.
Gundaroo, New South Wales
