starlings

they may be pest but look how nice their eggs look
Starling_eggs.jpg
 
I haven't seen any starlings here YET. Guess I'm lucky, but the wild birds that do fly in the pen are immediately attacked by my game hens. Sometimes I feel sorry for them as they sit on the fence ogling the food and as soon as they swoop in Red or Cloe has them. Even the ducks have taken to chasing them but they can't catch them like the game hens can.

I would like to have a starling for a pet (don't hit me now) they are very very good talkers as good as black birds and parrots. I have 3 parrots but only 1 really talks well a Quaker parrot. The other 2, a Pionus and a African Brown Head talk on occasion.
 
This is THE best sparrow & starling trap I've seen. We have used ours for 2 years now. 1st year we dispatched over 100 sparrows. 2nd year only about a dozen. We have seen a big increase in native birds returning to our feeders now that they are gone.

Last year we had a family of bluebirds move in & raise a family. A pair of sparrows tried to kick them out but I installed a nest box trap & got rid of them in 10 minutes. The bluebirds came back!

They are now back again this year!
big_smile.png


I highly recommend it if you have a sparrow & starling problem!

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/
 
Quote:
I used to think that (only I didn't know of starlings) until I got more info on just how evil sparrows are:

"House Sparrows kill adult bluebirds and other native cavity nesters and their young, smash their eggs, and take over their nesting sites,[17] and as such are major factors in the decline of bluebirds and other native cavity nesters in North America.[18]

Because the House Sparrow is smaller than the less aggressive native birds with which it competes, it is impossible to keep them out of nest boxes built for many native birds. Attempts to counter the effects of the House Sparrow on native bird populations include the trapping and shooting of adults and the destruction of their nests and eggs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_sparrow
 
Man, I am fighting a losing battle with starlings and one of these days I will shut the screen door on them as soon they go flying out to kill or stun them. Not only the starlings are bad, so are the Grackles! They are numbered by the thousands around here in the city limits and they are eating my chicken feed like no tomorrow! UGH!
 
If anyone here goes on a mission against sparrows, just make sure that they're the English/House sparrows and not some of the native sparrows. There are many native species of sparrows that we most definitely do NOT want to get rid of!
 
This reminds me that I need to resight my BB gun. I seem to be hitting lower than I intend on hitting...

We have issues with Starlings AND Cowbirds...driving me up the freakin' wall!

I have to go out and feed 2-4 times/day because the chickens are "wanderers" and will eat when they feel like it. The pests are opportunistic and will eat the whole freaking container of feed.

We've finally figured out how to get back to the 200 lbs. of feed/ month...I can't WAIT until spring/summer is BACK!
 
Mrs.Puff :

Remember--starlings are NOT native species to North America, so you are perfectly allowed to remove them. I don't think I could do it though.

Well, I can't.... but my 12 guage shotgun can!​
 

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