FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Re: Invasion of the Starlings

["Al & Linda Warfield" <warfield101@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim,

When I worked at Philip Morris R&D they had an invasion of starlings, and
they used a tape that had loud, screeching and banging noises, which they
played through big speakers and a powerful sound system to drive them away.
It worked, but they came back each night despite that, but if you want to be
really popular with your neighbors you can give it a whirl!
Another idea is to take the suet down. Starlings love suet and devour it
faster than anything short of piranha or bluefish. You can also make a suet
log with no perches. The woodpeckers will be able to get at it but the
starlings will have more trouble. Still another idea is to use commercial
suet cakes but leave the suet in the plastic container (take the wrapper
off, silly!). Then hang the suet cake so that it is completely upside down
with the plastic up. The woodpeckers can hang upside down until the cows
come home, but the starlings will only be able to reach the edges. None of
these ideas will really get rid of large flocks, because they aren't there
to feed on suet but to roost, but the nesting starlings that stay in the
area will have a harder time.
The big flocks will probably go away on their own eventually anyhow.

Good Luck!

Al Warfield


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Blowers" <jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 7:16 AM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Invasion of the Starlings


Have any of you gotten invasions of starlings yet? Today I heard a lot
of tseeer noises in the trees, and about 12 or so starlings near our
feeder, crowding into the bird baths and fighting over the suet hanging
from a post. One or two starlings are OK, but a whole bunch aren't, and
even one or two aren't if they are going to chase off other birds. So I
went outside and banged a cake pan at them, chasing them off. I saw one
chase off a downy woodpecker. I went outside and chased off the
starling. The downy woodpecker came back and fed from the suet. Later, a
starling tried to barge in on a red-bellied woodpecker that was feeding
on the suet; the woodpecker gave him a sharp PECK! and the starling flew
away.

Are there better ways of chasing off flocks of starlings other than to
go banging all over the place on a cake pan?

Jim Blowers

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