The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: JulieS on November 02, 2010, 06:34:27 pm

Title: Starlings
Post by: JulieS on November 02, 2010, 06:34:27 pm: They have arrived again! Starlings, my winter nightmare.

Anyone got any ideas of how to discourage them?

Many thanks.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: bamford6 on November 02, 2010, 06:51:47 pm: crow scares
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: fizzgigg on November 02, 2010, 08:49:17 pm: get freindly with a falconer
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: Hermit on November 23, 2010, 09:51:22 am: We have some suicidal starlings, they do try to get in the turkey run!!! 3 dead starlings yesterday, one a day is the norm.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: robert waddell on November 23, 2010, 10:20:42 am: shoot them they get the message their not wanted plus their riddled with salmonela
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: OhLaLa on November 23, 2010, 10:21:11 am: I love to see birds, we are cutting down their habitat too much. What are they doing that is so bad?
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: lazybee on November 23, 2010, 10:38:14 am: Quote from: OhLaLa on November 23, 2010, 10:21:11 am
I love to see birds, we are cutting down their habitat too much. What are they doing that is so bad?

Here here! too much control freakery is a bad thing. Just look at how the natural balance has been thrown out in the UK due to over jealous game keepers.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: allyclaret on December 08, 2010, 12:33:57 pm: The Leccy board has just buried our overhead cables... this got rid of the pesky little blighters!
:)
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: bigchicken on December 09, 2010, 07:03:24 pm: Starlings inflight soaring just before going to roost is one of natures marvels! leave them, learn to live with them, they were here long before you.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: Glaswegian on December 09, 2010, 08:50:31 pm: fair play big chicken.
Quote from: bigchicken on December 09, 2010, 07:03:24 pm
Starlings inflight soaring just before going to roost is one of natures marvels! leave them, learn to live with them, they were here long before you.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: shetlandpaul on December 10, 2010, 09:27:58 pm: poo. lots of starling poo. they can get into all our sheds under the roofs. they also carry bugs and eat the birds food. but i don't mind sparing them a bit of food in bad weather. it just looks like the movie birds at times. the sheep must have had a good couple of dozen on them yesterday.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: bsadevon on December 31, 2010, 03:59:02 pm: This might sound a bit mad but how about a kiddies toy kite in the shape of a hawk.

Just googled the above idea guess what I found

http://www.birdcontrol.net/html/Hawkkite.htm

hope this helps...
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: JulieS on January 01, 2011, 08:17:37 am: Excellent! Many thanks bsadevon. I'm going to get one and I'll let you know how it goes.
Title: Re: Starlings
Post by: bsadevon on January 01, 2011, 10:11:30 am: Guess this is what this forum is all about - glad to help.....let me know how you get on.

Design looks pretty simple - shouldn't be to hard to make one, having said that if you spend the money you get one straight away and then you can blame someone else if it don't fly. lol Life is such a dilemma .

Happy 2011.