It won't be long before the first martins of the upcoming season make their treacherous gulf crossing. Sometimes I envy (I know that it's wrong!!) you far southern landlords who get to enjoy martins so early. Still about 4 months before a martin shows up in my part of the world. However, it's never too early to start preparing for our little violet friends.
I saw this picture today and it reminded me that preparations must be made for the arrival of that "other" bird we've all grown so familiar with. How fitting that the scientific name for the european starling is sturnus vulgaris. Looks like some pretty vulgar behaviour to me
Actually this picture was taken of a flock of starlings in Scotland. But I think that the message that these starlings may or may not be sending is universal.
Just this morning I was at a signal light in Springfield, MO and while waiting for the light was watching one between the cars in front of me trying to snatch something up from the road. It wasn't until the light changed that he gave us a second thought. I felt that sign as he flew off. Very rude behavior.
HA HA HA....... Thats some pretty clear sign language they got going on there. I imagine they are just as excited about the upcoming martin season as we are.
I looked out the window of my hobby room this morning and noted two large Starlings perched on top of my purple martin house.
All last season I battled on and off with the Starlings. I noted that they had problems getting into the SREH holes on the sides of the house and did not nest in any of these openings.; but seemed to easily navigate the SREH holes mounted in the roof peaks ( 2 total, one on each side). I saw the problem, there were perches located about an inch below the SREH hole. the starlings used the low perch to squeeze into the restricted openings.
So all season I had two families of Starlings nesting in the very top cavities and all the other bays were full of purple martins. Occasionally the Starlings would take over the roof perches and the Martins would buzz them repeatedly, with no apparent effect. I was grateful that the martins did not seem to mind them to much, and that the Starlings did not seem to have any luck bothering them in their nests.
So the Starling sighting this morning sparked my defense responses; I set to work creating a pair of porches that I mounted even with the SREH holes in the roof peaks. Hopefully that will provide just the right amount of restriction to keep the Starlings completely away from nesting in the house.
