Starlings breeching gourds

[Guest]

I do not have any PM's at this time but do have two Starlings that have breeched both the Troyer Horizontal Gourds and the Troyer Gourds with
Conley 2 entrances. I have tried to trap them to no avail.

Any suggestions as to how to keep these Starlings from gaining entrance
into these gourds?

Thanks..

Bill

[Louise Chambers]

If the porches are not flush with bottom of entrance, raising them will help. Many landlords have found that the smaller the distance from porch to bottom of the entrance, the more effective it is. Flush, or no more than 1/8 inch between them, seem to work best.

I don't have any on hand to check or measure, sorry. Some landlords add a thin piece of tile or wood to existing porch to close the gap.

Here's another thread on the same topic:
http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... h+starling

[flyin-lowe]

Assuming you haven't modified the gourds any the newer ones come with the floor almost flush. I think they are 1/8 inch or less. If they are older they might be different. You have to remember that the entrances are starling resistant not starling proof. Sometimes early in the season the starlings are a little smaller then they are in the summer when they have a more ample food supply.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

The most basic question is about the type of gourds that you have, the older ones are not very starling resistant, the newer ones are much better.

As the others have indicated, if the floors are not nearly flush, then you should raise them. Several ideas:

1)get something thin for the proches, like aluminum, and put caulk under it until it is nearly flush
2)get a thin piece of wood or plastic, and nail or caulk it on top of the porch
3)Its sometimes difficult to find something that is so exact, so maybe you could talk to the mfg, and see what they recommend. The mfg is the ultimate person that should be able to help you, and the mfg may have a fix for the gourds.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Bill:

Louise and Emil are correct about raising the porch level. I had starlings breaching my Troyer horizontal gourds a couple years ago. I purchased some 1/4" wood from Lowes, painted them and attached them to the top of the porches. I also caulked all around the wood to keep water from collecting under the wood. This brought the level of the porch to almost flush with the bottom of the opening. After making this modification, I watched the starlings try to get back in and they were unsuccessful. I initially used glue to attach the wood to the plastic porch but found where a couple came off during the season. After the season was over, I drilled a couple of pilot holes from the bottom and inserted small screws. Here is a picture of my Troyer horizontal tunneled gourd with the wood attached to the porch.

Tim

[Guest]

Thanks for your suggestions. I will raise the entrance level on all of my gourds. I thought that they were at the proper level--no problems last year. The Starlings do seem small.

Thanks again..

Bill

[Carlton]

I raised the porches of my older THG's and the first time I used painted wood. It still warped and did not hold well at all.

Then I used thin, short bathroom tiles and they held well for a year and some for two.

Maybe screwing something down would be the best although wood might still warp. Maybe the newer material that is a mix of recycled plastic and wood would work.

[bwenger]

How would 1/4" masonite do? I had heard years ago that masonite does ok in damp or wet places.

Bill

[electraglideman]

Go to Wally World and look in the kitchen supply section. I think I have seen plastic cutting boards that would be thin enough to work if you can cut them to the right size.

[~Ray~Gingerich]

If you can raise the porch by adding a smooth surface of some type it would probably help, that would take away any traction a starling would need to push inside.