Help Needed - STARLINGS

[Carlton]

A friend is having problems with starlings entering her Conley II THG entrances. I know that the recommendation is to raise the porch, with something slippery if possible. to just below the lowest opening in the entrance. My question is what is The Best materials for her to use knowing she already has a pair of nesting martins. She has starlings nesting in two gourds and martins in one gourd. She is very upset and of course afraid the starlings will kill her martins. The materials should be readily available to the average person and hopefully not expensive. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[wastrox]

Others have more experience with this but I'm certain the recommendation will be to kill those starlings ASAP. I'm guessing she does not have a trap for the gourd on hand. I would find someone with an accurate pellet gun and get them out there yesterday to take out those starlings immediately. If they are already nesting, you can probably get both the male and the female pretty easily. A good shot poses no risk to the martins and they will forgive the loud noise because you are saving them and their babies. Then you can focus on modifying the entrances and getting an in gourd trap should they manage to get in those gourds again.

[Don & Danielle]

Carlton...

I had the same problem a few years back. I bought a small piece of plexiglass-like material from one of the big box stores. They sell it near where they sell glass. I forgot the thickness, but it is such that it raises the porch to flush with the bottom of the "notch" in the Conley II entrance. I drill holes and pop-rivet them in, but you could probably use some adhesive (lexel) to glue them down. You can buy the adhesive at the same place. The plexiglass will cut with a pair of tin snips.

Another material that has been used (I believe) is the corrugated plastic material that signs are made of - the kind of signs you see way to many of around election time!!

I did put some traction on my raised porch, by scoring it with a utility knife a bit. So far, I haven't had a Starling get in.

Hopefully this isn't too hard for your friend. Others may chime-in with easier methods.

[Lewis]

If she is using Troyer gourds. She should order the troyer trap that comes with these gourds. The most readily available material to raise the porch is sign board ( coroplast). I would order the PMCA wing guard (weps) and make the " Lewis modification". I think it has proven more effective than just raising the porch.

Lewis

[Matt@atx]

I will 2nd Mr. Lewis above who has developed the Lewis SREH or Lewis modification. Easy to make and it works.
Starlings were free for all'in me getting in all my gourd entrances last month. I finally got the Lewis SREH up which is 1/8" elevated porch cut (2 7/8 x 5 3/4 if it is Troyer gourd Horizontal or vertical) from HDPE sheet stock (cheapest ordered from W.W. Grainger [shot to Mark]) and Wing Entrapment Protectors(WEPS) ordered from PMCA who is the only one who sells them ( $2.25 a piece).

It stopped them cold and they all left. A week later and a fellow wouldn't believe they were even there to the degree I could tell it.

It may sound complicated but it is not. I'm a moron for a craftman and did it so I bet you can no problem too

Also what Brenda has said as well. If you can shoot those things with a pellet gun right now, that would be faster as you modify the gourds.

[Carlton]

THANKS SO MUCH Everyone! This Forum has THE BEST people.

Carl

[Gary W]

Hi Carlton,

I have used plastic white molding from the hardware store that is about a 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches wide. You can attach it with caulk. If it is above the hole, you can just file it down a little. My housing is Starling-proof with flush porches.

Gary

[Carlton]

Thanks Gary

[Henry Limpet]

I pulled the trigger (pun intended) on a new air rifle purchase from PyramydAir.com in Ohio. We should have it for this weekend. Chose the Crosman "Vantage" NP (Nitro Piston) rifle. Not a bad purchase at a mere $100.00

Time to address the incorrigible HOSP that refuse to be trapped. Heading to the cottage Saturday afternoon. This could be that weekend!

[wastrox]

ok, everyone is so helpful with the specifics re: materials for the SREH modification for the gourds, can you tell me what I need to build my own SREH to cover the round holes on some old Trio houses? Something quick, easy and cheap. I don't want to wait to order them. Seems like I should be able to do it with a quick run to the hardware store and perhaps a diagram for the cut-out to be screwed over the holes? I checked the archives and what I saw there was way too complicated for me.

[Carlton]

I know it is not what you asked for but personally I would recommend just biting the bullet and ordering the Excluder Entrance aluminum doors for the Trio houses. I have them on all my Trio type houses, and I have 12 of those houses between my sites in DE and FL and they work like a charm. I have never had a starling get past them and the martins do not seem to have any problems once they learn the technique. I have not raised any porches either. PMCA Shop carries them. I have had problems with starling getting past the crescent type entrances also offered. I think PMCA Shop will get them to you quickly especially if you specifically request such delivery.

[TJ]

A few years ago my situation was the same .............had PM's nesting in my Conley II THG.

I add about a 1/8" piece of mahogany plywood (just what was laying around) to the porch floor. It brought the porch floor very close to the bottom of the entrance.

[tim414]

I ordered some traps. If you cannot keep Starlings out (most starlings cannot get into the conley entrances-only younger/smaller starlings can from my experience) then start trapping them and disposing them.

Starlings are actually VERY smart and skidish. As they sense their numbers dwindle, they WILL move on. HOSP are the same way I have found.

I had HOSP attacking and harassing Blue Birds and preventing them from nesting in their boxes. I added sparrow spookers and problem with HOSP was ELMINATED. They ALL left and found new nesting sites AWAY from my site.

[phldave]

By all means if her gourds are set up for the troyer tunnel traps she has got to get at least one of these and trap those lousy starlings problem solved.

[philsand]

Tim414 is right. Those unwanted birds are very smart and wary. That is why they are so easily stalked away, as long as they are not already wary of you due to shooting, etc. If so they then fly off as soon as they see you and are not afraid to return.

[Matt@atx]

I experienced that Starlings could get out of a tripped Troyer Haskell tunnel trap from the inside of the gourd. They did so many times to me that I lost count.

I also caught 6 of them in them. . The panel door must be weighted down with something making it much harder for them to lift it back up from the inside. I think they probably did it with their long beaks.

Once I caught one that stayed trapped behind the sliding panel pecking on it but got the trip pin out of the gourd which was laying on the ground 10 feet or so below the gourd on the rack.(?) Smart birds.

Watch Ted's Holdover that examines how smart these birds are and this fellow is good at knocking these things down.

Its a little of 8 minutes and at approximately the 3 minute mark, the starling situation is shown. These birds can be trapped in and still get away from you in your own environment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV0HhNrm9m4

[BW Fowler]

Same thing here. I was using the troyer tunnel with a round hole to trap starlings a few years back. They would trip the trap and then lift-up the light aluminum shield from the inside and squirm out. I cut a 1" piece of 1" x 1/8" steel bar I had laying around and bonded it to the center of the shield. That took care of it and they could not lift it up anymore.

BW