European Starling 
Guess who got into a trio crescent entrance but couldn't get out
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Don,
Good job! Your simple but poignant caption should reflect how dangerous European starlings are to purple martins.
Anyone who thinks that European starlings are benign and innocent of horrible destruction to a purple martin colony is naive.
Thank you for reminding us of the vicious nature of European starlings so that misinformation is not disseminated.
Good job! Your simple but poignant caption should reflect how dangerous European starlings are to purple martins.
Anyone who thinks that European starlings are benign and innocent of horrible destruction to a purple martin colony is naive.
Thank you for reminding us of the vicious nature of European starlings so that misinformation is not disseminated.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
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C.C.Martins
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member
Starling resistant-that's the word. Good catch, hope there were no martins disturbed.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Upward transtentorial herniation through pressure on the back of the skull.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
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terrapincove
- Posts: 366
- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:06 pm
- Location: Maurice River, Southern NJ
- Martin Colony History: Well established 90 cavity colony. Mostly plastic gourds with some custom cedar houses atop pilings out over the river. We live stream the activity on our website https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKqSW ... Ph2tywu4eg
We are on the Maurice River. The Maurice is brackish and tidal. It meets the Delaware bay about three miles down at East Point, NJ. The area is remote and consists of dense marshland and swamp. Dragonflies abound.
Swallows arrive in mid August and finish nesting mid July. There is a large annual roost in mid August upriver a few miles at Mauricetown.
Nice Catch. This year for the first time ever the starlings are entering my crescent entrances on the gourds. Creates a lot of extra work managing the starlings.
Good luck Purple Martin Landlords.
Terrapin Cove
Always Live https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKqSW ... Ph2tywu4eg
Terrapin Cove
Always Live https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKqSW ... Ph2tywu4eg
Follow up on the incident with the starling. This occurred last night right before dark. There was a commotion going on in one of the compartments typical of a couple of males fighting or an SY male getting into an occupied compartment. So I banged on the pole to try to break up the fight then I saw the starling beak poking out of the entrance & could tell it was struggling to get out. So I lowered the house, blocked the entrance, covered the door with a butterfly net, opened it and grabbed the starling. The female PM was blocking the inside entrance to the nesting compartment. Since it was almost dark, I had to put the house back up without doing a thorough nest check because the martins were trying to get in to roost for the night.
In the morning I observed the activity from the ground for a while and both the male and female PMs appeared to be unharmed and had resumed their feeding activities. Later in the day I lowered the house and checked the affected nest. The three 9-day-old nestlings appeared to be unharmed.
So Why was the starling able to get in but not get out? From the outside, the bottom of the crescent is about 3/8 inch above the floor of the porch. This allowed the bird to squeeze in. On the inside there is subfloor about 3/16 inch above the main floor and there is a wing guard over the top of the crescent entrance. This made it more difficult to breach from the inside than from the outside so the bird was trapped. For next season I suppose I will need to do something about trying to raise the porches on the outside of the crescent entrances.
In the morning I observed the activity from the ground for a while and both the male and female PMs appeared to be unharmed and had resumed their feeding activities. Later in the day I lowered the house and checked the affected nest. The three 9-day-old nestlings appeared to be unharmed.
So Why was the starling able to get in but not get out? From the outside, the bottom of the crescent is about 3/8 inch above the floor of the porch. This allowed the bird to squeeze in. On the inside there is subfloor about 3/16 inch above the main floor and there is a wing guard over the top of the crescent entrance. This made it more difficult to breach from the inside than from the outside so the bird was trapped. For next season I suppose I will need to do something about trying to raise the porches on the outside of the crescent entrances.
2025 - 15 pair, 56 fledged
This must be a trend... Tonight when I got home I noticed a starling hanging around the gourd rack but he didn't appear to be doing much. I have Troyer gourds with the Conley II entrances which are supposed to keep out the starlings. He tried to get into a couple but didn't get far and a few minutes later he's making a fuss at the entrance to one. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that something had flown in and figured he was messing with a martin but the next thing I see is a starling come out and put on a show.
Are they juvenile starlings that just happen to fit through the opening or are we getting smaller starlings that are really going to be a PITA?
Traps are set but I don't know if they will come back tonight or not.
Are they juvenile starlings that just happen to fit through the opening or are we getting smaller starlings that are really going to be a PITA?
Traps are set but I don't know if they will come back tonight or not.
Last edited by wmfamily on Thu May 17, 2018 8:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Well that didn't take long. I was pouring my coffee and noticed the pair on the porch of the gourd. The female was poking her head in the opening and the male was rushing her. Too bad I didn't catch them both... This one seemed smaller than normal but still incredibly strong. You really need to keep a firm grip on them.
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C.C.Martins
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member
Good catch, once they figure out the entrances they have got to go. yeah they are strong, imagine a starling and martin fighting in the same house...
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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detioh11
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:24 pm
- Location: St Johns, MI
- Martin Colony History: 2015 A few Visitors
2016 1 ASY pair 4 eggs 4 Fledged
2017 ASY male returned chased off by starlings
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 3 Pair with nestlings and an ASY male bachelor and 2 SY males around all the time fledged 16
I had the same thing happen on my t14 with s&k tunnels on Monday. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it’s head poking out. They are a lot stronger than I thought. Hard to hold on to.
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TheSmiths
- Posts: 336
- Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 1:02 pm
- Location: Western KY
- Martin Colony History: •
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Tried to attract PMs 2004; began more earnest attempt in 2014.
Current home site consisting of 2 modified Trio M12Ks, 4 ChirpyNests, and assorted artificial gourds, all enclosed in owl/hawk cages.
2018 — 3 pairs
2019 — 6 pairs
2020 — 12 pairs; barred owls late in season
2021 — 17 pairs; enclosed housing
2022 – 14 pairs
2023 – 18 pairs
2024 – 18 pairs
2025 – 24 pairs
2026 –
Manage FILs colony & public park colony. Attempting to start a colony at a wildlife refuge.
~20 years of providing housing for cavity nesting birds including Bluebirds, Carolina Wrens, House Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Great-Crested Flycatchers, Northern Flickers, & Prothonotary Warblers.
The sure do. I don't know how the flickers ever find a safe place to nest.wmfamily wrote:...but they mess with the woodpeckers and flickers a lot.
Humane euthanasia methods — http://www.sialis.org/hospdispatch.htmBeach42 wrote:Question, what do you do with it now? I know the answer, but how (humanly)? My husband shoots them with a pellet gun but sometimes it takes awhile to get the job done.