As many of you know, I am getting back into the PM housing, after a stint of about 10 years of not having any housing up. Before that, I had something up from 1972 to 1996.
I've read and understand the need for protection against Starlings and Sparrows.
I DO NOT recall any problems with Starlings in the past. Not even one. Sparrows were occasionally a problem, expecially if I left the houses up for any time during the off season.
My only experience with a starling nexting situation was in a PM house that my dad built, after seeing one of mine in action in about '92. He did everything right, except the hole size. I don't recall the hole size he used, but they were way too big. When I visited him during the PM Season, he had mounted his PM house on a stationary 4x4 pole, about 12-13' up. No way to get the house down, except to rent a ladder. The lone occupant in that house, other than sparrows, was a single starling. I made a note of its description. A black bird, about the size of a PM with yellow feet and beak and lots of white speckles in it's plumage.
The question: Has starlings always been a problem in my area of South Louisiana, and I was just lucky enough avoid the invasion, or are thay a species that moved into my area since '96?
In all my previous housing, and in those I will install this year, I set the houses on poles in the middle of March. No reason for it that I can remember except for procrastination, realizing that I had better get it up before it got too late. I always took the houses off the poles when we had hurricane activity in the fall or by September or October, well after the PMs had gone south. This was to keep them out of the weather for the half year not in use.
So it's very possibel that the starlings have been here all along, but never had the opportunity to get at the houses. My PM's were always in the newly installed houses within a day or two after setup. Possibly, once PM's took over, starlings and sparrows were driven away, So I was never aware of them.
Joe
A Question To Long-Time Landlords
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Joe, I had my first martins in Gretna, La in 1968 or 1969, I don't remember the exact year..I stayed there and my 9 room, 6x6x6 rooms filled up every year, all 9 had pairs of martins, and I moved to Katy, Tx in 1978...In all of those years, I never saw a starling in South La. I did see a lot of sparrows, but I used a Benjamin pumpup pellet rifle to shoot them when I was home...Never had a serious problem because the martins filled up the house very quickly..
I put up a house in Katy, Tx the first year that I moved there and again I put up the 9 room martin house, and they again filled up with martins...All 9 rooms were facing my back porch..I stayed there until 1986, and I never saw a starling there either, but had many many sparrows..
I moved here to Richmond, Tx and put up an aluminum house and got martins here the first year, but owls or a snake got into them...Then I found the PMCA, and learned more how to do things. In about 1990, the starlings finally started coming here, and there were millions of sparrows here....I have been trapping and shooting them since, and I hardly ever see either any more...
Hope that this helps.
I put up a house in Katy, Tx the first year that I moved there and again I put up the 9 room martin house, and they again filled up with martins...All 9 rooms were facing my back porch..I stayed there until 1986, and I never saw a starling there either, but had many many sparrows..
I moved here to Richmond, Tx and put up an aluminum house and got martins here the first year, but owls or a snake got into them...Then I found the PMCA, and learned more how to do things. In about 1990, the starlings finally started coming here, and there were millions of sparrows here....I have been trapping and shooting them since, and I hardly ever see either any more...
Hope that this helps.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Joe, starlings are not usually much of a problem if you have 6x6x6 compartments, thats too small for them...What starlings like best at my place are: 1) wooden houses with deep compartments
2) aluminum houses with deep compartments
3) extra large gourds
4) horizontally deep or vertically deep gourds
They will go into anything else if they are deperate, but they usually like the larger compartments..I have SREH on my gourds, and they go straight to my traps after looking at the holes.
It could be that I had some starling visitors during all of those earlier years, but I never noticed them, probably partly due to the small compartments...
2) aluminum houses with deep compartments
3) extra large gourds
4) horizontally deep or vertically deep gourds
They will go into anything else if they are deperate, but they usually like the larger compartments..I have SREH on my gourds, and they go straight to my traps after looking at the holes.
It could be that I had some starling visitors during all of those earlier years, but I never noticed them, probably partly due to the small compartments...
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
Starlings visit right after the sun come up looking for food and come back every couple of hours to see what we through-a-way for them. Just before nest competition time in early spring they fan out seeking holes to take over. If you live far enough out in the country you may have few starling. IMO the like being close to heavy populated area to feed on our trash and nest is all the unattended housing.
Starling can be controlled easily now day's with repeating traps and a hole designed to make it real hard to impossible to get in the nest cavity.
If you see large flocks of starlings around you neck of the woods changes are you will have a starling problem. IMO E. Sparrows are everywhere except the high plains where there are not trees for them to nest in.
Starling can be controlled easily now day's with repeating traps and a hole designed to make it real hard to impossible to get in the nest cavity.
If you see large flocks of starlings around you neck of the woods changes are you will have a starling problem. IMO E. Sparrows are everywhere except the high plains where there are not trees for them to nest in.
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Joe Zorn
I guess the martin problem here is something resonably recent, then. I've been watching, but have not seen either martin or starling here in BR yet.
Emil, my housing is going to be Starling heaven then. Wooden with double room size. Maybe I should have left the rooms 6x6x6. I do have a NB Compact Trap ready. Just have to pick up a piece of 4"pvc and install it, and paint the whole thing. The pole for it is already up and waiting.
Joe
Emil, my housing is going to be Starling heaven then. Wooden with double room size. Maybe I should have left the rooms 6x6x6. I do have a NB Compact Trap ready. Just have to pick up a piece of 4"pvc and install it, and paint the whole thing. The pole for it is already up and waiting.
Joe
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Guest
Thats because there all here in Texas!!! Giv'em a few weeks and they'll be there.
I have seen quite a few large flocks (100+) here around my house lately and my friendly neighbor next door leaves dog food out for her dog... and starlings. Last week at the city dump, there had to be 1000, really. Between the Seagulls, grackles and starlings, those guys get "bombed" all day.
Chuck C
Arlington
I have seen quite a few large flocks (100+) here around my house lately and my friendly neighbor next door leaves dog food out for her dog... and starlings. Last week at the city dump, there had to be 1000, really. Between the Seagulls, grackles and starlings, those guys get "bombed" all day.
Chuck C
Arlington