Hey All!
I have just witnessed the most depressing sight. It seems that starlings have taken up residence in my supergourds.
A bit of background....
My site has been up for five years. I have all SREH (crescents) on all of my housing. In all five years I have chuckled evilly when the starlings have unsuccessfully tried to enter my housing. (BTW- this year I have only seen one starling actually enter the gourd - with nesting material - and it seems to struggle - but it makes it!)
So, what gives? Do I have a mutant mini-starling? Has any one else had this problem? Luckily, this spring, I bought a trap for my gourds. However, with the way that the starling works to get in, I wonder if it will go off during the struggle to enter.
Argh! Now I have something else to worry about. This must be the reason that my martins have not returned yet. This does not look to be a good beginning.
Sonja
Mutant Starlings?
I went back a few pages and saw that this seems to be a recurring problem for others - although I do want to say it appears that I have mutant NORTHERN starlings.
I will try to adjust my porch heights.
Like I said, never had it happen before, and I was pretty freaked out about it.
I will try to adjust my porch heights.
Like I said, never had it happen before, and I was pretty freaked out about it.
Sonja - Athens, OH
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
Put some pastry out for him and fatten the troublemaker up! Increase his waistline a bit and you will no longer have problems!!! :-)
Seriously, I hope that this is not a trend. Mother Nature does seem to be constantly having species evolve to better compete in the environment. SO FAR, I have never seen a starling breech my crescents but they sure to shove and shove and try. You might have to go to the Excluder if you can not trap him.
Seriously, I hope that this is not a trend. Mother Nature does seem to be constantly having species evolve to better compete in the environment. SO FAR, I have never seen a starling breech my crescents but they sure to shove and shove and try. You might have to go to the Excluder if you can not trap him.
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Guest
Don't just sit there worrying and wondering if the trap is going to work in the gourd. You said you have a trap...go set it. Let us know what happens.
Penny
Penny
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Guest
Sonja, Like the name ,SREH, implies the entrances are starling resistant not proof. A certain amount of starling do manage to get in. If he has a hard time getting in he must also have a hard time getting out. Sneak up on him when he is inside the gourd - a net on a long pole should do the job. 
Good news? Bad news?
Well, we went out and took off all of the porches on the gourds. A bit later, lo and behold, I saw my first martin of the year. It was strange because it wasn't calling. (I think some of you know where I am going with this.)
So, the martin lands on various gourds, but just can't seem to figure them out. It is then that I realize that our first visitor this year is a girl! (This has also never happened.)
She tried and tried to get in. At one point, one of the starlings came to attack her. She flew off and I provided starling distraction. I was really glad that I was able to get those porches off, because if our girl would have gotten in, I'm sure that the starlings would have attacked her in the gourd.
Just last week we had an unfortunate cable break on the housing, and haven't replaced it yet. Our girl even tried to get into the lowered house, but couldn't. This told me that she was new to our site and crescent openings. Birds raised in SREH colonies seem to have no problem negotiating them.
The mixed ending to this tale is that my female flew off frustrated, but there were no starlings to be seen either.
We plan to get our house hoisted tomorrow or the next day, depending on weather (and buying a new really tall ladder). Let's hope that more birds show up soon.
Well, we went out and took off all of the porches on the gourds. A bit later, lo and behold, I saw my first martin of the year. It was strange because it wasn't calling. (I think some of you know where I am going with this.)
So, the martin lands on various gourds, but just can't seem to figure them out. It is then that I realize that our first visitor this year is a girl! (This has also never happened.)
She tried and tried to get in. At one point, one of the starlings came to attack her. She flew off and I provided starling distraction. I was really glad that I was able to get those porches off, because if our girl would have gotten in, I'm sure that the starlings would have attacked her in the gourd.
Just last week we had an unfortunate cable break on the housing, and haven't replaced it yet. Our girl even tried to get into the lowered house, but couldn't. This told me that she was new to our site and crescent openings. Birds raised in SREH colonies seem to have no problem negotiating them.
The mixed ending to this tale is that my female flew off frustrated, but there were no starlings to be seen either.
We plan to get our house hoisted tomorrow or the next day, depending on weather (and buying a new really tall ladder). Let's hope that more birds show up soon.
Sonja - Athens, OH
-
Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
Good luck Sonja. Sorry to hear that she flew off but she may very well be back. It is very early in the spring.
I am thinking about getting a cable equipped pole next year. Tell me more about your cable problem. Is it a steel cable? Did it break? Have you had problems with cables before? I do not want to spend a lot of money for something I am going to be having problems with. I know nothing about them.
I am thinking about getting a cable equipped pole next year. Tell me more about your cable problem. Is it a steel cable? Did it break? Have you had problems with cables before? I do not want to spend a lot of money for something I am going to be having problems with. I know nothing about them.
The cable thing really is our fault, because we didn't maintain it the way we should have. (There are lots of posts on here about maintain cables - tying a rope to it to pull it thorugh, WD40, etc.) We WILL be taking care of the new cable.
Basically it rusted through. There are numerous stories about the dangers of having a house fall on your head (and we're not even in Kansas!). I wouldn't be worried about getting a cable and winch system. It's just that you need to maintain them and give them a good checking over at the beginning/end of a season so that you don't have any problems during the actual breeding season.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your site.
We're supposed to have rain/storms today. I don't know how much martin watching I'll be able to do this evening. Hopefully I will be able to post with good news about returing birds soon.
Basically it rusted through. There are numerous stories about the dangers of having a house fall on your head (and we're not even in Kansas!). I wouldn't be worried about getting a cable and winch system. It's just that you need to maintain them and give them a good checking over at the beginning/end of a season so that you don't have any problems during the actual breeding season.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your site.
We're supposed to have rain/storms today. I don't know how much martin watching I'll be able to do this evening. Hopefully I will be able to post with good news about returing birds soon.
Sonja - Athens, OH
Oh yes....we had the house up for six years and didn't really do anything to maintain the cable. Otherwise, absolutely no problems. I feel really comfortable in recommending this type of system to you. It's really easy to use and I can do it by myself - although my husband and I do all of our nest checks together.
Sonja - Athens, OH
-
Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
very informative
Good luck this season.
Good luck this season.
Sonja i live in area where there are very few "informed" PM landlords. Most of the PM housing around here is standard Trio type mini castles and others with round holes, basically slums. Most of my PM arrived at my site (this is my first year) and negotiated the crescents in a few hours, im almost certain that 99 percent of all my PM have never seen a crescent before. If martins like your site the crescents wont be an issue their determination will see them through, and with your starling problem it has to be SREH or the highway. Oh and i think perhaps the Clinger type might work better for you. Best of luck
Best of luck