I have read about changing the shape of the entrance holes on my Martin houses to keep Starlings out but the Martins can still get in. Has anyone tried this? I am a fairly new landlord of an established colony. The Starlings are really trying to move in this year before the Martins arrive. I've not had this problem before. My husband has been shooting them but that is not helping. I've never closed the holes in winter before, do you think it's too late to do that now?
Thanks, Hope
Starling problems and question
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John Miller
- Posts: 4863
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Hope
As I recall and from your profile, you are using traditional aluminum housing with 6 x 6 compartments.
It's recommended that these be reconfigured to 6 x 12. There is a sheet on the home page showing how to do this -- scroll down and look at the download sheets. If you have the Heath Housing, it's harder to remodel and maybe not worth it. The Trio houses are modular, so it can be taken apart easier and reassembled.
One almost has to use a SREH (starling resistant entrance hole) in a deeper compartment because starlings know a good deep comparment is a good thing and will take it over. In your housing, I recommend a good cleaning. Starlings generally don't nest in the 6 x 6 units, they will peer in and move on, but I think they may be more likely to try to nest if the compartments are dirty and thus appear darker, especially the walls. If it's a Health house -- rectangular attactive house with light green roof -- starlings also run amuk in the top floor because there's no interior roof over the compartments. Starlings enter and move about in the attic looking for the deep comparment, which isn't really there. You may be able to take the roof off and install an interior roof over the comparments.
I'd not add a starling resistant entrance to the 6 x 6 units...this is debated sometimes but beause the compartment is shallow, I fear nesting material may block the smaller entrance.
Just some thoughts...others can add more.
John Miller
As I recall and from your profile, you are using traditional aluminum housing with 6 x 6 compartments.
It's recommended that these be reconfigured to 6 x 12. There is a sheet on the home page showing how to do this -- scroll down and look at the download sheets. If you have the Heath Housing, it's harder to remodel and maybe not worth it. The Trio houses are modular, so it can be taken apart easier and reassembled.
One almost has to use a SREH (starling resistant entrance hole) in a deeper compartment because starlings know a good deep comparment is a good thing and will take it over. In your housing, I recommend a good cleaning. Starlings generally don't nest in the 6 x 6 units, they will peer in and move on, but I think they may be more likely to try to nest if the compartments are dirty and thus appear darker, especially the walls. If it's a Health house -- rectangular attactive house with light green roof -- starlings also run amuk in the top floor because there's no interior roof over the compartments. Starlings enter and move about in the attic looking for the deep comparment, which isn't really there. You may be able to take the roof off and install an interior roof over the comparments.
I'd not add a starling resistant entrance to the 6 x 6 units...this is debated sometimes but beause the compartment is shallow, I fear nesting material may block the smaller entrance.
Just some thoughts...others can add more.
John Miller