This Means War!!!

[WillyPete]

Three birds have been killed. Three. Earlier this week I found a dead female stuffed at the entrance of her cavity, leaving three eggs behind. I put them into another nest and this morning they were partially covered with leaves. But later today I found no trace of them and blood at the entrance of another cavity…and starlings destroying the nests.

I’m going to hit back and hit hard.

Can anyone recommend a good starling trap? I want something I can set up in a back yard that will catch more than one bird, and one that I can haul away in my car to dispose of these avian devils.

[flyin-lowe]

Do you have SREH entrances? I have had crescents and Conlley II's for almost 20 years and only had a couple breaches. I am not sure how the starling populations are in your area but where I am at there are thousands of them. It would not be feesible to try to trap them all.

The S&S controller trap is good but kind of expensive. If you are really serious you can research the Troyer V Trap. It has a large footprint but can trap hundreds.

Not sure if you can shoot in your area but I broke down and bought a nice air gun last spring that I shoot sparrows with. On the occasion I see a starling I can get a shot at I get them but focus more on the sparrows.

[WillyPete]

I cannot shoot within city limits, so I need to haul them away. I have gourds with SRE but the first house I put up does not. The starlings are unusually aggressive this season and I’ve found dead martins inside the gourds too.

What about a PMCA elevator trap?

[C.C.Martins]

Willie pete,
Do you mean the ground elevator trap? The Wire one?

Or the S&S controller trap?

Iv caught about 2 starlings in ground repeating wire traps over the years and iv got 2 going during the season. Good for sparrows, not so much starlings.

S&S controller is expensive but will get them.

The V top trap will catch a whole lot.

Think you should consider ways to get SREH on that house quick. Trap secondary. Once the house is protected, and they cannot get in they are apt to gravitate to a trap.

Its kind of like a bird feeder next to a ground sparrow trap, the sparrows will eat from the feeder and ignore the trap.

Less expensive route in your war; SREH on the house. Put up some simple bird houses...larger the better, paint them white, paint big black holes on the sides and put van ert traps in them. Buy PMCA nest box traps, 2 or 3 and put them within view of your houses but on a wall or shed. Again, paint white, put some black holes on the sides.

Hire a sniper.

Best,
Tom

[Martintown33]

Damn starlings! If you can’t shoot them, then tom, is your go to guy for trapping them.. follow his advice. Too bad you can’t shoot. I would take huge pleasure in personally pulling the trigger on those murderous suckers!
Good luck
Rob