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how to keep starlings away from bird table ?

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 mike123 18 May 2012
difficult one. we ve got blackbirds nesting very close to the kitchen window and are very keen to feed them. every time i put meal worms out the local starling gang chase the black birds and eat the lot. i ve nothing against starlings but am just keen for the blackbirds to nest successfully. any ideas ?
 ring ouzel 18 May 2012
In reply to mike123: Starlings are in the unenviable position of being one of the birds whose conservation status shows it to be in sharp decline. I do all I can to help our local starlings as they really need it. However if you have a hedge then put mealworms under the hedge, starlings dont like feeding in closed spaces like that (ours avoid the hedge completely). Hope both have successful broods.
In reply to mike123:

Play a starling distress call? Dunno if starlings speak blackbird, obviously I should though.
 ring ouzel 18 May 2012
In reply to Turdus torquatus: I think they do. Our cousins are known for their vociferous nature. Other species, not just birds, take note of it. We're not much better are we?
andyathome 18 May 2012
In reply to mike123:
Just shoot the bastards.
walking_disaster 18 May 2012
In reply to mike123: I like starlings, they always seem a bit demented, like they're tanked up on caffeine. Sorry, not very helpful, I know.
 Darron 19 May 2012
In reply to mike123:

It's often forgotten that starlings give us,arguably, our finest wildlife spectical - the mass gatherings prior to roosting in winter.
To the OP put the feed in a hedge - blackbirds like it in there starlings don't.
Moley 19 May 2012
In reply to mike123:
Your blackbirds should manage to find enough natural food on their own, so I wouldn't think supplementary feeding is essential anyway. More important to make sure you keep the local cat population away, and likewise discourage any magpies, jays etc. from coming too close - easier said than done at 5.00am!
No idea how to keep the starlings at bay though.
 Trangia 19 May 2012
In reply to andyathome:
> (In reply to mike123)
> Just shoot the bastards.

Yes .177 is just as good at culling them as .22. It's not powerful enough, however, to kill Ospreys
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