Bloody Starlings

E mac

Anyone else having a problem with starlings destroying barns sheds etc with poop ? They always have been a problem here but this summer it's been a huge problem the milking parlour at the moment is infested. Closed the doors they started flying in trough the gaps between door and wall. Is it the hot summer is there a shortage of worms in the ground? Firing a gun at them is pointless. Poison doesn't exist anymore. Anyone got any good remedies?

ganmo

They’re a protected species so shooting or poisioning them could land ya in the joy

E mac

Really ? Assumed they were an invasive species.

Mooooo

E mac wrote: »

Anyone else having a problem with starlings destroying barns sheds etc with poop ? They always have been a problem here but this summer it's been a huge problem the milking parlour at the moment is infested. Closed the doors they started flying in trough the gaps between door and wall. Is it the hot summer is there a shortage of worms in the ground? Firing a gun at them is pointless. Poison doesn't exist anymore. Anyone got any good remedies?

Could you put netting up below where they perch?

Say my name

Yea it is the weather. The ground is like concrete so no chance for em to get food with that.

All you can do is fill that gap or put covers on the meal hoppers.

You'd usually see them here getting the rat tail worms coming up out of the slurry tank. But it seems the weather this year has stopped them fellas too.

Thunderbird

Fake owls are great for keeping unwanted birds away.

lab man

Thunderbird wrote:

Fake owls are great for keeping unwanted birds away.

Like yer profile name too ......

monseiur

Get a few fake kestrels and hawks, place them strategically on walls around doors opes etc. both outside and inside.
For best results start early in year before nesting time, birds will never nest where there's a perceived threat from their no. 1 predators.
It's very important that you move the fake birds around regularly, even take some down the odd day, otherwise they won't have the desired effect....familiarity breeds contempt !

M.

grassroot1

ganmo wrote:

They’re a protected species so shooting or poisioning them could land ya in the joy

They are on the derogation if I remember correctly so may be culled under certain conditions

All birds are protected but some have an open season and others under derogation as above

gozunda

A couple of mean farm cats always works well in my experience ....

Birdnuts

grassroot1 wrote: »

They are on the derogation if I remember correctly so may be culled under certain conditions

All birds are protected but some have an open season and others under derogation as above

Not on the current one so they are "fully" protected.

https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/general/art-9-declaration-may-2018-apr-2019-state-wide.pdf

Its worth folks looking at these derogations so they are on the right side of the law as to which species can be controlled and the methods that are allowed








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E mac

gozunda wrote: »

A couple of mean farm cats always works well in my experience ....

You'd think so but recently the farm tom cat went into milking parlour before me within seconds caught a starling and out the door ....he's been making regular trips I've noticed now but not making a jot of difference to the starlings coming in.

Cantona's Collars

Head into Eurogiant and get a few of the large plastic Owls and Falcons they have and stick them up around the sheds, that'll keep them away.

grassroot1

Birdnuts wrote:

Not on the current one so they are "fully" protected.

I stand corrected thank you