Little parasites get in to the secondary chicken Gulag to eat her food. Not only that, they try to take over the bluebird boxes too. I'm on a mission this year to get as many as I can.
25 long paces from the back door to where this on was perched. I have to open the door in stealth mode, slide the pellet rifle barrel out, and shoot from inside. Bugs the crap out of the wife sitting on the couch with a dog on her lap, while watching her shows. But I told her, I want as many dead this year as I can get. When it warms up I can sit out on the back deck and shoot them.
Brings back memories. When I was a teen, we had ducks and chickens. Starlings and grackles would swoop in and gobble up their feed. I made a "blind" with burlap feed sacks, and would sit there after school with my Remington .22 smoothbore, taking them on the wing. The occasional rat would get his dose, as well.
In Ted's Holdover Youtube channel he shows how starlings kill other birds. They grab the other bird's beak in their foot while pecking the other to death.
I'm with you. I just finished sighting in my new Ruger .177 pellet rifle at 1000 inches. I should be able to get head shots since I am shooting from a sniper position, inside my cracked open kitchen window, at about 180 inches to my bird feeders.
This winter is the first time I ever had starlings at my bird feeders. Not many, but 1 is too many. Got 2 so far with my Gamo pellet rifle. Always on the lookout for them now.
Several years ago I read about a farmer whose stock feed was getting swarmed by these birds. I don’t recall how he set it up but a live circuit was set up to entice them to rest above the feed area. A switch was set up so that he could see when the wire had a significant number of birds on it. He’d complete the circuit and lay them low. I’d like to operate the switch on such a setup.
We don't get all that many in the winter. Our problem is nesting season when I can't keep them out from under the hoods of the cars. I have to leave all the hoods open for a month to keep them out. They don't like an open air nest.
Little parasites get in to the secondary chicken Gulag to eat her food. Not only that, they try to take over the bluebird boxes too. I'm on a mission this year to get as many as I can.
25 long paces from the back door to where this on was perched. I have to open the door in stealth mode, slide the pellet rifle barrel out, and shoot from inside. Bugs the crap out of the wife sitting on the couch with a dog on her lap, while watching her shows. But I told her, I want as many dead this year as I can get. When it warms up I can sit out on the back deck and shoot them.
they started showing up at the feeder this winter. but when i shot at one with my blue streak, it went pffft and the pellet bounced off the post below it. guess i need to figure out how to put new seals in it. i can't safely shoot them in that direction with a 22. i wonder what cci bird shot is going for? 2 bucks a pop probably.
Starlings are common enough around here, but when I was cycling around Montana summer of ‘19 I was bummed to see so many starlings on fields and pastures with broods of fledged young.
What makes starlings deadly to native songbirds in fights is that they have long, strong legs for running on the ground and perching feet that grasp. That and they feed by jamming their beak into the dirt and grass roots and then opening the beak a little to look for insects so exposed. So they have a strong pointed beak with eyes placed to look right down the beak where they’re hitting. Pairs even team up to rob woodpeckers of their nesting cavities.
In the absence of starlings we have cavity-nesting tree swallows, purple martins and bluebirds. Over in the Old World the swallows build their own mud nests (the ancestors of our own barn and cliff swallows) and their bluebird-equivalent, the Eurasian Robin (about the size of our bluebirds) likewise build their own nest, avoiding competition with starlings.
We have them on the farm by the hundreds, and I only have seven or eight bricks of 22's left. Somewhere in the safe is a Beeman R9 20 cal that needs sighted in....... Wonder if all the pellets are gone from the stores, too?
My late uncle in northern Minnesota would see from their kitchen window a starling, swear in Finnish, then grab his M62 Winchester and shoot the bird from the back porch. One year I was there he saw a starting and said to me "watch this Artie." He plugged an extension cord into the kitchen wall and decapitated the starling. He had rigged up a fan with sharpened blades to the birdhouse.
My usual backyard pellet gun prey are the Asian collard doves.
Ha ha.
they come in along with the quail, scrub jays, pinyon jays, juncos, etc to eat the scratch I put out for them all. Peanuts for the jays too.
I tell folks those doves are my SHTF emergency food supply.
for now, I'm keeping it to starlings.
but, if I can prove it, a magpie might have to go too. I found an eggshell outside the Gulag extension where I keep a hen that doesn't get along with the others. It was the color she lays, and it's the first in months. I had been out in the wellhouse/reloading room prepping some brass and cracked open the door to check for starlings and spooked a magpie. Up until now, they haven't been on the list, but that might change soon.
Valsdad - you and I are clearly brethren. Starlings, english sparrows, and gray squirrels..............it's always open season.
Here it's "gray diggers" (California ground squirrels) and squeaks ( Belding's ground squirrels). We don't have the standard variety down here, up on the hill there are some.
Use to make it rain starlings when duck hunting few decades back in the San Joaquin Delta. Hit the rolling sky wave just right over the tules and you can drop several per shell.
Use to make it rain starlings when duck hunting few decades back in the San Joaquin Delta. Hit the rolling sky wave just right over the tules and you can drop several per shell.
I've thought of that here. Sometimes the get some big flocks around some of the ranch/farm fields here in the winter. Not as large as I've seen in the valley or over behind the mall in Eureka, but some have to have a couple hundred. Wondered what a spreader choke and some of that #9 tungsten would do from under a roost when they come in at night?
Three of us were rabbit hunting one winter. As were crossing a cut corn field we noticed that the adjacent corn field was covered with thousands of starlings.. They jumped up and flew right over the field as we were crossing it. We just pointed our shotguns skyward and fired. It rained dead starlings. Crazy... but what fun and there was no end to them. The field around us was covered with black dots. Number six and 7.5 shot really hammers them.
I've gotten in to purple martins and had most first successful season last year, hoping for a good one this year. I always have my eyes open for these things, they can wreck a pm colony.
I know a fella who eats those things.. Starlings. Breasts them out like a dove, wraps them in bacon and smokes them, or pounds them out, breads and deep fries them.
I have yet to try it, though I'm not one to turn up my nose to food. I reckon I'll give it a try some day.
A few years ago, I was standing by the kitchen sink looking down the driveway. There was a large flock of starlings flying straight toward the house about 4' off the ground. When they got to the house, the whole flock went straight up over the house but on the way up, they all dumped their loads. They splattered the whole front of the house with shyt. It was about 10F and it froze almost immediately. It was a month before it warmed up enough to hose it off. Starllings aren't my favorite bird.
Eugene Schieffelin (January 29, 1827 – August 15, 1906)[1] was an American amateur ornithologist who belonged to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York Zoological Society. He was responsible for introducing the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) to North America.[2]
Starling release In 1890, he released 60 starlings into New York City’s Central Park.[9][10] He did the same with another 40 birds in 1891. Schieffelin wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare to North America.[2]
European starlings were not native to North America. Schieffelin imported the starlings from England. Scientists estimate that descendants from those two original released flocks now number at more than 200 million[12] residing in the United States.
The starlings' wildly successful spread has come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes in trees.[13] The starlings have also had negative impact on the US economy and ecosystem.[14]
My first two casualties of the morning are now decoys.
Gotta keep that in mind. Mine are so spooked by the door opening and now the window when I lift it to shoot thru a hole in the screen, a decoy might convince them to stay for a second or two longer.
I saw feathers fly on one yesterday. Won't bother me if he flew off wounded and a cat gets him.
I set that other one up on a pallet holding the compost pile. He gone now..
My first two casualties of the morning are now decoys.
Gotta keep that in mind. Mine are so spooked by the door opening and now the window when I lift it to shoot thru a hole in the screen, a decoy might convince them to stay for a second or two longer.
I saw feathers fly on one yesterday. Won't bother me if he flew off wounded and a cat gets him.
I set that other one up on a pallet holding the compost pile. He gone now..
Interesting note: I left those two decoys overnight, because early morning is the best time to hunt Starlings around here, but the next morning they were gone!
I shot hundreds those things back when I lived in the suburbs we don't have them here in the mountains I used to go out on the deck with the R-1 Beeman pellet rifle and the cats would perk up and be ready to fetch they loved it when I started shooting Starlings
I've gotten in to purple martins and had most first successful season last year, hoping for a good one this year. I always have my eyes open for these things, they can wreck a pm colony.
I expect you already know about starling-resistant entry holes
The half-moon crescents block starlings most all of the time. Sparrows can be trapped out using a house opening or gourd with a entrance shimmed down too small to let a Martin in. Starlings are the same size as martins but they can be trapped with nest box traps set against a wall, martins usually won’t enter cavities without 360 deg clear vision all around.
Little parasites get in to the secondary chicken Gulag to eat her food. Not only that, they try to take over the bluebird boxes too. I'm on a mission this year to get as many as I can.
25 long paces from the back door to where this on was perched. I have to open the door in stealth mode, slide the pellet rifle barrel out, and shoot from inside. Bugs the crap out of the wife sitting on the couch with a dog on her lap, while watching her shows. But I told her, I want as many dead this year as I can get. When it warms up I can sit out on the back deck and shoot them.
Taking a play from the 'snipers' handbook. Cover and concealment. And one of you fellows (Orange Okie?) mentioned using the window?
Had to get some old sheets to keep the cold air out, only 23F when I started:
All they see before lead flies:
One more down, serving as a decoy. Pretty tough assignment here. Lots of civilian activity in the environment, juncos and my big ol' hen, but as rene says, it's a religious requirement to repel invaders.
Valsdad: When you are done at your place come on over to mine. I have about worn out my pump up pellet gun! Keep up the good work. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
Well the blizzard conditions have moved into OKC and I am doing my best to keep the birds fed. Problem is the Starlings are the biggest bullies on the block. A few days ago I put a new Bushnell scope on my pellet rifle and got it sighted in with my new Gamo Tomahawk Pointed Hollow points 7.8 gr. One of my Robin's was on top of a piece of bread and a couple of Starlings flew in and scared him off. He flew into the shrub out on my side fence, about 15 yards away, and just watched as the hungry Starlings feasted on the morsel of bread. It was bitter cold and the snow blowing a gale, when one of the starlings flew into the shrub and perched about 12" to the left of the Robin. It just so happened that one of the brick fence pillars was right behind him and made a perfect backstop, should I miss. I loaded my pellet rifle, and eased the kitchen window open about six inches. The Starling didn't see me I rested my barrel on the window sill and put the cross hair right on his puffed up chest, and squeezed off a round. That Tomahawk went "thud" and he dropped straight down into the snow and disappeared. The Robin, 12" away, never new what happened and just sat there. I highly recommend these Gamo Tomahawks for Starling eradication. Very accurate and effective pellet. It uses the same fluid dynamics expansion theory as the Federal Hydra-Shok as the bullet passes through tissue.
Allowing the barrel to protrude from the windows gives away your position.
I don't know if starlings can figure that out, but they might.
Yeah, but allowing the barrel to protrude gives me the ability to rest on the stock and not directly on the barrel.
The starlings so far haven't seemed to notice the barrel. I have sheets keeping the draft out, so when it's not raining I can just leave it out there. Better than opening the window, they know that sound.
Swatted countless starlings in my ruddy-cheeked youth. Sheridan and then really went to town with a FWB 124D. Went full overkill many years ago as I was getting ready to pull my duck decoys and head back to the truck when a handful of starlings passed right over me and my rather bored Chesapeake Bay. Figured WTH and cut feathers on the lead bird. The dog set up on my left as I calmly said, "Mark" as he tracked its trajectory. Sent him out and started to pull decoys from the field as he returned, heeled in nicely and sat down. I looked at him and wondered WTH aloud at how he missed such a simple marked retrieve. At 115# with a blocky head that could easily hold a basketball, I had to look more closely as just the tips of the starling's toes stuck out of his lips.
I'm in deep trouble if a starling is presiding at The Pearly Gates....
Another one down this morning. Has been too windy lately and my accuracy/kill percentage has suffered. Relatively calm with the snow this morning though.
Watched another tumble off the Chicken Gulag into the one pen, Went to get the snow boots and jacket on, went out and didn't find it in there.
Two dots of snow inside the pen leading out from where it was shot:
Went out to continue tracking it, only found one more dot................ with my boot
I don't wish any critter a slow and painful death, but if it has to be, let it be a starling I guess.
I can't wait until our rabbit (jack and cottontail) population recovers. On these days with a little snow I'd much rather go out looking for bunny tracks to follow. I'll take starlings for now I guess.
This one wasn't too smart this morning. Seemed to be getting some of that grass from the clump there for nesting material I guess. 5 +/- yards from the sniper hide window. Didn't budge when I slid the window up to take the shot.
\
Got a couple of more the past couple of days, but no pics.
I think I've reduced the population by nearly 10 now. But, like the vermin they are, they keep showing up.
I wished it was legal to kill Mockingbirds. I hate those bastards. They’d attack my dogs and cats when I was a kid. And me too. Notorious next robbers too.
Well the blizzard conditions have moved into OKC and I am doing my best to keep the birds fed. Problem is the Starlings are the biggest bullies on the block. A few days ago I put a new Bushnell scope on my pellet rifle and got it sighted in with my new Gamo Tomahawk Pointed Hollow points 7.8 gr. One of my Robin's was on top of a piece of bread and a couple of Starlings flew in and scared him off. He flew into the shrub out on my side fence, about 15 yards away, and just watched as the hungry Starlings feasted on the morsel of bread. It was bitter cold and the snow blowing a gale, when one of the starlings flew into the shrub and perched about 12" to the left of the Robin. It just so happened that one of the brick fence pillars was right behind him and made a perfect backstop, should I miss. I loaded my pellet rifle, and eased the kitchen window open about six inches. The Starling didn't see me I rested my barrel on the window sill and put the cross hair right on his puffed up chest, and squeezed off a round. That Tomahawk went "thud" and he dropped straight down into the snow and disappeared. The Robin, 12" away, never new what happened and just sat there. I highly recommend these Gamo Tomahawks for Starling eradication. Very accurate and effective pellet. It uses the same fluid dynamics expansion theory as the Federal Hydra-Shok as the bullet passes through tissue.
I need to buy me a good pellet gun. Haven’t had one since the Benjamin pump I had as a kid. What do y’all recommend ? My LGS doesn’t stock a decent variety. All they have are those full auto B.B. guns.
Here is my latest Starling eliminator. This thing is really accurate. 10 pumps and 600fps is plenty, even to the tree tops in my back yard. When I get the cross hairs on 'em and get a good squeeze on the trigger, it is sudden death and a long fall to the ground for those black pirates.
Crossman 1377 All American .177 cal - $40
Picatinny scope rail for the Crosman 1377/1322 - $40
I wished it was legal to kill Mockingbirds. I hate those bastards. They’d attack my dogs and cats when I was a kid. And me too. Notorious next robbers too.
they say mockingbirds can since feelings in people. I had one that every time I opened the garage, he would come and sit on the powerline right above my head, did this for two years more times than not. Weird.
Here is my latest Starling eliminator. This thing is really accurate. 10 pumps and 600fps is plenty, even to the tree tops in my back yard. When I get the cross hairs on 'em and get a good squeeze on the trigger, it is sudden death and a long fall to the ground for those black pirates.
Crossman 1377 All American .177 cal - $40
Picatinny scope rail for the Crosman 1377/1322 - $40
I've just got a Gamo rifle, "Rocket" I think it's called. Came complete with a Gamo air rifle scope on it. Sportsman's Guide, or Midway, or some online place 4-5 years ago. Accurate enough when the wind isn't blowing here, which isn't often, I do OK on them little birds at 25 paces to the chicken coop.
Kinda like that pistol idea too. For when the weather gets nicer and I can work in the garden. Easier to keep handy than the rifle.
I wished it was legal to kill Mockingbirds. I hate those bastards. They’d attack my dogs and cats when I was a kid. And me too. Notorious next robbers too.
“Rover, show me on the doll where the big meany-bird hurt you”
I wished it was legal to kill Mockingbirds. I hate those bastards. They’d attack my dogs and cats when I was a kid. And me too. Notorious next robbers too.
they say mockingbirds can since feelings in people. I had one that every time I opened the garage, he would come and sit on the powerline right above my head, did this for two years more times than not. Weird.
They’re pretty socialable. So are catbirds. I feed the catbirds orange halves and grape jelly on an oriole feeder. They’ll sit on the ground or in a bush waiting for me to toss the berries, then fly down and grab them. When the damn robins find out, they come in and start throwing their weight around, so I have to scatter the berries to give the catbirds a chance.
For some reason, maybe the ants that are attracted, downy woodpeckers go for that jelly too.
Still can’t believe Rossi puts a manual safety on a break gun with a hammer. Oh well probably lawyers were involved. Keep up the good work. I like the reflex sight on it. First one I have seen set up like that
I need to buy me a good pellet gun. Haven’t had one since the Benjamin pump I had as a kid. What do y’all recommend ? My LGS doesn’t stock a decent variety. All they have are those full auto B.B. guns.
Ruger Air Hawk 177 Caliber Pellet Air Rifle with Scope - Midway $149.99 - (Chinese Ruger Branded Scope and rings)
(upgrade to pellet rifle designed glass) Hawke Vantage 3-9x40 AO Scope Mil-Dot Riflescope (14123), Black 4.4 out of 5 stars 204 ratings | 43 answered questions Amazon Prime Price: $109.99
(upgraded to Picatinny Scope Mount) UTG MNT-PMTOWL - A New Gen Dovetail to Picatinny/Weaver Adaptor Mount, One Size Brand: UTG 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,753 ratings | 113 answered questions List Price: $9.97 Amazon Prime Price: $8.39
This is going to open up a wide field of accurate, withering fire upon the enemy especially those shy Starlings that perch in the top of the trees. The brown suet feeder, mounted so that I have a clear body shot on Starlings feeding from either side, is their favorite feeding station. I also have a suet log, to the left, that they like. Often, they will drop to the ground to feed on the crumbs. This Caldwell Pistolero allows me to adjust my barrel up or down, so I can hit them on the ground and in the top of the trees, and anywhere in between. The brick post, on my back porch, provides cover.
Here is my latest Starling eliminator. This thing is really accurate. 10 pumps and 600fps is plenty, even to the tree tops in my back yard. When I get the cross hairs on 'em and get a good squeeze on the trigger, it is sudden death and a long fall to the ground for those black pirates.
Crossman 1377 All American .177 cal - $40
Picatinny scope rail for the Crosman 1377/1322 - $40
Hammers Handgun Scope 2x20mm - $86
Result from my morning coffee break on the back porch, overlooking my suet feeders. Two Common Grackles fell on the other side of the fence, where the possums clean up every night. I shoot off a Caldwell rest, and this little pistol shoots dime size groups at 20 yards.
OK I gotta show off my new Buck-Rail silencer for my Crosman 1377. For you suburbanites, who may be concerned about the retort, from your pellet pistol. frightening the horses next door, this thing turn it into whisper quiet. $25 and worth it.
OK I gotta show off my new Buck-Rail silencer for my Crosman 1377. For you suburbanites, who may be concerned about the retort, from your pellet pistol. frightening the horses next door, this thing turn it into whisper quiet. $25 and worth it.
I am doing my part, on a daily basis, to rid my yard of those nasty, but wary Starlings. I have now officially added The Brown Headed Cowbird to the list of targets. They are not nearly as wary as Starlings and are starting to flood my yard and feeders, so I started taking them out today after reading this blurb on the Audubon website . . . "Centuries ago this bird probably followed bison herds on the Great Plains, feeding on insects flushed from the grass by the grazers. Today it follows cattle, and occurs abundantly from coast to coast. Its spread has represented bad news for other songbirds: Cowbirds lay their eggs in nests of other birds. Heavy parasitism by cowbirds has pushed some species to the status of "endangered" and has probably hurt populations of some others.
I have seen all of these Cowbirds in my back yard over the years, and did not know what the Juvenile and newborn's were. I am not shooting the Redwing Blackbirds nor the Common Grackles because they do not rob nests. The Redwing Blackbirds nest in marshes and eat insects and grubs from your lawn. They are also known to kill Sparrows. The Grackles nest in flocks and do not molest songbird nests. I have found that Redwing Blackbirds and Grackles provide attractive live decoys for Starlings and Brown Headed Cowbirds. Provides a false sense of security to those wary Starlings.
Adult Male
Immature male
Female
Juvenile
Sparrow feeding young Cowbird that was born in the Sparrow's nest