Awesome Display! Starling Pursued as Enemy

AvianStewardess · Sat Jun 08, 2013 6:24 am

Hello, Everybody. Maybe it's just my region; maybe it's just my creek; maybe it's just my colony. Whatever the explanation, the purple martins around here recognize a starling as an enemy. So far, I've seen the PUMA protect their perches and their compartments but this morning's observations were way beyond that.

First, I observed a starling start to approach a perch occupied by an ASY. I then saw it back-flapping crazily, flying away from the perch as fast as it could. It never landed. The ASY half-heartedly took off after it but quickly returned.

Then, a little later on, I observed three males, 2 ASY and 1 SY, pursuing another starling, aggressively, with one of the ASY attacking it, literally. They were more disturbed by its presence than by the crows that frequently try to get at a mockingbird nest nearby. Their pursuit was easily three times as far as they will pursue the crow.

Very encouraging to see! Just had to share...

DAVE · Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:16 am

It's not just your place this happens. It happens here just about every day. The other day I saw 4 ASY males chase 3 male Starlings and brought 2 of them to the ground. I guess the Martins have had enough

Dave

Lewis · Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:23 am

I have a bluebird house about 50 ft. from my racks and I have seen the bluebirds team up with the martins to run the starlings off and the starlings never came back.

Lewis

avesrun · Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:36 am

Thanks for the post AvianStewardess. I've been wondering how defensive PUMA can be toward Starlings and hopeful that if I ever get a colony started they will do same; let me know if you see them do the same toward HOSP!
I hope it starts to run in the genes of all your newborn martins!

Tim

AvianStewardess · Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:47 pm

So glad to hear this! I know it doesn't mean I get to be any less diligent about keeping the pests away but helps to know that they are defending themselves! Thanks for sharing your experiences; and look forward to hearing about your colony in the future, avesrun!

phldave · Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:43 pm

Avianstewardess:

I too am trying to start a colony and I have a male starling that is a particular thorn in my side right now. He's too big to enter the SREH's so I can't trap him, but he thinks the site is his. Since I live in the city limits I am not to shoot him. So I wish something would drive him off.

Dave

Don Troha · Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:05 pm

I watched my resident SY male chase off a starling a few days days ago. Made my day.

I had the camera out but it happened so quickly there was no time to get a pic.

KathyF · Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:33 am

While outside their nest cavities, martins - with their superior flight capabilities, bluebirds, etc. will attack & try to chase them off. I've watched several of these battles and held my breath, hoping I would be able to pick off the starling before he entered a nest cavity.

It's when the starlings or HOSP trap a martin / or other native bird *inside* the nest cavity that it can be deadly to a martin / bluebird, etc. The starlings' sharp beak and strong feet / claws will kill a martin quickly.

Unless a martin can grow a stronger / sharper beak (unlikely) and stronger feet (unlikely again, since they're "fliers"), the starling will always be, sadly, a huge threat to martins.