Starlings and Conley II entrance

[Bob Fraser]

I didn't want to hijack Scully's post on this topic.

Anyway, I have 24 Troyer gourds (12 horizontal and 12 vertical) with the Conley II entrances. They are installed on a Gemini system. A starling has claimed one of the Troyer horizontals and seems to go in and out with ease.

The gourd is on the top ring of the Gemini. Emil had suggested (on a different occasion when I had a sparrow problem)) lowering the rack to 8 ft or so and pre-dawn blocking the entrance so the bird couldn't escape. The problem with the Gemini is that if I lowered the top ring to 8 ft, the bottom would be at 6 and that might be a little low. I don't think the starling has overnighted yet.

I have the starling pretty spooked - he doesn't like to see me out there. I appear and he's ready to fly. Me chasing him doesn't seem to bother the martins much. If he gets too close to gourds occupied by martins they will attack him (if there are several of them around).

What should I do about this starling? If the martins are out hunting and the starling shows up, I'll try to shoot him... Don't want to shoot towards the rack when martins are there - don't want to scare them.

If I were to block his entrance, would he just try to find another gourd to nest in? I have 24 with the same entrance and I assume he could get in any of them.
A majority of the others have martin nests in them (no eggs yet).

Someone needs to invent a light, aluminum maybe, pole (maybe 10 ft long) with a net/drawstring on the end..... Then about 5am, I could slip the net over the entrance and pull the drawstring trapping the bird in the gourd.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance...

Bob

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Bob, that should be very easy for you to make and try. If you have any birdnetting, that should make a good bag. Hope that it works for you. A simple board like a 1x2 would work good for that if you cannot find an aluminum pole. About lowering the house, they will use it 6ft off the ground. The martins may be squaking a bit, but they go right in.

[Peggy Riley]

I've used a long fish net before. He will try other gourds if he likes the location.

I hate even the thought of this suggestion but if your birds are on eggs or you have babies you can just leave the scumbeak alone and let them nest temporarily. I have had to let sparrows do that when I can't trap them and I don't want them to bother eggs or babies. It keeps the S&S occupied and out of the other nests.

Then before the S&S fledge they are disposed of. It really grates on my nerves to have to resort to this but sometimes that's the only option to keep eggs and babies safe.

Peggy

[willbird]

Hmm maybe we need a sure fire remote control ether dispenser to turn a gourd into a tiny gas chamber :-).

Bill

[Peggy Riley]

Bill if you come up with something I'd use it!!

It's harder than it sounds to sneak up on them. Something always spooks them.

[Glynn B - LA]

Why don't you use a Troyer gourd trap? It's very inexspensive and it works as is for sparrows. Use another piece of wire or clothes hanger to make your own longer trigger (about 2" longer) for the starlings. Got rid of two starling breachers for me.





Glynn

[Bob Fraser]

Peggy - you're right. He only seems interested in that one gourd right now, so I didn't want to close it up just in case he decided he'd try another (one that hat nesting martins in it). If worse comes to worse - I'd rather he just mess with the one gourd.

Emil - very true..... And it wouldn't need to be 10 feet - maybe 6 or 7 would be plenty...

I'm disappointed in these Conley II's - when I bought them, thought I was buying some good stuff. If sparrows and starlings can breech them with ease, heck, I might as well have round holes. I hope someone comes up with a fix for them.

Thanks all..

That comment above about sparrows was pretty silly... wasn't thinking as I was typing...... thanks for bringing that to my attention...

[Louise Chambers]

House Sparrows are smaller than martins and can get into any entrance that a martin can. For the Conley II entrances, many have added a piece of wood or tile to the porch, raising porch floor to be almost level with bottom of the entrance - you could give that a try.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

In addition to what Louise said, a very slick porch may help, it keeps the starling from pushing his way into the entrance.

[Carlton]

I second what Glynn said. That wire loop trap works very well for starlings in THG or TVG. Not so well for HS though.

[Bob Fraser]

Overlooked the troyer gourd trap. Let me look into that. Thanks guys.

[Carlton]

When you trap the starling in the gourd, with that trap, you do not have to reach in and try to grab the bird. You just put a STRONG clear plastic bag over the entrance to the tunnel and raise the drop down door. He will fly into the bag. Spray a little Instant Starting Fluid in the bag and he will quickly expire.

[Bob Fraser]

Thanks, Carlton.

Ordered one a couple of minutes ago.

[Carlton]

I have used the wire loop trap with great success. As I said, it works great for starlings but I do not find it works well FOR ME for house sparrows.

You do not want to have the tip of the wire sticking out of the drop door very far. You want it just about even with the edge of the drop down door. If the drop down door is plastic try it out a couple times, reversing the direction, and see which way drops the best. Sometimes one direction works smoother than the other.

[Bob Fraser]

thanks Carlton.... After I receive it, if I have any questions, I'll get in touch.

thanks again...

[Allan Day]

Although the my Connley II's on my Troyers are being breached with ease; I have been able to trap all of the Starlings using the Troyer trap. The main reason I went with so many Troyers over Excluder gourds is the great troyer trap. It works great. You need to try it.
I thought I would trap on rare occasions when I experienced a breach.....boy was I wrong...it has become daily between my neighbor that I am mentoring and myself.
As I expand, I will add Excluder's with excluder II entrances, mine have not been breached yet. Hopefully Troyer will come out with a new entrance on their tunnels and solve the problem. I hope they give me some kind of credit because of the Connley II problem.
A word of advise, check your trap frequently. If given time, the Starlings can get their beaks under the door of the trap and free themselves.

[Connie Roman ~ NJ]

Allan,
I agree with you about the Excluder Gourds. I have 32 Excluder Gourds with Excluder II entrances and I’ve never had a starling breach them. I’d like to try the TVGs but I’m waiting for the problem with the Conley II entrances to be corrected before buying them.

[daveh]

Bob, I get starlings or sparrows thatare real spooky, because I've shot at them several times with my pellet gun and miss. Just walking out the house door and there gone.

I've invested in a cheap Walmart tent and will put it up when I have spooky birds and place close to the compartment he's using. I'll crawl in with my Hammerli, maybe with a cup of coffee or a beer and wait, with just enough door zipped open to see entrance. It doesn't take long, 10-15 minutes and he's nailed. My friends ask about my little tent and I tell them. You can just read their minds like Dave, you have to much time on your hands. I probably do.

I think Ray hides out in his truck next to his compartments for the same purpose. But I'm sure he's more comfy than me--plush seat compare to hard dirt.

dave

[Bob Fraser]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have the troyer trap on order, should be here by the end of the week.

Should I just leave the starling(s) alone until the trap gets here. Let the starling(s) get comfortable, start building a nest? Or should I run them off at every opportunity? If they're settled in and comfortable, it might be easier to trap them once I receive the trap.

As it is now, anytime I see a starling land on the rack, I go out and they fly off. Must have done it 50 times yesterday.

Last two nights, I haven't allowed starlings onto the gourd rack at dusk - stood out there near the rack (this doesn't affect the martins - they're used to me - but the starling(s), for some reason, don't like me a lot).

As long as the starling(s) aren't bothering the martins too much, I wondered if I should just leave them alone - let them get comfortable and then, get them after the trap gets here.

thanks..

[Bob Fraser]

any thoughts?