How do we get rid of Starlings? There are hundreds nesting in trees in our area.?

Question

They are like vermin. They make so much mess and are ruining the paint work on cars. They fly around for half an hour (usually 5pm) before returning to the trees.
Can anyone suggest anything to help?
We have tried crow scarers, and next door has even bought a plastic owl that someone reccomended.
Thanks

Answer 1

I herd that if you put baking soda on bread chuncks, they will eat the bread and explode a few mis later due to the soda expanding in them. A tadd cruel, but very effective in keeping the numbers down.

Answer 2

Starlings can really be a problem, and while they do have an ecological niche they can cause a lot of property damage and can be the source of disease as well. Luckily, there are dozens of economic and humane ways to deal with them. To keep them out of your yard specifically I would suggest a visual scare device such as the TerrorEyes. The problem with most visual scare devices (like hanging CDs) is that they are static and unchanging, and the birds will quickly become used to them. The TerrorEyes is a large orange balloon with owl markings and holographic eyes. The eyes constantly follow birds and completely terrifies them. This is usually enough for them to leave.
If you are still having troubles there are a variety of other products available, and I would suggest calling 1 800 860 0473 for a free consultation or visiting http://www.bird-x.com. Good luck!

Answer 3

Starlings do a good job for the environment in eating garden and farm pests. Sadly they do not always live where we want them. Complain to your council - they may help if it is a real problem. Try using a recording of starlings in distress - it may put them off. Hire a professional bird scarer as a community or failing that purchase a plastic cover for your car and wipe down the paintowrk.

Answer 4

While our starlings are resident, northern European birds migrate to the UK for the winter. In addition to the UK breeding population being red-listed, starling numbers are declining across much of Europe, and we are getting fewer migrants than we did a few years ago. As a result, many winter roosts are now considerably smaller than in the past.

Therefore I would not recomend any form of killing, however if you have concerns then contact the RSPB:

The RSPB
The Lodge
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 2DL
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]

Maybe they can give better advice than you would get from anyone on here.

Answer 5

well you can buy a sound machine , lot´s of farmers have them here in Spain, it´s a loud bang noise a bit like a car back firing, This frighten´s them away . also you good try putting some CD´S . Tie some string throw the hole´s of the CD´S , & hang them around the branches of the tree , the reflection of the light, & them moving in the wind really frighten´s them away, after all you would need to make a lot of scarecrows to get rid of them , and the CD´S don´t cost much to buy , if you have any old ones you could use them

Answer 6

they have products called Roost No More and Tanglefoot that you can put in their roosting area to prevent them from roosting and making nests. you can also put boards up at a 45 degree angle to help with this too.

cover all berry bushes and grape vines with netting placed on poles and held down with rock around all edges. (starlings will go to any lengths to get to berries)

it says here that owl and hawk decoys will help keep them out of gardens. it also mentions large wind socks (they mean really big ones and suggest asking a local car dealership where they purchase theirs)

if you or neighbors have garden still going try using reflecting tape (garden supply stores) and put it on poles and place it between rows of the crops. this will help keep them out of the gardens

tell your neighbors about these too cause if you all work together they will leave your area and go somewhere else

Answer 7

You should be happy they're there. It means your house is in a good area (you know, the Earth's energy and stuff).
I think that area belongs to the birds just as much as to you and your neighbours. Try to live with them. Invest in a simple garage - that will get rid of the droppings on your car and will also make your car insurance cheaper.
The birds are also a good factor getting rid of insects that would fy into your houses otherwise. And there must be a lot of insects to feed that many birds!

Chirp, chirp!

Answer 8

I would recommend that you contact the RSPB as someone else has suggested. You might even get an understanding of their behaviour. Understanding what the birds are doing and why may help you with the problem of "not in my backyard" that you and your neighbours seem to have.

Answer 9

The only way to keep them out of the trees is to smear grease on the branches. It is a time consuming job, but worthwhile for you and the neighbours.

Answer 10

Try an actual scarecrow! Is there a food sauce near your house ? This is obviously their flight path and territory,cover your cars over with car shields.