Starlings

[DannyB]

Buy a plastic decoy owl and hoist in the rigging. They wont come near.

We tried that to get rid of pigeons, waste of time, I used to have a photo I took of a pigeon sitting on the head of the fake owl. They quickly realise that it's not real. On the other hand a car showroom near me has a kite in the shape of a hawk which they fly to keep the seagulls off the new cars, and that works a treat. Apparently birds don't like to see things above them.

 

[wiggy]

Anyone tried Hum Line?

 

[Cymrogwyllt]

Make starling pie?

 

[Hydrozoan]

Owls, hawk kites, fine lines, humming lines, strobes, dead birds etc. All the makings of a long term PBO test - and a novel one at that?

 

[Pagetslady]

The starlings near us are feasting on Blackberries at the moment.

Very colourful, not. :disgust:

I think there should be a Royal Society for the Persecution of Birds.......

Ian & Jo

I think they will be Elderberries very staining,

 

[tidclacy]

Anyone tried Hum Line?

Yes did not work for me

 

[SHUG]

Get an OWL: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/321145533223?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

 

[Stemar]

View attachment 45190Get an OWL: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/3211...f11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

It'll work fine for a few days. Unfortunately, starlings are intelligent birds & soon realise it never moves and things that don't move aren't a threat.

The only thing that works in my experience is thread stretched loosely above potential perches. I used black thread but I like the idea of fine monofilament - it'd be harder to spot and they don't like anything they might get tangled in. It won't harm them, but it makes your boat a less des avian res.

 

[FulmarJeddo]

I have an owl with a wobbly head (from Force 4 I think) sitting on the boom. It keeps most of the Starlings away, they do seem to sit on the pushpit though and leave their mess on the transom, but not as much as before I had the owl. It does occasionally look as though the sea gulls come and sit along side the owl, but that not as bad as the mess the starling use to leave.