Starlings generally do not have a good reputation, especially in the west. We all are aware of the intruder traits and bully nature that these birds tend to exhibit over time.
Once, I too spotted some starlings in my backyard.
Initially, it didn’t seem much concerning to me, even though I definitely wasn’t quite pleased by their presence, I assumed they will eventually make their way out of my property.
But things definitely didn’t go my way and the birds kept loitering around in my backyard.
Driving other birds away who were attracted into my garden during their migration season for the feeders and the bird baths that I set up.
Things seemed to go really out of my hands when I decided to take control and put it on a strict check.
I hence started my research on how to typically get rid of these annoying birds from the backyard.
And the following points are exactly what I derived from the same, presented to you in an organized manner in case you are going through what I had to a few months back!
Methods I Used To Get Rid Of Starlings
Method 1: A Motion-Activated Sprinkler Always Works
Motion-activated sprinklers are believed to be of great use to deter away literally any bird or animal if used in the right manner and wisely.
These are basically devices that have advanced technology sensors attached to a water pipe.
These sensors are activated all the time, and as soon as they detect any motion in their area of concern, they tend to sprinkle gushes of water with a frightening sound that effectively scares off the creature.
You can go for solar-powered sprinklers as they are a lot easier to maintain.
A customizable settings sprinkler is also preferred to save water and detect and distinguish movements.
You just have to set them up on the ground through an easy installation process and set their angle towards the sky to take better targets on the flying Starlings.
Method 2: Reflection Therapy Is Effective
Birds hate dynamic, unpredictable, and flashing lights. And this exact disturbing element for birds can be used to our advantage.
We can install shiny surfaced reflectors in the places that these birds tend to visit more for best results.
For this purpose, we can use old unused things like CDs and old mirrors or invest in some reflector tapes that come in handy and are reusable too.
You just need to hang them from relevant places and enjoy these hanging reflectors driving the frightened birds away.
The feeder trick is worth the try and feeders that are specifically Starling proof
Method 3: Either You Do A Trick, Or You Create A Barrier.
The trick is to deprive your bird feeder with the Starling edible food and replace them with grains that the Starlings are incapable of feeding on, due to their narrow, soft, and fragile beaks.
Some of such are in-shell peanuts, sunflower with its shell on, bird’s safflower, and nyjer.
However, if you don’t really want to change the food, guard it. Use mesh wires and protective bird-proof nets and setups for your bird feeders that are not feasible for these birds.
In both ways, you deprive the Starlings of their basic necessity of food in your garden and hence leave them with no reason to stay back on your property.
Method 4: Using Ultrasonic Sound Repellents
We all know how birds can hear lower frequencies than humans can due to their wider audible range that goes lower than ours. Hence, we obviously can use this to our advantage.
Ultrasonic sound repellers are some electronic devices that emit sounds that are scientifically proven to be unpleasant to the ears of birds.
So, if you play these sounds consistently around your place, you can easily drive these birds away from your property.
These devices are also quite easy to install and use and are some worthy investments to make.
Method 5: Decoy Falcon Bird Kites Or Scarecrows Will Work Well Too
Decoy predator birds are always an excellent way of getting rid of annoying birds. You just have to be quite wise with it and that’s it.
Falcon birds are some major Starling predators and hence, if you use decoy kites that resemble Falcons, and also keep changing the places you fix them in, the Starlings will mistake it for the birds themselves and will flee for life.
The same goes for scarecrows too. If you are using decoy figurines, make sure that they facilitate time-to-time movements and also are solar-powered for better performance.
Method 6: Don’t Let Them Have Edibles
Get them devoid of everything they would wanna feed on.
From cracked corn and millets to sunflower kernels, shelled peanuts, mealworms, and even human foods should be removed from their feasibility in all instances.
When you offer nothing for these birds to eat in your place, they do not have any reason to keep loitering around on your property.
Method 7: Don’t Let Them Nest Over
Starlings are cavity-prone creatures. They tend to build nests in every possible cavity that they find around.
And this is the same thing they are doing with your property if you are undergoing a Starling infestation.
Hence, it’s best for you to check all the cracks, crevices, and possible cavities that might be present on your property and fill them up. You can also choose to install mesh wires in the crack openings instead.
However, do not forget to check that you don’t end up trapping any bird already inside the nest to death.
Method 8: Plant Some Prune Trees
You need to make your garden run out of perching places.
The main motive to have more and more Prune trees in your backyard is to have trees that have fewer branches for these birds to choose as an alternative option to your restricted perching areas.
They also use branches to host their nests and you definitely don’t want to encourage that, hence the Prune trees.
Method 9: A Bird Shock Tape Can Be Used Too
When things get quite out of your hands, you might have to take a few measures even though you will specifically won’t enjoy doing them. One such is a shock fence or bird shock tape.
You can install these shock tapes literally everywhere where these birds tend to perch.
Doing such, you will significantly reduce the roosting options for the birds, automatically making your garden a lot less attractive and a lot more harmful for them.
Method 10: A Wire Mesh Is Functional
Covering their edibles with wire mesh is an excellent idea when you are trying to get the Starlings out of your property.
As Starlings mostly feed on random crops and basically fruits, you can easily cover such trees with mesh covers that are impenetrable for the birds.
This is a widely used method and is definitely effective because you do not need to get rid of the edibles totally and yet make your garden significantly less attractive to the birds.
Method 11: Using Trap For these birds
Sometimes, mere tricks won’t work and you will have to get back to some traditional methods for the best results.
One such traditional method is the trap and release method wherein you prepare a trap for these birds and once they get caught in it, you release them somewhere far from your property.
You can here use the typical bird traps for small birds like Starlings with an inner spring-loaded mechanism.
These traps tend to close the trap gates once any movement is noticed and hence the birds are stuck inside.
You can check these traps regularly and as soon as you find any movement, you can dispose of them somewhere far from your property.
Lastly, a professional
Sometimes these birds are way too stubborn to get rid of through mere DIY methods.
Also, you might be the one who doesn’t even want to take up the extra work or the risk of them not working out well. In such cases, you can always go for the professional approach.
This method will probably cost you a lot more bucks than all other previously discussed methods but will definitely assure you the best results at all costs, with no risks involved of them coming back, at least in the near future.
Hence, you can get these full-proof services through critter control service providers and you will be good to go!
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