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 More on sparrow and starling control
what is the most effective way to get rid of them? |
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Wage war with an air rifle or machine gun. (73 votes) 65.18% I have two thoughts about the results of this poll and I'll be darned if I can get off the "fence" and make a commitment to what's the correct thing to do. From my experience, nothing works well to rid your martin house from starlings and those obnoxious sparrows. I have tried everything and to vote on what works best puts me on the "fence", teetering back and forth in indecision. Everything seems to work good until the sparrows catch on to what's happening. Then, it's like the sparrows' nature to out wit you by not falling prey to your devices. That's when the frustration comes in and the pellet gun comes out. And you can't have a little puny "bb" gun; it has to be a target gun, one with some hurmph. This is the truth, I could come out of my garage, sparrows would be on my martin house 100 foot away, and they would carry on as if nothing in the world would bother them. Now, when I went back into the garage and got my pellet gun (Diana), slowly and methodically crept out to fix one in my sites, They'd KNOW and all fly away just out of range. Not totally gone, you see, just out of range to torment me! So, I can understand why people voted the way they did and yet I don't know if it's the "best" way. It may be a good way to "inflict" my disgust and anger on them but still, maybe not the most effective way for eliminating them. While I sit on top of the "fence" pondering which way to commit, maybe I'll take a "think out of the box" approach and let them be. Let the martins and the sparrows live in total "disharmony", like the rest of the world. Think they'd get along ok? I do. Nevertheless, I need to do my part to get rid of the "predator" who "beaks" havoc on my martin family. The fight against Sparrows and Starlings continues with a question from a member... Fontaine writes... Hey Purple Martin Gang, First of all I love reading about all your PM news. As this is my very first year to try an attract PM's, I need all the expert help I can get. I put up a Purple Martin House and (12) Troyer Horizontal Gourd's, Installed 5 ft. of PVC pipe around the bottom of each pole and covered the ground with sand to discourage predators and snakes. Yesterday at 10:00 A.M. as I was working in my flower beds to my utter amazement and delight in swooped 5 beautiful Purple Martin's making so much noise. They visited off and on all morning long, seeming to be checking out the accommodations for suitability. The last time I spotted them was around 2:00 P.M. I haven't seen them again, please tell me they'll come back. This is my question though, I have seen some Starlings going in and out of the house before the PM's arrived, they didn't seem real intent on setting up house keeping, and I had not seen any sign of Purple Martin's so I did not discourage their presence. They were not able to enter the gourds, however they tried real hard, they all have SREH's. I have seen evidence of sparrow's building nests in a couple of the gourds. I am not real excited about destroying any birds, but I guess I can if I have to. If the Purple Martin's sense there have been Starlings in the nests, even if they aren't actually living there, will the Purple Martin's come back? Do I need to get a BB Gun; I probably couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I know there are Starling and Sparrow traps but should I wait to see if I have a problem first? Fontaine-- It sounds like you're off to a great start, the first year and the Martins are already "swooping" in. Of course they'll be back, but unfortunately no one could promise you that. That's part of the fun, to experience martins for the first time and "hope" they will return to make a permanent home. All we can do is to make they're return possible is to provide them with safe and comfortable living quarters which leads into your question of addressing the starlings. Just having a sparrow or starling in a nest area won't deter a martin from coming back. It's the sparrows/starlings return you need to address. Many folks don't like the thought of "destroying" any of Gods creatures and no one can decide on what the best way to handle this issues is, it's an individual thing. To help attract martins and to keep a successful colony, sparrows and starlings need to be eliminated or fought off just like other predators, they are all a problem from the moment you set the house up. There are consequences. It's a never ending job and it's a responsibility in a way. Why go to the time, effort and expense to see your martin family destroyed by something you can take measures to control. Everyone is different but most people try to protect their investments. The other choice is to let the martins, sparrows and starlings co-exist. You may not raise many martins and consider this; left unprotected many martins will be destroyed by the predators. How is the job of fighting off the sparrows/ starlings best done? It's done with a combination of "proven" methods and lots of diligence. A good "pellet", "BB" or some other gun that is legal and used in a responsible manor can be useful. Traps, both house and baited, repeating or single nest box compartment, are also effective to "curb" the problem. The bottom line is that if you're going to enjoy raising martins you need to "think through" what works best for "you". It takes some time and experimenting and with that, will come your personal preferences. My advice, coming from "going through it and finding out the "disturbing" truth" is that a person should go slow, spend your money wisely and understand there are many others dealing with the problem effectively, still sleeping at night and enjoying the martins during the day. 
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Copyright © 1998 to present Jeffry Blair.
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