I have two starling nests in my eves! I love it!

[Wcross]

I guess they have decided to put up a nest. I really am pleased I could provide them a safe place to nest and they are killing all the wasps! I had a hell of a wasp problem last year and earlier this year. Now I would be hard pressed to find one anywhere near the house!

[bahrbearian]

1. Are you sick.. They are filthy birds, I'd take wasps any day

Flying Rats.

[streblin]

2. Flying rats ???

beautiful animals they are !!!

[Wcross]

5. Flying rats beat things that can cause a painful sting any day!n/t

[Shell Beau]

19. Have you ever been stung by a group of wasps?

[Wcross]

28. I had a bad experience as a kid.

An old swingset in my yard, I had just eaten an orange (if it matters). My brother yelled down the old rusted top bar which was hollow- I yelled back into the tube and I got three wasp stings on my mouth. It hurt like hell, I think I was eight.

[kanrok]

3. Starlings are cool

but woe betide the person who gets close to their nest. They aim for the back of the head as you're walking away. Nasty little buggers when their perturbed. But on balance (coollooking birds near the house, and no wasps) I'd say you got a winner.

[-..__...]

4. Starlings are more clever than people think.

For one thing, they can learn to talk...

http://www.starlingtalk.com/talkingstarlings.htm

And they can be entertaining.

http://www.utahbirds.org/BirdStory.htm

[gizmo1979]

6. I really hate birds.

they poop on my car and wake me up in the morning.Build nests where I don't want them.LIke eaves.

[streblin]

7. errrrrrrrrrrr that's a problem

i don't have !!!

being waked up in the morning is nice tho...

my problem is that i love them so much i spend too much on feed...

i'd rather feed them than my kids !!!!

this is a beautiful bird !!!!!

[Redstone]

9. Um...I've never seen a starling with an orange throat;

you sure you have the right ID on your birds?

Redstone

[streblin]

12. let me clarify

i do not have problems with starlings...

this bird is a beautiful red breasted grosbeck !!!

i have many many many !!!!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. welcome to DU, streblin!

:hi:

[bertha katzenengel]

17. that's a beautiful bird, streblin - your own photo?

what kind of bird is that?

[streblin]

20. hi

that's a red breasted grosbeak...

please excuse my spelling in the prior post...

we have ton's of 'em at my house along with a whole bunch of other cuties !!!

i do spend lots of $$$ on feed but i really love looking at
these fella's... especially in winter.. i'm amazed... how do those birds survive when it's 20 below 0 !!!! bbbbbrrrrrrrrr.....

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Ooh, starlings can be killed with impunity for their filthy

rodent like behavior.

But on the other hand, they're part of nature, they're eating your wasps, and they'll eat a lot of other insects, so I'd keep 'em.

[streblin]

13. eeeekkkkkkkkkkk

be kind to animals !!!!



this little guy is filthy (at tymes) too...

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. He also has the blue eyes of the Fremen!

He's already addicted to spice!

[ChoralScholar]

18. They also spread disease, especially near livestock...

I don't kill them intentionally, because I don't do that, but several have been cooked on my electric fence, until the rest figured out to stay away....

[lukasahero]

23. They're part of EUROPE's nature, not ours

They're contributing the decimation of our own native songbird populations.

[petronius]

11. I have a hummingbird nesting outside my office

Starlings are pretty, if not particularly melodious...

[gizmo1979]

26. Hummingbirds are cool

they don't poop on my car.

[blindpig]

15. If you're in the city you don't have many bird options

I grew up in the city and all we had was starlings, house sparrows, pigeons, and in the winter herring gulls so I guess it beats a blank for the urban bound. The variety of sounds that starlings mimic is amazing. They'll do car horns and industrial whistles.

Problem is that they are an invasive species, they don't belong here and compete with our native species. Because of their aggressiveness they have other native hole nesting species such as Eastern Bluebirds at a disadvantage. Since I've moved to the countryside I don't see them within 7-8 miles of the house but should I find them in one of my boxes they will be ejected.

[bertha katzenengel]

16. Starlings kill wasps?!

I will never complain about them again. We have a wasp problem, too.

I'm happy for you, Wcross! Can you get any photos?

[Mutley]

21. I found a baby starling in my yard last summer

He didn't seem injured except a few scrapes. I'm not sure where he came from because I couldn't see a nest anywhere. But there's a few hidden places where a nest could be. I took him to a bird rescue near by.

Welcome to DU streblin!

[jandrok]

22. Generally considered to be a bad bird to have around

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Sturnus_vulgaris.html

They're an introduced species that can crowd out other native birds in an area. The purple martin hobbyists particularly hate starlings because of their propensity to take over martin houses and kill or evict the martin population.

And a lot of species of wasps are good to have, especially the mud daubers and other similar types. They will help to control mosquitos and other harmful insects.

[Mutley]

24. yeah but

this little guy was just a baby and he couldn't help that he was born a starling!

[Castilleja]

25. I read the title as "I have two starling nests in my eyes"

so I had to look! I'm glad to see that I misread that! I hear that starlings are considered pest birds, however if they are helping you out with a problem near your home, that's a plus. But wasps also eat certain pests, too. If wasps find you really attractive to sting, like they do my husband, the starlings are definitely helping out.

[snacker]

27. I hope you don't have a swimming pool...

we have an above-ground pool and every spring, the nearbly nesting starlings clean out their nests and drop the bird droppings in our pool. What a mess!