Invaded by those Starlings?

[IrishEyes]

These birds come in flocks of 20 or more. They can strip 2 blocks of suet in less
than a half hour. When they come to visit it's like a scene from "The Birds" movie.
Plus they are so noisy and fight viciously with each other.
I finally won the war on squirrels now these little devils show up!
What they can do to cover your car and windshield is horrid.

Anyone have any idea how to get them to move on?

 

[Lawrence00]

Don't do suet until they move on. Do mixed bird seed. They will kick out smaller seeds to the ground and the little birds don't mind.

 

[IrishEyes]

I did a search and found this helpful site, now to choose a not expensive method of
making them feed elsewhere.

4 Proven Ways to Get Rid of Starlings TODAY! (2026)

 

[IrishEyes]

Don't do suet until they move on. Do mixed bird seed. They will kick out smaller seeds to the ground and the little birds don't mind.

From that article I posted just now I see you are right. I had the Woodpecker suet out there and it has all the stuff Starlings like in it.

 

[Lawrence00]

From that article I posted just now I see you are right. I had the Woodpecker suet out there and it has all the stuff Starlings like in it.

The woodpecker may not be seen for awhile, but they will be fine in the wild. Spring is arriving. Years ago bird feeding was a passion and I had about five feeders out ... something for everyone.

I finally stopped using shelled sunflower seeds as some birds would hog it all. Used fully black seeds in the mix.

 

[IrishEyes]

The woodpecker may not be seen for awhile, but they will be fine in the wild. Spring is arriving. Years ago bird feeding was a passion and I had about five feeders out ... something for everyone.

I finally stopped using shelled sunflower seeds as some birds would hog it all. Used fully black seeds in the mix.

Where the suet is hanging is where my Hummingbird feeders will go when they arrive so I may as well just set up the top
pole to be ready for that change and remove the suet completely. Starlings as near comparable to gulls at times! They must
be the inland version of gulls.

 

[Lawrence00]

I loved the Hummingbird experience, but had to keep moving it as a single wasp would decide they owned it. Had to confuse the wasp.

 

[IrishEyes]

I loved the Hummingbird experience, but had to keep moving it as a single wasp would decide they owned it. Had to confuse the wasp.

I made several sized fake wasp nests out of stuffed baggies taped into the shape of a nest then covered with multi
brown yarn and hung in different places. Surprisingly it works, wasps come see it, know it's not theirs and go away
to find a different place.

 

[jimintoronto]

I made several sized fake wasp nests out of stuffed baggies taped into the shape of a nest then covered with multi
brown yarn and hung in different places. Surprisingly it works, wasps come see it, know it's not theirs and go away
to find a different place.

Some Canadian hard ware stores sell imitation wasp nests that have an interior wire frame that look very natural. Priced at about $6 each. JIMB.

 

[JBR]

I've often heard it said there were no starlings in North America until someone brought some over, saying all the birds mentioned by Shakespeare should be represented in New York City. Then they gradually spread.

We used to see a few starlings a lot, here way in the mountainous west, though not in big flocks at once. Anyways, that was decades ago. Now we hardly ever see one of those bullies.

 

[Imogene]

@IrishEyes some years back, the starlings decided they wanted to nest in my barn. We tore their scrappy a-s-s nests down twice daily and still they returned.

They had torn the barn ceiling insulation down in one spot. That really REALLY got DH P.O.’d. He got out the extension ladder, all the tools for me to hold & hand to him, and went to work —- uttering sailor’s words the entire time.

In those days, I kept an intercom between the house and barn, so I could hear the starlings feverishly pecking at the repair job, without success. They went away and so far have not returned.

Also, I have done the brown paper bag trick to keep the Wood Bees out of the barn. It works for a few months, until they realize the bags are a fake. I use Sonic’s brown paper bags and fill them with whatever packing I have from packages I have received.

I think it’s going to be a bad year for all sorts of bees. I have seen a lot of Wasps already and they were huge. They aren’t aggressive like hornets are. They have bumped into me a few times and never stung me. The hornets go looking for trouble.

 

[IrishEyes]

@IrishEyes some years back, the starlings decided they wanted to nest in my barn. We tore their scrappy a-s-s nests down twice daily and still they returned.

They had torn the barn ceiling insulation down in one spot. That really REALLY got DH P.O.’d. He got out the extension ladder, all the tools for me to hold & hand to him, and went to work —- uttering sailor’s words the entire time.

In those days, I kept an intercom between the house and barn, so I could hear the starlings feverishly pecking at the repair job, without success. They went away and so far have not returned.

Also, I have done the brown paper bag trick to keep the Wood Bees out of the barn. It works for a few months, until they realize the bags are a fake. I use Sonic’s brown paper bags and fill them with whatever packing I have from packages I have received.

I think it’s going to be a bad year for all sorts of bees. I have seen a lot of Wasps already and they were huge. They aren’t aggressive like hornets are. They have bumped into me a few times and never stung me. The hornets go looking for trouble.

Hornets are a whole nother story for sure. My fake wasp nest are going on 3 years old, been out in the weather all this time and still doing the job. I do spray them with repellent to begin the season just in case but never had to re-do them the whole season. The starlings are nesting in my neighbors car port, drives her nuts. I offered to help plug up the corners for her but she seems hesitant to try it. So as long as they can
nest over there it is a losing battle to get all to move away.

 

[Imogene]

Hornets are a whole nother story for sure. My fake wasp nest are going on 3 years old, been out in the weather all this time and still doing the job. I do spray them with repellent to begin the season just in case but never had to re-do them the whole season. The starlings are nesting in my neighbors car port, drives her nuts. I offered to help plug up the corners for her but she seems hesitant to try it. So as long as they can
nest over there it is a losing battle to get all to move away.

You are doing better than me with the paper bags.

Mine are tied high, in the barn, when DH was still healthy. I can’t climb an extension ladder anymore, so they just gather dust now.

When the starlings cause enough damage to your neighbor’s carport, I bet she will let you help. Not to mention they will destroy the nests of the good birds. I have Barn Swallows who come back every year and I wasn’t about to see the Starlings push their eggs out of the nest.

 

[hawkdon]

I am already seeing the WASP's flying around my
front door...have to get some more spray and find
my tennis racket shocker/killer so I can set out.....

 

[Lawrence00]

 

[OldFeller]

View attachment 490230

These birds come in flocks of 20 or more. They can strip 2 blocks of suet in less
than a half hour. When they come to visit it's like a scene from "The Birds" movie.
Plus they are so noisy and fight viciously with each other.
I finally won the war on squirrels now these little devils show up!
What they can do to cover your car and windshield is horrid.

Anyone have any idea how to get them to move on?

How did you win the war on squirrels? Is there a thread where you posted about it?

 

[IrishEyes]

How did you win the war on squirrels? Is there a thread where you posted about it?

Not a certain thread, it was over time and trying many things. The one thing that helped to make the biggest difference was the torpedo baffle.
Placing it about a foot down from the feeder itself and making sure the pole was about 12 feet away from any thing they could jump from.
I have one pole too close but I use the torpedo baffle on all poles and the one close to 2 trees I use the Dome shield on the top and lather
it with Crisco lard so they slide off if they jump to the domes. Walmart carries these torpedo domes. I don't have any feeders on decks.

 

[Kaila]

I was going to suggest, what the others and you, yourself, already posted in this thread above.

We remove all of the food for a few days.
By then, they have usually moved on, and the other birds check back often enough to resume.

But especially remove the suet for the entire season.
Hummingbirds will come north soon.

I have nearly identical squirrel guard, which works well.

 

[IrishEyes]

I am taking the suet holder down today and putting up my double Hummingbird topper on.
I am excited and will be checking the Mo. sightings regular. There is one especially I am hoping to see again
this year, it comes real close to hubby and I and makes eye contact. It's done this 2 years in a row now.

Data from Hummingbird Central shows 2026 “spring season” sightings already reported in six southern states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Another tracking website, Hummingbird-News, has already reported some sighting in Georgia and North Carolina, weeks earlier than their historical averages.

Bird enthusiasts in Missouri are encouraged monitor migration reports closely and possibly prepare bird feeders as soon as March or April, depending on migratory patterns. To prepare a successful hummingbird feeder, experts recommend mixing four cups of water for every one cup of sugar, filling a feeder and changing the mixture every few days for freshness. Placing feeders near trees can also be helpful as trees can also provide shelter and a resting spot between meals.