Interesting that you don't get other birds on your roof @CrankyYankee. Plenty of them [starlings] round here too. Pigeons [wood] and magpies and other corvids land on ours quite often. Are your starlings like the ones we get over here?
Yes, they're European starlings that were introduced to North America, and in many areas are now considered an invasive species. We don't have pigeons in my area except in more urban areas. My property is surrounded by over 100 acres of forest, so maybe because there are so many trees most of the birds don't find our roofs appealing?
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
Apologies re the like thing. I just couldn't understand it! We have loads of trees/woodland round us too @CrankyYankee, but plenty of birds still like the odd 'roof perching moment' A lot of areas in the UK are finding starlings are quite rare. Some people don't like them. They can certainly be very messy. House sparrows are rare in some places too. We have plenty of both - and many nesting close by.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You’re not daft @Fairygirl it’s lovely what you do ☺️ The birds in my garden also give me so much pleasure, an immense amount, I love that I can provide a great habitat for so many creatures. Yes I too wonder how effective the measures are @Liriodendron Before flying to my bird feeders the majority of them land in our yew hedge, feed and then fly back again. It’s used so much they’ve created gaps in the hedge! They also all drink from a similar spot in the pond and I obviously can’t clean and disinfect everything … but I suppose the most likely spot to transmit the disease is the feeders, specifically the sunflower heart feeder. I’ve left my peanut feeders out as the finches don’t eat them whereas lots of other birds do.
I don't think you can do much more than you've done @Liriodendron. You can't control what others do, much as you probably wish you could. Fingers crossed it works well enough. I can;t move my feeders as such, because of the cages, but I have quite a few, and just bought a couple more, so they get a rotation every so often, and the bases of the cages get the same. It's very simlilar to having a birdcage in the house
As you say @CatDouch, the feeders are probably the most likely source, and even if they're drinking from the pond - that gets refreshed when it rains, so possibly less of a risk. Not much you can do about the yew hedge for their perching - mine use the conifer that are nearby for hiding and perching. I hope things pick up for you too.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Could bird tables be preferable to feeders? Easier to keep clean maybe? What do others think? Food could be dispensed into small ceramic bowls on the table.
Metal dog bowls or similar would be safer I think. Can't imagine ceramic holding up long against an onslaught of starlings or goldfinches!
Starlings don't usually come to our feeders, but last year there were 2 couples that did for a while. On Saturday we watched a whole murmuration of them from the kitchen window. They first landed in our sheep field, then they re-arranged themselves to fit on top of the long, narrow dam. Up to the treetops, then down again to our other sheep field and the neighbours too, before moving out of vision. Lovely to watch them reshaping themselves against the sky
I was quite surprised yesterday. I have a resident pair of Collered Doves , but had only seen one for a few weeks, it happens so wasn't worried. Imagine my surprise to find both feeding on the bird feeders, and then going and feeding a youngster on the fence! This early to have a fledgling! 😲
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Yes, they're European starlings that were introduced to North America, and in many areas are now considered an invasive species. We don't have pigeons in my area except in more urban areas. My property is surrounded by over 100 acres of forest, so maybe because there are so many trees most of the birds don't find our roofs appealing?
We have loads of trees/woodland round us too @CrankyYankee, but plenty of birds still like the odd 'roof perching moment'
A lot of areas in the UK are finding starlings are quite rare. Some people don't like them. They can certainly be very messy. House sparrows are rare in some places too. We have plenty of both - and many nesting close by.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Yes I too wonder how effective the measures are @Liriodendron Before flying to my bird feeders the majority of them land in our yew hedge, feed and then fly back again. It’s used so much they’ve created gaps in the hedge! They also all drink from a similar spot in the pond and I obviously can’t clean and disinfect everything … but I suppose the most likely spot to transmit the disease is the feeders, specifically the sunflower heart feeder. I’ve left my peanut feeders out as the finches don’t eat them whereas lots of other birds do.
As you say @CatDouch, the feeders are probably the most likely source, and even if they're drinking from the pond - that gets refreshed when it rains, so possibly less of a risk. Not much you can do about the yew hedge for their perching - mine use the conifer that are nearby for hiding and perching. I hope things pick up for you too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have a resident pair of Collered Doves , but had only seen one for a few weeks, it happens so wasn't worried. Imagine my surprise to find both feeding on the bird feeders, and then going and feeding a youngster on the fence! This early to have a fledgling! 😲