DEFRA assess applications on a case by case basis. Without a licence it is illegal to kill starlings. Starlings are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act Whenever possible, I place the blind from 50 to 75 ft from the nestbox or tree. When the blind is in place, sight in your scope with a target at that distance.
The above suggestions are for non-shooters who want to remove starlings and house sparrows from their yard efficiently and humanely. Using the above techniques, you do not have to be a good marksman to consistently make clean kills. Gun safety is beyond the scope of this page. However, it is important to know the range of your pellet gun this varies with the type of gun and know how this distance relates to your shooting zone. Pace it off if necessary. The area behind your target should be an open field or other unobstructed view so that you always know what is there.
And, of course, if you live in a development, shooting a pellet gun is pretty much out of the question. Also, the pellet gun is the only weapon suitable for shooting starlings and house sparrows. A bb gun does not have the power or accuracy to consistently make clean kills. Birds shot with a bb gun will often end up flapping about on the ground with a broken wing. Our goal is to eliminate starlings, not punish them.
Also, a 22 rimfire rifle should not be used to shoot birds. It is far too dangerous. I only fire my 22 when I know the bullet is going to go into the ground and this is hard to do when shooting birds.
Even then, a ricochet off a rock can still hit someone a very long way off. On several occasions, I have used a 12 guage shotgun to shoot pigeons, but this becomes quite expensive for shooting starlings and also destroys whatever they are perched on. But, when we first moved here, farm pigeons nested in the barn, silo and anywhere else they could find. When I would flush them from the silo or barn and shoot one with a pellet gun, the others would return as soon as I was out of sight, even though they had seen their buddy fall from the air on their departure.
One day I shot at one with the 12 guage as 5 flushed from the silo. Whether it was the burst of feathers in the air or the loud blast below, they never returned. So, I use noise for farm pigeons and silence for starlings and house sparrows. Birds differ greatly in their ecology and behaviour and this influences the way in which they respond to different forms of control.
Problem bird species and the damage they cause includes: Common starling: causes damage to fruit particularly grapes and cherries , vegetable and cereal crops. Implicated in carrying and transmitting diseases to man and other animals. Competes with native species for nest hollows. Common myna: causes damage to fruit and grain crops. Commensal roosting and nesting habits creates aesthetic and human health concerns.
Sulphur-crested cockatoo, little corella: damages ripening sunflower crops, fruit and nut crops. Galah: causes damage to germinating cereal crops. Sparrow: causes damage to fruit vegetable, grain and oilseed crops; competes with native species for nest hollows. Pigeon: roosting sites cause fouling damage from build-up of faeces in urban areas. Crows and ravens corvids : consume fruits and grains. May prey upon sick, dying or mismothered lambs and can injure sheep.
Shooting is often used as a scaring strategy to train the birds to associate the sharp, sudden noise with real danger and subsequently, a fear of humans and human activities.
You can minimize these collisions by breaking up the reflection on the outside of the window with a window screen, flash tape and bird netting.
Life-size, animate "scares" plastic falcons, owls and balloons and falcon or owl silhouettes attached to windows with suction cups are not effective deterrents. Planting trees and installing window awnings to block the sun from hitting the window may eliminate some reflection. Migration isn't the only time homeowners have trouble with bird-window collisions. Birds may hit your windows during breeding season, and in the winter too. During breeding season, male cardinals, woodpeckers and mockingbirds may "fight" their own reflections in windows and car mirrors.
They'll stop banging into the window as the breeding season ends. You can discourage them with screens and other barrier techniques. Regardless of the season, birds can fly into windows when they're frightened while visiting a feeding station. Either move the feeders a considerable distance away from the window, or immediately adjacent to the window so birds don't get up to flight speed before hitting the window.
If you attract birds to your yard, keep in mind that many herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers are deadly poisons. Ornithologists have known for several years that many lawn-care chemicals kill songbirds and contaminate their food.
Mechanical and biological techniques may provide less hazardous pest control options. Contact your USDA Extension office and the Environmental Protection Agency for information about integrated pest management, biological and chemical pest control safety and pest-resistant plant varieties.
Sooner or later, no matter where you live, you'll come across a baby bird. You'll have to decide: should you rescue it or leave it to fend for itself? If the bird is fully feathered, chances are it doesn't need your help. Each spring, baby birds leave the nest and have to learn to be adults. Their parents are nearby. They're best equipped to take care of the babies. You can help fledglings by keeping your dogs and cats in the house.
If the bird is unfeathered, try to return it to the nest. If that's not possible, put the baby in a shoe box and cover it. Get the bird to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Do not attempt to take care of it yourself. After all, do you know what kind of bird it is? Do you know what to feed it? No matter what the "first aid for baby birds" books at the library say, you will kill baby birds if you offer them a diet of human baby foods, hamburger meat, tuna, bird seed, milk, hard boiled eggs, bread or water.
A bird hits the window. You look out and see some feathers sticking to the corner of the pane. You rush outside and find a tiny yellow bird, still alive, lying under the window. It's not moving. What's the right thing to do? Get a towel. Gently put the bird in a cardboard box or large paper bag.
Put the bird in a warm, quiet place. Do not offer first aid. Do not offer food or water. Get the bird to a veterinarian or an authorized wildlife rehabilitator call your state wildlife agency for a referral. Regardless of your best intentions, if you offer first aid without the proper training, you're likely to do more harm than good. In the fall of , a study on the effects of cats on wildlife was reported in the scientific and mass media.
Researchers estimated that house cats and feral cats are responsible for killing approximately 78 million small mammals and birds annually in the United Kingdom. Feline predation is not "natural. Cats are a serious threat to fledglings, birds roosting at night and birds while they're on the nest, at the feeder and using a bird bath. If you are unwilling to eliminate free-roaming cats, do not attract birds to your yard by putting out feeders, nest boxes and baths.
Eliminating free-roaming cats is the best way you can "protect" your backyard birds from cat predation. Responsible pet owners keep their cats indoors. Most local jurisdictions have enforceable leash laws for cats and dogs. Contact your local humane society for help. Many homeowners invite birds to nest in their yards by putting up nesting boxes. Almost two dozen species will consider a human-made nest. Learn all you can about the birds you want to attract and offer them a box that opens at the top and the front or side.
Monitor the nest box, and evict starlings and house sparrows. The safest solution to insect infestations is physical removal and soaping the inside top of the box. If insects infest the box during nesting, apply a light dusting of rotenone or pyrethrin. Do not use chemical sprays. If snakes and climbing mammals are a problem, use physical barriers to deter them. Try a PVC pipe over your metal bird house pole, or metal sheeting on a tree or wood pole. Smear the PVC or metal with Vaseline laced with hot cayenne pepper.
Avoid automotive grease, it can be lethal to wildlife. If you find birds attacking the adults, eggs or nestlings, what you can do depends on the perpetrators.
Eliminate house sparrows and starlings. All other birds are protected by federal and state laws. You may not harass or otherwise harm hawks, owls, falcons, crows, grackles, jays and shrikes. More than 82 million Americans feed wild birds.
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