starling control methods_brochure_Final Draft (Read-Only)
starling control methods_brochure_Final Draft (Read-Only)
starling control methods_brochure_Final Draft (Read-Only)
Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!
Leverage SEO-optimized Flipbooks, powerful backlinks, and multimedia content to professionally showcase your products and significantly increase your reach.
Banning Banning the the bird<br />
bird<br />
Controlling Controlling <strong>starling</strong>s <strong>starling</strong>s with<br />
with<br />
trapping trapping and and other other management<br />
management<br />
management<br />
strategies<br />
strategies
Pest Bird Control<br />
a challenge for every landholder<br />
One of the main pest bird species on Eyre Peninsula is the common <strong>starling</strong>,<br />
which threatens both agricultural productivity and native ecology. They defecate<br />
on sheep and potentially devalue the wool, foul up stock feed and water<br />
troughs and also eat beneficial insects and other soil organisms. They compete<br />
aggressively with native birds for food and shelter and spread diseases through<br />
parasites and faeces.<br />
Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board has been researching<br />
some <strong>starling</strong> <strong>control</strong> techniques that are relatively cost-effective and easy to<br />
apply on the farm or in town. The study incorporated various aspects including<br />
habitat use surveys, trap trials, trough modifications and other deterrents, and<br />
physiological trials to try to find a weak link in the <strong>starling</strong>’s defenses that may<br />
be exploited to develop a <strong>control</strong> method specific to this species. This <strong>brochure</strong><br />
will help you plan how to <strong>control</strong> <strong>starling</strong>s on your property.<br />
Bird <strong>control</strong> by its nature is difficult. There are a number of features common to<br />
pest bird species that make applying <strong>control</strong> <strong>methods</strong> effectively very difficult.<br />
Birds are notoriously wary of new things within their environment, and will<br />
relocate to a new area if something new appears. Birds can also travel long<br />
distances very quickly,across water bodies and<br />
disappear into dense vegetation swiftly leaving<br />
little trace of their whereabouts.<br />
Many bird species which become pest species<br />
are generalist species - they have wide diets,<br />
broad habitat preferences and are tolerant of<br />
a range of environmental conditions. There is<br />
rarely one single <strong>control</strong> method that is<br />
effective in <strong>control</strong>ling feral birds - a<br />
combination of a number of <strong>methods</strong> spread<br />
out throughout the year and over consecutive<br />
years is usually preferable to a single,<br />
seasonal <strong>control</strong> effort using one method. And<br />
any <strong>control</strong> plan will be more effective if it is<br />
carried out by a group of neighbouring<br />
landholders, rather than individuals in<br />
isolation.
Common or European<br />
Starlings Sturnus vulgaris<br />
Common <strong>starling</strong>s were introduced into South Australia in Adelaide in the 1840s<br />
for pest <strong>control</strong> and also to help settlers from Europe feel more at home in their<br />
new surroundings. The species has since spread westward and reached the west<br />
coast of Eyre Peninsula around the 1950s. They have been the focus of a large<br />
<strong>control</strong> program in Western Australia since the 1960s, aimed at preventing the<br />
spread of the <strong>starling</strong>s into the biologically diverse and highly productive south<br />
western region of Western Australia. Current <strong>control</strong> <strong>methods</strong> for <strong>starling</strong>s include<br />
trapping, shooting, nest removal and prevention and habitat modification. There<br />
are also numerous <strong>methods</strong> that can be applied to limit the effect of <strong>starling</strong>s on<br />
both infrastructure and native flora and fauna.<br />
Methods of Starling Control<br />
There are only a few <strong>methods</strong> of lethal <strong>control</strong> authorised for use against <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
in South Australia:<br />
• Trapping<br />
• Shooting<br />
• Nest, egg and juvenile removal<br />
Poisons targeted specifically at <strong>starling</strong>s are not currently available in Australia<br />
because of the risk they will harm non-target species. Poisons should not be used<br />
in your <strong>starling</strong> <strong>control</strong> program unless under direct supervision by scientific<br />
authorities and necessary permits have been obtained.<br />
Reducing The Effects of Starlings<br />
These <strong>methods</strong> will not kill <strong>starling</strong>s or remove them from the breeding population,<br />
however they will help to reduce the effect of <strong>starling</strong>s on your farm or<br />
home, your stock or pets and native flora and fauna:<br />
• Stock trough modification to reduce water availability for <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
• Habitat modification such as revegetation or vegetation protection to<br />
make habitat less suitable for <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
• Blocking up of nest sites to prevent breeding<br />
• Removal of roost sites, if possible<br />
• Use of commercial audio-visual deterrents
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
Trapping <strong>starling</strong>s:<br />
making the most of your traps<br />
Traps are available to landholders free of charge from your local EPNRM office (see<br />
contacts details on the last page of this <strong>brochure</strong>). There are a number of things<br />
you can do to help make the most of your trapping program:<br />
Trapping is best carried out during the season when birds are found in large flocks.<br />
On Eyre Peninsula, this is traditionally from early summer until early autumn but is<br />
dependent on the seasonal conditions.<br />
There are a few different trap designs available and each has its pros and cons.<br />
EPNRM officers can discuss which trap might suit your needs best.<br />
Ideally, traps should contain a lure. This helps to attract birds into the trap and<br />
increases the number of birds captured at any one time. The best option is live lure<br />
birds. Lure birds are of the same species to be captured, and are housed within a<br />
lure cage to protect them from predators. To ensure maximum effectiveness of lure<br />
birds, they must be kept happy with food, water and shelter, and their cages<br />
should be cleaned and replenished - at the very least - every two days. Other lures<br />
that have been found to be effective are food sources, like grain and fruit, and<br />
water.<br />
Traps should be placed where<br />
<strong>starling</strong>s are feeding or<br />
watering. Placing traps at roost<br />
sites is ineffective because<br />
roosts are sites of rest and<br />
information sharing; birds will<br />
not be interested in traps.<br />
Other food sources should be<br />
removed. If required, free feed<br />
for a few days beforehand by<br />
leaving a scattering of grain or<br />
fruit where you intend to place<br />
the trap or leave the trap open<br />
for <strong>starling</strong>s to come and go<br />
freely. This gets the birds used<br />
to the bait and going into the<br />
trap.
5 The locations of your traps should<br />
be evaluated after two weeks of<br />
trapping. If traps are no longer<br />
catching birds in their current<br />
location, move the traps to<br />
another location or remove them<br />
for a few weeks. Starlings become<br />
very suspicious if their mates<br />
continually go missing!<br />
6<br />
Inspect your traps often. If traps<br />
are on uneven ground, or if there<br />
are large gaps in the paneling,<br />
trapped birds may escape.<br />
7<br />
Euthanasia and disposal of pest<br />
species is a sensitive issue. For<br />
more information on how to<br />
dispose of <strong>starling</strong>s and other pest<br />
species humanely, please contact<br />
your local EPNRM office.<br />
A Modified Australian Crow Trap, commonly<br />
used to capture <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
SHOOTING STARLINGS…<br />
While shooting is generally not an<br />
effective method to kill a large number of<br />
<strong>starling</strong>s, it can be used to deter flocks<br />
from roosting in certain areas, such as<br />
around sheds and homes. This will<br />
probably require more than one episode<br />
of shooting, usually best done at dusk<br />
when the birds are coming in to roost.<br />
You can use either a shotgun with<br />
number seven shot (used for clay target<br />
shooting) or a .22 calibre rifle with<br />
birdshot.<br />
Although this may deter the birds from returning, it is possible other <strong>starling</strong> flocks will<br />
move in to take their place.
Managing <strong>starling</strong>s… On your farm.<br />
Removing resources is the best way to reduce the presence of <strong>starling</strong>s on your<br />
farm. If you have a feedlot, try to make food and water troughs “<strong>starling</strong>-proof”.<br />
There are many techniques available to land managers to accomplish this<br />
including:<br />
• PVC pipe over trough edges, creating rounded edges that <strong>starling</strong>s find difficult<br />
to grip when drinking<br />
• Lowering the water level of troughs so birds cannot reach the water. Troughs<br />
not in use should also be emptied<br />
• Make sure your taps, hoses, troughs and tanks are all in good working order<br />
and free of leaks. Puddles of water are perfect <strong>starling</strong> swimming pools!<br />
• Lengths of dripper hose/pipe on fencing wire, creating rolling perches which<br />
prevent birds perching on fences<br />
• Anti-perch devices for eaves, guttering and other surfaces which prevent birds<br />
from landing and perching<br />
• Model birds of prey, which<br />
when placed in different<br />
locations around a feedlot<br />
or yard, make the site<br />
unpleasant to visit.<br />
• If you have particular crops<br />
you want to protect from<br />
<strong>starling</strong>s, you might like to<br />
try using a commercial birdscaring<br />
gas gun. These are<br />
used to deter <strong>starling</strong>s from<br />
vineyards and other<br />
horticultural crops.<br />
A modified trough with poly-pipe to prevent birds<br />
perching<br />
Remember!<br />
Successful <strong>starling</strong> <strong>control</strong> programs combine a number of different <strong>control</strong><br />
<strong>methods</strong> and operate throughout the year. For example, combining trapping in<br />
the summer flocking season with nest site <strong>control</strong> during the breeding season<br />
will be more successful than a single <strong>control</strong> method applied once a year.
Other techniques for managing <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
Habitat management<br />
In a similar way to removing food and water sources, removing breeding habitat<br />
or nests can be a very effective technique for managing <strong>starling</strong> numbers on your<br />
property and within a district. Starlings return to the same area each year to<br />
breed, and their young will also use the same habitat as their parents. If there are<br />
<strong>starling</strong>s breeding on your property it is recommended that:<br />
• Nests around sheds, houses and machinery be removed as soon as they are<br />
detected. If possible, the adults should be eliminated and any eggs or young<br />
also removed.<br />
• Use mesh, wire, tennis balls or other materials to block holes that might be<br />
used as nest sites. You should not block holes or hollows in vegetation as these<br />
may be used as nest sites for<br />
native species.<br />
• Revegetate! Starlings will nest<br />
primarily in small patches of<br />
vegetation which are degraded<br />
and have little understorey.<br />
Fence patches of vegetation off<br />
and rehabilitate remnant<br />
vegetation to improve its<br />
quality. If possible, make the<br />
patches bigger or more<br />
connected to other patches.<br />
Starlings are fringe dwellers,<br />
because they can find food and<br />
shelter easily on the fringes of<br />
areas of vegetation.<br />
• Plant native species of trees<br />
around your property. Large<br />
trees like Aleppo pine, Norfolk<br />
pine or large Eucalypt species<br />
provide roosts for <strong>starling</strong>s<br />
during summer.<br />
Starlings will nest in hollows in native<br />
vegetation with a poor understory.
Natural Resources Management Officers undertaking trough<br />
modifications on a property west of Ceduna<br />
For more information on<br />
<strong>starling</strong>s and <strong>starling</strong><br />
<strong>control</strong>, please contact<br />
your local NRM board<br />
office...<br />
Port Lincoln<br />
(08) 8626 7555<br />
Elliston<br />
(08) 8687 9275<br />
Streaky Bay<br />
(08) 8626 1108<br />
Ceduna<br />
(08) 8625 3060<br />
Cleve<br />
(08) 8628 2077<br />
Whyalla<br />
(08) 8640 3481