User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 9:59:28 AM EDT
[#1]
I hate starlings. There should be a bounty on them.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:07:42 AM EDT
[#2]
Starlings were the only birds I was allowed to shoot as a kid. Nest robbing trash birds. We owned a business and they always roosted above the door way and crapped all over the front stoop.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:11:33 AM EDT
[#3]
Like the Judge says in Blood Meridian, The freedom of birds is an insult to me. I’d have them all in Zoo’s
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:15:49 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I hate starlings. There should be a bounty on them. Grackles too. Useless birds. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:16:40 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted: This one giant pileated woodpecker that has appointed himself sheriff of the feeders wasn't going to have any part of it and dove right in and gave those cockbag starlings what for and returned law and order to the feeding station. I have a pair of Blue Jays that go around kicking out the riff raff ............ until a hawk or eagle shows up and then EVERYBODY runs. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:16:51 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Grackles too. Useless birds. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I hate starlings. There should be a bounty on them. Grackles too. Useless birds. Goddamned Chipotle eating bastards... 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:19:04 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Starlings were the only birds I was allowed to shoot as a kid. Nest robbing trash birds. We owned a business and they always roosted above the door way and crapped all over the front stoop. When I got a slingshot my mom said I could only shoot starlings. I smoked one and left it on the bumper of the truck to display my trophy when she returned home from work. For some reason she wasn’t as excited as I was. Turns out she didn’t think my slingshot would actually kill them. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:31:16 AM EDT
[#8]
I like birds, I like planes, ships and other interning and beautiful things but despite admiring them unlike GD or anyone else I don’t know much about them. Don’t know about startlings. My Grandmother has a feeder and loves when Cardinals and blue jays turn up. I like to look at them but zero info about them. Usually I don’t reply in threads like this cause if I can’t figure out some funny thing or a Gif to make up for not having something funny I just keep quiet. But I’m glad your new sheriff in town bird has restored bird feeder town so you can enjoy it. I don’t do drugs and I’ve cut back severely on drinking so sitting in the beach, music, sunsets, surfing, sailboats etc. is all I got to not snap and I’m seconds from snapping daily maybe hourly
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:37:03 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Starlings were the only birds I was allowed to shoot as a kid. Nest robbing trash birds. We owned a business and they always roosted above the door way and crapped all over the front stoop. Killed a bunch of them with my trusty Red Ryder. Blue jays and robins were killed as well. I feel kind of bad about the robins. They were the promised breath of springtime. Had a nice target on the wings, though. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 10:38:35 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Killed a bunch of them with my trusty Red Ryder. Blue jays and robins were killed as well. I feel kind of bad about the robins. They were the promised breath of springtime. Had a nice target on the wings, though. ? Why blue jays ? |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 11:05:30 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ? Why blue jays ? My grandfather always told me that Blue Jays would kill Cardinals for sport. Blue Jays were fair game to him. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 11:08:38 AM EDT
[#12]
Blue jays are the China of the bird world. A-holes.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 11:09:27 AM EDT
[#13]
 Attached FileI kill every single one I see. I stepped on this one's head. It felt like stepping on one of those plastic eggs that had shitty toys in them in gumball machines. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 11:19:51 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Blue jays are the China of the bird world. A-holes. Cardinals are gtg right? 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 11:21:17 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cardinals are gtg right? https://media.tenor.com/images/be85f81f93b0dae266cbc80bdc1197a8/tenor.gif |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 12:48:56 PM EDT
[#16]
Nobody messes with the pileateds, those guys are impressive. The red bellies also don't tolerate any guff. I feed the birds but I don't discriminate amongst them but I also get a different mix.
I haven't seen any starlings or grackles yet, I mainly get painted buntings, titmice, carolina wrens, chicadees, warblers and various finches. Once in a while red belly woodpeckers but they mostly stay in the pines. I love the Bluejays and I don't think they should be killed. They are smart and are corvids like ravens and crows. They warn others when hawks are around but will also mimic hawks to drive away birds from feeders. I make sure they have lots of peanuts in the shell, they love those. I don't see them that often here in Florida though. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:26:48 PM EDT
[#17]
I get downy, red-headed, and pileated woodpeckers. The guide books say red-bellied ones are in this area, but I've never seen them.
In the spring I get blue jays, cards, and orioles. Of course ruby-throated hummingbirds are nice to see at the feeders. Last year I actually saw one land on top of the shepherd's hook the feeder was hanging from. I had never seen that before. A real treat are the goldfinches I get in the fall. Of course I get the usual crows, ravens, sparrows, finches, and I see the red-tailed hawks circle overhead and they will occasionally swoop down and grab a limbrat. I hear owls but haven't seen one. There's a clan of wild turkeys that live in the neighborhood somewhere, but I'm pretty sure DNR and the sheriff's dept. won't be happy if I shoot them even if they are in season. Fun fact: I live across the street from a cemetery. There are some turkey vultures that live around here and keep the roadkill (mostly squirrels and the occasionally groundhog) under control, but I'm always amused to see them circling overhead on funeral days. But the damned grackles and starlings are the bane of my existence from about now until August. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:29:57 PM EDT
[#18]
Birds aren't real
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:30:40 PM EDT
[#19]
Starlings, Grackles, and Cowbirds. Cowbirds push eggs of other birds out of the nest and lay their eggs in the nest for the first birds to raise...then the chicks raised aren't even their offspring.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:31:01 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Birds aren't real Then why is there bird poop on my car, Bart? Why is there bird poop in my car? |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:31:11 PM EDT
[#21]
Open season on starlings here, as well as several other trash birds. As y’all know, spring time is always special around the feeder, with many targets of opportunity. I specifically target the females but will take any target w/ my trusty Crossman
 We have a nesting pair of Piliated woodpeckers that visit the feeder as well. Don’t see them but maybe 4 times a year. Beautiful birds and wonderful to observe!!
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:35:49 PM EDT
[#22]
We used to have a bunch of crows around here. It was not unusual to see 20 or 30 at a time but they have dwindled drastically.
There is a group of 5 that hangs around our place and I started feeding them last winter. I put out bread, raw shelled peanuts and cat treats for the crows and I really enjoy watching them. I also started adding a mixture of bird feed and some dry cat food to the mix. Not sure who is eating the cat food but it is gone everyday. I get a good variety of birds but the crows rule feeder. The jays are next and a small woodpecker will mix in with them. All the rest of the birds get the leftovers and I only feed once per day. Last winter I was also feeding dried meal worms but that attracted too many woodpeckers and they would start pecking on my damn house at daylight and wouldn't quit till I took the food out. It was pretty funny to watch one of the woodpeckers hopping up and down by the feeder when I would walk out there in the morning. I really thought the crows would get to know me and start coming around when I would go out but they are way to wary and will not come till I have been back inside for a while. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:38:23 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Then why is there bird poop on my car, Bart? Why is there bird poop in my car?  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:41:40 PM EDT
[#24]
The only problem birds we get are cowbirds in the spring. We don't get any problem city birds really.
OP knows grackles well.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:41:42 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Then why is there bird poop on my car, Bart? Why is there bird poop in my car? Obviously, but something poops on my car and it's too small to be my asshole neighbor. Check and mate. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:45:10 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Obviously, but something poops on my car and it's too small to be my asshole neighbor. Check and mate. Steve has been unaccounted for quite sometime. Just sayin |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:47:49 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Steve has been unaccounted for quite sometime. Just sayin Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Obviously, but something poops on my car and it's too small to be my asshole neighbor. Check and mate. Steve has been unaccounted for quite sometime. Just sayin 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:48:00 PM EDT
[#28]
A few weeks ago my neighborhood had a super mega flock of grackles in the trees. I’m glad I wasn’t eating chipotle, I would grab 2 pieces of cut 2x4 and smack them together and the birds would all take fly away and cause a giant whoosh sound.
I woke up one morning to my car completely covered in bird crap. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 2:32:44 PM EDT
[#29]
Luckily, starlings around here only need to be run off once. They usually don't come back.
Blue Jays travel in gangs, not flocks. They remind me of a group of teenagers looking for trouble. I get big groups of Purple Fiches, usually with a few Gold Finches thrown in, a few times a day. Messy little buggers. They sling more seed than they eat. I get Evening Grosbeaks for a couple of weeks every year as they travel through on migration. The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks are here all summer and raise a couple of broods. The Cardinals are usually the first on the feeders and the last ones in the evening. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 2:33:17 PM EDT
[#30]
We had feeders out at our old place, and we got lots of cool birds. We also got Starlings though, which I shot any time I could.
  We had a few Pileated that came around regularly, but one day we heard *wham* against our storm door, and found this on the porch;  We had a hawk start hunting from the tree near our bedroom window, so we watched for it and then went out and yelled at it.   |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 2:43:16 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:Anyway, some cedar waxwings were eating and this flock of dickhead starlings showed up, running the cedar waxwings of. This one giant pileated woodpecker that has appointed himself sheriff of the feeders wasn't going to have any part of it and dove right in and gave those cockbag starlings what for and returned law and order to the feeding station. A bunch of those Waxwings showed up here earlier this year and worked over a Virginia Juniper. Neat looking birds. I was reading that they will stand in line and the one on the end of the branch will pass berries to the one at the other end of the line closest to the tree. The Pileated Woodpeckers don't show any interest in the feeders here, but the Red-Bellied Woodpeckers take no shit from anyone, including Blue Jays & squirrels. Most people think they are Red-Headed Woodpeckers but the latter are pretty rare to see. I have a male here that knocks on the window and I set him a walnut or pecan out and he flies in and gets it. He does it a few times every day in the winter and might not do it for weeks at a time in the summer. A photo of a Cardinal I met at the feeder:  Attached FileAlso,.my favorite Squirrel here, Mom. We are pretty good friends, she even lets me pet her a little.   Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 3:12:16 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I like birds, I like planes, ships and other interning and beautiful things but despite admiring them unlike GD or anyone else I don’t know much about them. Don’t know about startlings. My Grandmother has a feeder and loves when Cardinals and blue jays turn up. I like to look at them but zero info about them. Usually I don’t reply in threads like this cause if I can’t figure out some funny thing or a Gif to make up for not having something funny I just keep quiet. But I’m glad your new sheriff in town bird has restored bird feeder town so you can enjoy it. I don’t do drugs and I’ve cut back severely on drinking so sitting in the beach, music, sunsets, surfing, sailboats etc. is all I got to not snap and I’m seconds from snapping daily maybe hourly Life will turn around brother, if you ever need to talk PM me and I'll send you my number. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 3:14:05 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cardinals are gtg right? https://media.tenor.com/images/be85f81f93b0dae266cbc80bdc1197a8/tenor.gif Cardinals are beautiful birds, but yeah blue jays can be real assholes, and are noisy as heck. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 3:20:32 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a pair of Blue Jays that go around kicking out the riff raff ............ until a hawk or eagle shows up and then EVERYBODY runs. At a prior house, we had a bird feeder. There was a telephone pole nearby that a hawk would sit on and watch the feeder. Every once in a while, a bird would position itself just right and the hawk would hit it at what seemed like 100mph. It was cool to watch. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 3:25:43 PM EDT
[#35]
We used to get a ton of birds when we lived on a golf course about 10 miles from the home we just purchased, but it was on a migration path.
So far at this house we haven't seen anything and it really sucks, we loved watching all the birds at the last place. We're really hoping it picks up this spring. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 4:03:21 PM EDT
[#36]
I enjoy feeding the birds and squirrels peanuts, and watching them establish a pecking order.
Surprisingly, crows are the most laid back and will just watch everyone else eat. When it's their turn though, I've seen them grab four whole peanut shells at a time, usually two in the gullet and two in the beak, and then fly off to hide them or eat at their leisure. If there's no competition around, they will take their time to crack and eat them on the spot. Scrub Jays prefer hit and run tactics, diving in to grab a peanut and then immediately flying off. They try to fly as many sorties as they can, as fast as they can, and tend to end up with the majority of the food. I've seen them make multiple trips, only stopping long enough to hide their prize in some nearby shrubs, and then come back hours later for their hidden cache of food. Pretty smart, really. Stellar Jays seem to be the bullies of the playground, trying to chase off the Scrub Jays and then strut around like they own the place. They're funny in the fact that they're very picky about which peanuts they'll grab, repeatedly setting one down to pick up another and compare size, and then taking the largest one they could find. The squirrels are also interesting, in that they check every peanut shell for structural integrity before deciding what to do with it. They'll pick one up, spin it around in their paws while checking the shell with their mouth, and if the shell is solid and uncracked they will often take the peanut and hide it somewhere. Any peanuts with a broken shell get cracked open and eaten on the spot. Surprisingly, the birds and the squirrels never seem to fight. The squirrels will sneak in while the birds are there, and they seem to give each other space. It's quite fascinating to watch, in my opinion. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 4:10:44 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My grandfather always told me that Blue Jays would kill Cardinals for sport. Blue Jays were fair game to him. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: ? Why blue jays ? My grandfather always told me that Blue Jays would kill Cardinals for sport. Blue Jays were fair game to him. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 4:11:14 PM EDT
[#38]
I only take out birds that are an annoyance now.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 5:44:17 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The squirrels are also interesting, in that they check every peanut shell for structural integrity before deciding what to do with it. They'll pick one up, spin it around in their paws while checking the shell with their mouth, and if the shell is solid and uncracked they will often take the peanut and hide it somewhere. Any peanuts with a broken shell get cracked open and eaten on the spot. I hand feed the squirrels peanuts too. Some are very tame and gentle, and some are skittish, just different personalities. I've noticed if it's a nice day they like to take them & bury them. If it's cold they stand and eat them. We only have Blue Jays here as far as Jays go, & they make hawk calls to freak out the squirrels so they will panic and leave, then they have the feeder to themselves. They are in the mockingbird family and they are pretty damn sharp. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 5:47:13 PM EDT
[#40]
My Granddad had a birdhouse in his back yard. He used to sit in his den with his bolt-action Marlin .22 and a box of .22 CB caps, and pop every starling that he'd see coming to his birdhouse.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:23:28 PM EDT
[#41]
Bird watching is actually very fun, and becoming a new hobby of mine. I like the challenge of getting pictures of them. You definitely have to work at it.
Probably my favorite shot yet 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:27:28 PM EDT
[#42]
Birds of a feather flock together.
Their are a lot of people that don't know what that means. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:30:08 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I hand feed the squirrels peanuts too. Some are very tame and gentle, and some are skittish, just different personalities. I've noticed if it's a nice day they like to take them & bury them. If it's cold they stand and eat them. We only have Blue Jays here as far as Jays go, & they make hawk calls to freak out the squirrels so they will panic and leave, then they have the feeder to themselves. They are in the mockingbird family and they are pretty damn sharp. Blue Jays are corvids. Related to Crows. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:41:21 PM EDT
[#44]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:45:33 PM EDT
[#45]
Starlings eat an enormous amount of grubs and other bugs in yer lawn. I train them and other birds to stay away from my house but need the bug eating thang. Magpies hate them and drink their blood after pecking them to death.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:52:47 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Blue Jays are corvids. Related to Crows. I'm sure you're right. I likely remembered wrong or read misinformation at some point. @kugelblitz Are you sure you are seeing Red-Headed Woodpeckers as opposed to Red-Bellied Woodpeckers? Red-Bellied is the top photo, Red-Headed is the bottom. I've only ever seen a single Red-Headed Woodpecker in my life, but see Red-Bellied & Pileated on a daily basis:  Attached File Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:55:19 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: We used to have a bunch of crows around here. It was not unusual to see 20 or 30 at a time but they have dwindled drastically. Crows were devastated by West Nile. Blue Jays were susceptible also. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 6:58:16 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I'm sure you're right. I likely remembered wrong or read misinformation at some point. @kugelblitz Are you sure you are seeing Red-Headed Woodpeckers as opposed to Red-Bellied Woodpeckers? Red-Bellied is the top photo, Red-Headed is the bottom. I've only ever seen a single Red-Headed Woodpecker in my life, but see Red-Bellied & Pileated on a daily basis: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/329797/Red_Bellied_Woodpecker_jpg-1783970.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/329797/Red_Headed_Woodpecker_jpg-1783971.JPG Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Blue Jays are corvids. Related to Crows. I'm sure you're right. I likely remembered wrong or read misinformation at some point. @kugelblitz Are you sure you are seeing Red-Headed Woodpeckers as opposed to Red-Bellied Woodpeckers? Red-Bellied is the top photo, Red-Headed is the bottom. I've only ever seen a single Red-Headed Woodpecker in my life, but see Red-Bellied & Pileated on a daily basis: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/329797/Red_Bellied_Woodpecker_jpg-1783970.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/329797/Red_Headed_Woodpecker_jpg-1783971.JPG I'm no expert, I think I learned that in the last year or so. We have lots of Red Bellied. We see the v e r y occasional Red Head. There are more Red Heads at nearby Sequoyah National WR. Pileated are always around, but not always seen. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 8:56:08 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: We had feeders out at our old place, and we got lots of cool birds. We also got Starlings though, which I shot any time I could. https://i.postimg.cc/cC5whzVN/Pileated-2.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/XN2fnZXD/Pileated-3.jpg We had a few Pileated that came around regularly, but one day we heard *wham* against our storm door, and found this on the porch; https://i.postimg.cc/Y0gMDGPq/06-14-07-005.jpg We had a hawk start hunting from the tree near our bedroom window, so we watched for it and then went out and yelled at it. https://i.postimg.cc/8CXH95PS/2007-2-8-Hawk-1.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/FRfZ447J/2007-2-8-Hawk-2.jpg That's sad, what an impressive looking male pileated. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 8:57:21 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cardinals are beautiful birds, but yeah blue jays can be real assholes, and are noisy as heck. They can be aggressive, but, Jays protect the other birds. They're good birds. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
Attached File