Hello, Starling.

March 3, 2006 11:53 AM

Moved into a new place and was awoken the first morning by a starling that had nested in my wall, coming in through an old dryer vent that's no longer in service. I could hear it tweeting and warbling and generally making a huge racket right next to my bed at 6 a.m. I can't fully see all the way down the vent duct. I covered it up after he left (he was watching me from a nearby tree) but am paranoid I've locked some of his egg-children in there.

I love birds (when they are not sounding like loose desert spider crabs near my headboard at dawn) and understand starlings are the jerk-asses of the bird family. I found a site (since lost it) that said their breeding period is late summer (I'm in the eastern US at the moment) so does that mean there's no possibility there's eggs down this wall? He tried to get in this morning again but eventually flew away, and I feel bad.

posted by neustile to pets & animals (10 comments total)

Unless you want the birds to hatch in your vent, it's going to be impossible to allow them to grow and hatch AND disturb the nest. Besides that, it's really early in the year. I'd say you should check out the vent and make sure you're not going to have a smelly case of scrambled eggs later in the year.
posted by cellphone at 12:13 PM on March 3, 2006

This says that breeding starts in mid-April, but this says it can happen as early as mid-February. Have you seen more than one bird? Both parents take care of the eggs during the day, and apparently the female will stay on the nest at night.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 12:13 PM on March 3, 2006

Aw let him(her?) in, buy some earplugs.
posted by zeoslap at 12:13 PM on March 3, 2006

There aren't any chicks in there yet (you would hear them - they're very loud & insistent). Their eggs are fairly small, if they're laid and unlikely to smell unless someone disturbs them. If you only heard one bird, they probably weren't nesting yet, anyway, just setting up house. They'll find a more suitable place to nest. You did the right thing (and if you let the eggs hatch & a nestling fell out, you would have to tear out the wall to rescue it).
posted by clarkstonian at 1:00 PM on March 3, 2006

I normally would not mind tweeting in the morning, I think it's quite nice. But the general feeling of HOLY HELL THERE ARE DEMONDS IN THE DRYWALL at 6am is a bit much.. it's a very loud wing-flapping ruckus and the more I read about starlings the less I want to aid&abet the schoolyard bully. But I just thought his kids (if there were any) deserved better.

There's really no way for me to get to the duct without hiring a crew, I'm way up high and I can only reach out my window and get at the hole, not look down it.

As I did not appear to lock in the mother bird who would have been there if there were eggs, I am going to guess it was just the male bird trying to gussy up his place to have some chicks over. Not on my watch, mister!
posted by neustile at 1:02 PM on March 3, 2006

He tried to get in this morning again but eventually flew away, and I feel bad.

Even if there are eggs locked away in your walls, do you really want to live in such close proximity with wild birds while half of the world is worried about a bird flu pandemic?
posted by b1tr0t at 4:52 PM on March 3, 2006

I normally would not mind tweeting in the morning

I assure you from direct personal experience with a starling family in the upstairs-neighbor's dryer vent that you would not get tweeting, you would get something much closer to screeching mixed with scrobbling and shuffling. It's completely and utterly horrible and will ruin every. single. morning. for weeks and weeks.

This same apartment also featured some sort of small mammal that would get under the building, go in under the tub, and sharpen its claws on the underside of the fiberglas tub. Good times.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:14 PM on March 3, 2006

It should be mentioned that - if you are in the U.S. - Starlings are a parasitic, invasive species and should, should be eliminated with extreme prejudice.

In this case I would recommend a ferret, or perhaps a Vine Snake or some other form of arboreal bird-consuming reptile. Maybe a large skink.
If you aren't interested in utilizing another creature to do your dirty work, the old "catch-him-in-a-pillowcase and stick-it-on-your-tailpipe" trick works really well with all the cowbirds we catch out here.

Bees! But then you'd have bees in your wall. Could be worse.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:35 PM on March 3, 2006

Mustard gas!

...or... maybe a tazer.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:36 PM on March 3, 2006

I've lived with starlings in the loft space directly above me for years - i like in england, and they're not considered parasitic.

Anyway, my advice would be, go and check out the 'nest' properly, and if it's all clear, cover it over. If not, you're going to have to consider whether your conscience will allow you to leave a potential baby bird to starve. Your call entirely :)

on a personal note, i've never found them to be too invasive, but people are different :)
posted by triv at 4:10 AM on March 4, 2006