Interesting observation...

[kibakiba]

I probably wouldn't mind depending on the bird. I wouldn't mind feeding my macaw, Willy, to Mama sometimes... I also wouldn't mind with blue jays, we have literally 60 of them smacking themselves into our birdfeeders every day. One died because it hit it wrong.

[RedSidedSPR]

I love birds too. Than again i like fish

[ConcinusMan]

I would have a difficult time feeding baby birds to my snakes.
I'm a bird person also.

So am I Steve. I was at one point, into birds as heavily as snakes. I was a volunteer for a wildlife rehab and my job was hand raising lots of different wild birds. I also used to have an aviary and bred raised cockatiels and military macaws when I lived in San Diego. If anything, what I learned made it easier for me to feed those baby birds to my snakes. Starlings are a menace in North America, to humans and native birds. Any time I see an opportunity to do so, I cull any nests I find. I've been waiting for these to hatch so at least they wouldn't go to waste. I'd rather feed hatchlings to my snakes, than to simply destroy the eggs.

[RedSidedSPR]

So am I Steve. I was at one point, into birds as heavily as snakes.

Same here. For years. I've always loved ANIMALS and hate seeing anything happen to them, but at the same time have never had a problem feeding them... ya know? Just how life works, only in captivity..

That's cool about the aviary and all that.

[ConcinusMan]

Technically, I'm still into birds just as much as snakes. Just not involved with them anymore. There's no way in heck I could have fed just any bird to my snakes. The only reason I did this is because starlings are so damaging to the environment and harmful/competitive to native species. The presence of starlings alone can account for 90% of the bluebird's decline.

Starling nests should be culled whenever possible but it does no good to destroy eggs. They'll just keep laying them. It's more effective to wait until they hatch so I figured why not feed them to my snakes instead of wasting them. Waiting until they hatch also makes it so they will run out of time. If you keep taking their babies they will keep laying, and keep wasting their efforts, and still not successfully reproduce. That's a good thing. Believe that.

One pair of starlings can become 16 pairs in just one season. They're reproductive rate is outrageous. The billions of birds you see today in America are all decended from just 6 pairs released in New York's central park, in 1906. They are now occupying all of north america and reeking havoc on the ecosystem. Those birds cost agriculture hundreds of millions of dollars every year and use up all the nesting spots that native birds would be using. If they find a bluebird nest, they will destroy the eggs/offspring and take over the spot for themselves. They are a menace.

So, you can see why I would have no problem raiding their nests and using their young to feed my snakes. Any time I find a nest that I can get to, I destroy it, and it's contents. It's done out of love for birds, not because I hate birds.

[RedSidedSPR]

I totally understand. You're doing a service to nature (and your snakes) I wouldn't feed birds either, because i like them, unless they needed to go. So i totally get it.

[Mommy2many]

Do the starlings destroy only bluebird nests or other bird's nests as well?

[RedSidedSPR]

everythings nests. They're just pests. I used to shoot them...

[ConcinusMan]

Do the starlings destroy only bluebird nests or other bird's nests as well?

Any bird. The only thing that stops them is if it is a very small bird, and the hole is too small for them.

Once a few years ago I discovered woodpeckers nesting in a hole in the wall of an abandoned building which I thought was really cool. After a while of seeing them come and go, I started hearing the cries of newborns. Shortly thereafter, I watched in horror as a couple of starlings got in there, picked the babies to shreds, and threw them out. A few weeks later, all that was there was a nest full of squawking, crapping starlings.

[kibakiba]

We had starling nests on our beck, where the covered part is. There were 6 nests and too much poop. It was literally in piles, even when we washed it off every day. Stupid birds were noisy as heck. I was tempted to use a broomstick and push them off the beams... But I'd be grounded until I was 18 (I was 13 at the time)