Grackles…

[fishinwrench]

54 minutes ago, tjm said:

$15,000 fine & 6 months jail under Federal law. Which officer of the HOA does the time? 

It may be wrong, but the way I was raised.....a problematic critter on MY PROPERTY is fair game.   

Poisonous snakes, feral cats, and birds that gorge on mulberries & then poop all over my porch and vehicles get no pass. 

[tjm]

I don't know that it's wrong, just criminal, even if the laws aren't often enforced. And in this country felons can vote in some states and even serve in federal office, so I guess most citizens don't consider being criminal as being wrong.  

Wrong and right probably need to be judged on a moral or religious scale. But it is kinda like justifying rape because of the clothes someone wore. I used to know a former bank robber who justified his work by saying that all that money laying in vaults wasn't doing anything and that his spending it helped the economy. 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

used to know a former bank robber who justified his work by saying that all that money laying in vaults wasn't doing anything and that his spending it helped the economy.

 

Who can argue with that ?  😅

[fishinwrench]

Speaking of rape.....Here's some wildlife activity going on that I highly approve of.....so they definitely get a pass 😊👍 

[jdmidwest]

Starlings make great soft hackle, but you need to kill the mites off of them first.

I read the other day that their was a decline in them finally.  I really don't notice as many around here anymore.

[fishinwrench]

23 minutes ago, jdmidwest said:

 

I read the other day that their was a decline in them finally.  I really don't notice as many around here anymore.

A few years ago I read/heard something about whippoorwill numbers being on a huge decline, and that kinda bummed me out......But this year, around here, they are as thick as I can ever remember.  

Seriously, there are times that you can't even carry on a conversation outside for all the whippoorwill noise.   Even during the 4th when everyone was shooting off fireworks....the whippoorwills were fired up big time. 

[tjm]

2 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

 

Who can argue with that ?  😅

He also said that the banks didn't lose anything because the money was insured and it helped the insurance people sell more insurance. Everybody was a winner. Of course the economy that he was helping most was in Mexico where he'd live between jobs. 

Whip poor wills are ground nesting birds and decline with any increase of egg eaters. But the egg eaters go through cycles too, for example a run of distemper can nearly wipe out a raccoon population, because they frequently  move from den to den and share dens so a single carrier can rapidly  share it's disease with dozens who then share with others. And when the 'coon population bottoms out the birds have one less problem. 

Starlings and English Sparrows are both invasive species and therefore are legal to kill by almost any means.  A borax solution  wash should kill any mites and their eggs. I'd probably  just skin and scrape then  pin the pelt out in a card board box and cover the pelt thoroughly with borax powder, it's a good desiccant to dry the skin as well as an insecticide. I tend to keep a little borax with all my fly tying furs and feathers.   

[jdmidwest]

9 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

A few years ago I read/heard something about whippoorwill numbers being on a huge decline, and that kinda bummed me out......But this year, around here, they are as thick as I can ever remember.  

Seriously, there are times that you can't even carry on a conversation outside for all the whippoorwill noise.   Even during the 4th when everyone was shooting off fireworks....the whippoorwills were fired up big time. 

There were many nights where I did not hear any.  Turkey season, you would have them singing in the mornings.  But they are coming back, I hear a few now at the farm, none at the other place an hour east.

West nile hit them and crows the worst when it came thru.

[Dutch]

The increased summer noise might be Chuck-Will’s-widow.  They are similar to the Whip-poor-Will and are here mostly in the summer.

[skeeter]

On 7/9/2025 at 8:50 AM, Dutch said:

They have invaded my bird feeders short of lead poisoning is there anything I can do?

I used to feed the birds year round.  Two years in a row I had to kill 12 Skunks who were hanging around the bases of the feeders after dark.  Can't have Skunks around when you have dogs in the house that sometimes need potty breaks after dark.  Then I read where MDC is recommending stopping wild bird feeding about on May 1st and not resuming until November 1st.  No more Skunks and, while it takes a little while for the locals to find the feeders again when I resume feeding in Nov.,  just one bird finding the feeder seems to spread the word.  No more Coons or Possums hanging out either.  Other replies on here are pretty good advice.  .22 shot shells have very limited range and foul the rifling grooves in the barrel and a 12 Ga. is way too much.