I am emphatically in favor of European Starling eradication efforts
here, but won't try to defend that because the arguments have already
been articulately stated by several.
The huge, smelly IBP ("Iowa Beef) factory and feed-lot located in
Wallula, WA, whose offal (great word) contributes to the so-called "poop
piles" attractive to gulls there (and birders, but probably not too much
should be read into that), has for some time had a Starling eradication
program, which it would appear is very effective. They do this because
they say there is some indication that the Starling droppings in the
silage (the Starlings almost drive the cows away from the feed when they
descend to feed right around the cattle) carry a coccidian which
precipitates a disease in the cattle. I am trying to get some kind of
research reference to this, because if people's steaks and McDonald
mcburgers are threatened by Starlings, oooow, this has real
possibilities!
They have several simple but clever wire cages which are baited with
fruit, with access only by small one-way holes at the bottom through
which only the Starlings (being hole-nesters) will enter. Once or twice
a day the feedlot personnel send a worker around to wring the necks of
the dozens to hundreds of Starlings trapped in the cages. When they get
1,000's trapped, they throw a tarp over the trap and hook up the exhaust
from their pickup truck. The Starling carcasses then get mixed up with
the offal and the gulls recycle them from the poop piles. And it's clear
I could have gone all day without providing these clinical details...
But my point, if I have one, is that there ARE ways of doing in
these birds in without toxic chemicals sprayed in oil or whatever. I
have another suggestion, no doubt off-the-wall. Why not a bounty of 2
cents per Starling beak? Afterall, we used to (maybe still do in some
places) have bounties on other "nasties" like cougars, wolves, coyotes,
etc. The gun-for-hire types probably would figure out effective ways to
pay for their time even at only at few cents a pop. Afterthought...bad
idea. Most of them would be turning in Red-wing, Brewers Blackbird,
Grackle beaks... Oh well.
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Larry McCloskey
Dept of Biological Sciences
Walla Walla College, College Place, WA 99324
mcclla at wwc.edu
509-527-2481
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