For decades our neighborhood has had lots of mourning doves -- gives us a
"stereo" effect when they really get to cooing! Now it seems these nasty
assed grackles are moving in and causing the doves to move out...any
suggestions on removing these nasty birds?

I thought about shooting them with a gun but it's illegal in the city
limits....
I was told that bb shot just bounces right off the little *******s -
Any ideas that are legitimate and make sense? (ie sending them all to Iraq
is a nice thought but impractical)

Thanks, Cheers, Tee

"Ms. Tee" wrote in message Any ideas that are
legitimate and make sense? (ie sending them all to Iraq
is a nice thought but impractical)

This isn't going to help you, but it reminded of a funny incident about 25
years ago. I had made a large flat topped bird feeder on a low post in
the back yard. We put mostly sun flower seeds out for cardinals and doves
but the grackles and blue jays ate as well, and they scattered the seed.
I was forever chasing them away.

I came home from work one evening and my 12 year old son was laying in our
boat parked by the garage. He told me to keep quiet and watch. Soon a
grackle landed on the bird feeder, and in a few seconds, the bird feeder
blew up and the grackle left.

My son had a wire from the boat to the bird feeder. At the bird feeder, he
twisted the bare wire ends around a fire cracker fuse. The he got in the
boat and watched. When a Jay or grackle landed, he touched the wires to
the boat battery, which made the wire get hot because they were shorted at
the bird feeder / fire cracker. This lit the fire cracker fuse, with the
result, a surprised and frightened grackle - perhaps never to return again.

A rather slow method to be sure, but I found it an interesting and
innovative idea.

On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 04:12:37 -0600, "bobwhite"
wrote:

My son had a wire from the boat to the bird feeder. At the bird feeder, he
twisted the bare wire ends around a fire cracker fuse.

I ran across a patent some time back that used a spring loaded arm
passing over the feeder to brush off unwanted birds. You could
remotely activate it but afterwards you had to go out and cock the
arm.

You could do all of that with an electrically operated arm. But the
need to activate it yourself would always be a drawback. But it might
be possible to use a small video camera and come up with a kind of
color profile signature for unwanted species of birds that would be
more or self actuated. It would just be a matter of software to do
the detection. You could start with any bird that was black.

Rusty Mase

"Rusty Mase" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 04:12:37 -0600, "bobwhite"
wrote:

My son had a wire from the boat to the bird feeder. At the bird feeder,
he
twisted the bare wire ends around a fire cracker fuse.

I ran across a patent some time back that used a spring loaded arm
passing over the feeder to brush off unwanted birds. You could
remotely activate it but afterwards you had to go out and cock the
arm.

You could do all of that with an electrically operated arm. But the
need to activate it yourself would always be a drawback. But it might
be possible to use a small video camera and come up with a kind of
color profile signature for unwanted species of birds that would be
more or self actuated. It would just be a matter of software to do
the detection. You could start with any bird that was black.

Argghh! What about the Red-Winged Blackbirds? I haven't see any yet at
my feeder, and I really like the raucous gang of raiders. I admit I don't
have a grackle problem, so I like them, too. Does UT still fire guns to try
to scare them off? It was ever so much more pleasant to hear gunshots while
strolling the campus at dusk rather than the grackle
*cacaphony*..............

Grackles love 'traditional' landscaping. You'll see them walking around
yards of mowed grass looking for worms to eat. Get rid of that lawn and
you get rid of the grackles. Check out Backyard wildscaping at either
Texas Parks & Wildlife or at the National Wildlife Federation. Your yard
is habitat. You get to choose what you want to attract.

The grackles stop by our trees daily for a few hours, but not regularly. I
don't do anything. However, I have stopped feeding birds with seed. I plant a
lot of seed bearing plants for finches and other assorted birds. There's
nothing like seeing a flock of finches swinging on the tops of the sunflowers in
the morning.

If the birds are indeed coming to your yard just for the feeder, I would say to
take it down for a while. Because of all this rain, there is plenty of wild
food for all bird species, right now.



On Sun, 03 Nov 2002 01:59:39 GMT, "Ms. Tee" wrote:

For decades our neighborhood has had lots of mourning doves -- gives us a
"stereo" effect when they really get to cooing! Now it seems these nasty
assed grackles are moving in and causing the doves to move out...any
suggestions on removing these nasty birds?

I thought about shooting them with a gun but it's illegal in the city
limits....
I was told that bb shot just bounces right off the little *******s -
Any ideas that are legitimate and make sense? (ie sending them all to Iraq
is a nice thought but impractical)

Thanks, Cheers, Tee

Victor M. Martinez wrote:
Well, this year we've had very few grackles in our neighborhood, but we've
had lots of crows!!!


I heard on a tv program (National Geographic something or other) that
more and more crows are moving into urban areas. They didn't seem to
know whay. Neither do I, but I have noticed more around here (Highland
neighborhood) the last year or two.

I like them (I'm weird, I like grackles, too... they look like tiny
dinosaurs striding through the lawns looking for prey) but it would
still be interesting to find out why there are more lately.

--
Suzanne http://cshardie.tripod.com
If war is the violent resolution of conflict, then peace is not the
absence of conflict, but rather, the ability to resolve conflict without
violence.
-C.T. Butler

On Sun, 03 Nov 2002 22:38:48 GMT, cshardie wrote:


I heard on a tv program (National Geographic something or other) that
more and more crows are moving into urban areas. They didn't seem to
know whay. Neither do I, but I have noticed more around here (Highland
neighborhood) the last year or two.

I like them (I'm weird, I like grackles, too... they look like tiny
dinosaurs striding through the lawns looking for prey) but it would
still be interesting to find out why there are more lately.

Crows and ravens are among the most intelligent birds. They are smarter than
parrots, believe it or not. I don't believe it is them moving into urban areas,
rather we are building in their territory. We have a flock of crows, about 15
or so, who live in an area between Gattis School Road, down 122 to 79. They
come to my property daily and I love them. They plant seeds in my lawn, which I
love.

The only thing I don't care about grackles is the incredible noise a flock can
make (if large) and their excrement is unusually gigantic. Grackle spackle.

So I don't find you weird because I like them very much, too.

Victoria

animaux wrote:
Crows and ravens are among the most intelligent birds. They are smarter than
parrots, believe it or not. I don't believe it is them moving into urban areas,
rather we are building in their territory. We have a flock of crows, about 15
or so, who live in an area between Gattis School Road, down 122 to 79. They
come to my property daily and I love them. They plant seeds in my lawn, which I
love.

I've heard they're smart. Doesn't surprise me, really. Grackles are
pretty smart, too. I've seen them leave pecans in streets to be run over
by cars. Not often, but more than once.

We probably are incroaching on crow territory more than they're moving
into ours, but my neighborhood's 50 years old and I never saw crows
until the last 2 or 3 years. And they're a bird I'd notice. They're
cawing immediately takes me back to trips to the country when I was a
kid I think it probably goes both ways. I'd just be interested to
know why they'd move toward town when disturbed (if that's what's
happening) instead of moving away into what country is left.

--
Suzanne http://cshardie.tripod.com
If war is the violent resolution of conflict, then peace is not the
absence of conflict, but rather, the ability to resolve conflict without
violence.
-C.T. Butler

Oooh, by the way. I've been wondering what the difference is between
crows and ravens. If you'll parden my complete stupidity on the subject
They're not the same, right?

I've seen tons of crows throughout my lifetime but I don't know that
I've ever seen a raven. Are they a northern bird?

--
Suzanne http://cshardie.tripod.com
If war is the violent resolution of conflict, then peace is not the
absence of conflict, but rather, the ability to resolve conflict without
violence.
-C.T. Butler

"Ms. Tee" wrote in message
m...
| For decades our neighborhood has had lots of mourning doves -- gives
us a
| "stereo" effect when they really get to cooing! Now it seems these
nasty
| assed grackles are moving in and causing the doves to move out...any
| suggestions on removing these nasty birds?
|
| I thought about shooting them with a gun but it's illegal in the
city
| limits....
| I was told that bb shot just bounces right off the little *******s -
| Any ideas that are legitimate and make sense? (ie sending them all
to Iraq
| is a nice thought but impractical)
|
| Thanks, Cheers, Tee
|

A high-powered slingshot and pecans for ammo--don't hit the birds,
just the branches around them.

"animaux" wrote in message
...
| On Sun, 03 Nov 2002 22:38:48 GMT, cshardie
wrote:
|

s-n-i-p
|
| The only thing I don't care about grackles is the incredible noise a
flock can
| make (if large) and their excrement is unusually gigantic. Grackle
spackle.
|
| So I don't find you weird because I like them very much, too.
|
| Victoria

When it rains, the puddles on campus are malodorous to the extreme.
But it's true; grackles are Texas peacocks. I always think it's funny
that some people don't even recognize the females as grackles.

On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 11:00:23 -0600, "cat daddy"
wrote:

have a grackle problem, so I like them, too. Does UT still fire guns to try
to scare them off? It was ever so much more pleasant to hear gunshots while
strolling the campus at dusk rather than the grackle

They shot off one of those grackle guns outside Painter one day,
during the middle of an afternoon guest lecture. The startled face on
the poor visitor, looking around to see if it was time to duck. From
the back of the hall someone says, "Not to worry. It's just Texas."

The noise did get rid of the grackles, or should I say moved them
around temporarily. The guns were pretty controversial as I recall.

I remember walking out of Painter one evening with a printout when they
fired the gun offf down the street. Put the printout over my head and ended
up having to get a new printout and wash my coat. Glad I didn't look up.

--
Rusty Myers
Austin, TX

"Terry Horton" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 11:00:23 -0600, "cat daddy"
wrote:

have a grackle problem, so I like them, too. Does UT still fire guns to
try
to scare them off? It was ever so much more pleasant to hear gunshots
while
strolling the campus at dusk rather than the grackle

They shot off one of those grackle guns outside Painter one day,
during the middle of an afternoon guest lecture. The startled face on
the poor visitor, looking around to see if it was time to duck. From
the back of the hall someone says, "Not to worry. It's just Texas."

The noise did get rid of the grackles, or should I say moved them
around temporarily. The guns were pretty controversial as I recall.

Some of those birds are pretty big. Can you eat them?

"NW" wrote in message
...
Grackles love 'traditional' landscaping. You'll see them walking around
yards of mowed grass looking for worms to eat. Get rid of that lawn and
you get rid of the grackles. Check out Backyard wildscaping at either
Texas Parks & Wildlife or at the National Wildlife Federation. Your yard
is habitat. You get to choose what you want to attract.