4034. More bird fuss

Friday, April 10, 2015

Well, I'm still battling the black birds who have decided to nest in my dryer vent.  I have the netting and the duct tape to block the vent, and the ladder to reach it, but it has rained and/or been windy every day.  The few periods of dry, Daughter has not been home, and I don't want to climb that high without someone to "spot" me.  So, there's a towel in the dryer that gets dried over and over, to blow out nesting materials and attempt to convince the birds the vent is not a good place.

Rocky suggested the birds might be starlings.  I didn't think so because they have no white speckles and no iridescence, I've seen them at a distance of two feet through the sliding glass patio door, but the more I read about starlings, the more I think maybe she's right.

Starling bills are yellow in nesting season, the size is right, the tails are right, and starlings nest in holes.  Starlings, when they find a good hole, are very aggressive about keeping it, defending it against other birds and animals, even to removing the nests of others, destroying the eggs of others, and killing the nestlings of others.

These two sure are determined to keep this hole, so yeah, I think maybe starling is right.  This is New Jersey.  There are lots of stories here about oddly-colored birds.  Two summers ago I saw several robins in the back yard with white edges on their wings and tails.  Lots of Super Fund sites around.  Raritan Bay.  Major air and ground pollution.  Outflow from the East River.  Odd coloring is the least of possibilities.
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