Help. My neighbours seem to be feeding 5000 starlings

[CanIDigIt]

AIBU to ask my neighbours to change their bird food and try to deter the starlings?

Dawn till dusk the noise is incessant. I have an almighty headache.

I've had to rewash three loads of laundry this week from droppings.

Is it just the time of year? I've lived here 4 years although obviously I'm at home A LOT right now. They are a complete nuisance.

How can I deter the starling flocks ?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

YABU.

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/starling/population-trends-conservation/

[HoneysuckIejasmine]

Oooh I love starlings, they eat all the leatherjackets from my lawn!

[lobsterkiller]

YABU and you're going to come across as batshit if you speak to your neighbour's about it. I get your annoyance with having to re-wash clothes but that could gave happened with just a few.

[dementedpixie]

We have some nesting in our roof. They are noisy and taking a risk as we have 2 cats

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

They’ve just fledged, they’ll go soon enough. Go and look at them in the sunshine, see the iridescence on their wings, I know they are noisy, but they are beautiful in their own way.

[zscaler]

Unfortunately starlings just come in flocks of 5,000.

Or fortunately! They’re beautiful little things really, and the murmurations are incredible.

I’ve got a flock who descend upon my lawn and stamp around to get worms - apparently the sound of their tapping feet sounds like rain and it encourages the worms to surface. It’s very clever!

[CanIDigIt]

I love birds and can name most of the British species. BUT I can't see any of the others anymore because of the incessant starlings visiting next door

[TheCrowFromBelow]

I sympathise a bit - We stopped putting fat balls in our bird feeder because the starlings would strip it in a day, sometimes twice.. We have lots of birds in our hedges and at the eaves.
The starlings come back every year and nest with us, they are noisy but beautiful and I love the way they look as if they've got their hands behind their backs when they walk over the lawn. Ours have fledged and i miss them.
Annoying about the washing but it is just the time of year and they will move on in a couple of weeks.

[PaperMonster]

We’ve a few at the mo. They’re hilarious! Always fighting amongst each other!

[JamieLeeCurtains]

They'll go soon.

And I agree, they're beautiful.

[Sparklingbrook]

It won't be for long. I always thought starlings were scavengers and would eat whatever you put out.

My problem is a pesky crow who lifts the cage with a suet block off the bird feeder and eats it off the floor. I have cable tied it on now.

[Puds11]

If you loved birds you’d know that starling numbers have been in massive decline and you’d be thrilled to have them in your garden.

[Tumbleweed101]

We’ve got a starling nest in our roof above my daughters window. It was the noise that made see it was there lol.

[madcatladyforever]

I've got baby starling everywhere and they have no fear. They bother my poor old cat when she's in the garden and pull her fur.
She's way to old to be chasing them (19) and just suffers it. Although she will chatter at them if she gets fed up.

[LakieLady]

We used to have lots of starlings but they seem to have moved away. We now have 2 robins, lots of sparrows, blackbirds, some blackcaps, a blue tit, the world's fattest pair of wood pigeons and magpies.

Maybe your starlings will just bugger off like ours appeared to.

[madcatladyforever]

If you loved birds you’d know that starling numbers have been in massive decline and you’d be thrilled to have them in your garden.

I didn't know that, I'm so pleased to have so many of them in the garden.

[EdwinaMay]

what are they feeding them. I'm pretty sure the advice from RSPB is to stop feeding birds as bird feed is normally not suitable for the babies.
You could get a big plastic owl.
(bird lover but selfish neighbour hater)

[MyEnormousTurnip]

Starlings are well ‘ard. They tell my cat off if she’s out in the garden and also I’m pretty sure they were having a go at me yesterday as I was weeding near the bird table.

We’ve only started getting them since I bought a tub of dried mealworms which seem to be an addictive substance for them. They’ve never been for the usual bird seed and stale bread scraps that the blackbirds enjoy.

[Allyg1185]

Get a grip! If that's all your neighbour is doing to annoy you then count yourself lucky!

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Watch them flying in incredible formations. How do they do that!

[Chickychickydodah]

Buy some firecrackers and set them off at random parts of the day.🤔

[Siameasy]

God maybe I’m the neighbour as we have two nests opposite us and they wake DH up squawking lol

[billybagpuss]

Please be kind to starlings they are in decline, I used to be upset that they would eat everything and there was nothing left for the little birds then one year they just didn’t come back and I miss them. The murmerations are phenomenal.

And @chicky, firecrackers?. Seriously???? 😳

[Tinygem]

We've had them nesting too. Think the last 2 left the nest this morning. Reckon there have been at least seven young ones.They've been noisy but it's been wonderful having them. We'll miss them, nature is wonderful.

[WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]

If you have a rotary clothesline you can get a cover - a bit like an open gazebo - or perhaps just use a small gazebo. It may at least protect your washing.