Nesting starlings are destroying my plants - what do I do?

[Alabasterangel6]

They’re in next doors roof.

They’ve been here for a week seemingly nesting. I love garden birds (and have bluetit nestboxes at the other end of the garden) but these vandals are really irritating me. They’ve pulled all the heads off my flowering nemesia, and the buds. Now they’re gone they are moving on to my sweet pea, cosmos and alyssum seedlings. Weeks of careful growing and tending and these sods have trashed the lot in days.

What can I do?

Nothing!
Just hope they don't start on the bluetits 😟

What about old fashioned ideas like foil streamers?

They can’t be eating this stuff so what are they doing with it? And if they’re nest building will they stop the vandalism when it’s built? How long will that take?

The bluetits have hatched so I really hope not.

Streamers might help! We used to have starlings on our loft, the noise they make is unbelievable. They used to put clogs on and start Morris dancing, whilst screaming, at about half past four in the morning.

They’ve above the neighbours bathroom and it’s not a small house - they’ve said they haven’t noticed!

I’m just so disheartened. I daren’t replace any plants in case they just rip those up too.

I remember this once, brand new garden. Carefully planted out, starlings ripped up. I covered all the tiny plants in home made cloches, milk cartons etc and used a temporary greenhouse I had to protect a bigger bush.

So are any protective measures short term? Will they stop this once the babies have hatched? Or fledged? Surely they aren’t feeding the chicks my flowers! I assume they are building with it!

It calmed down once birds had fledged.

I’m going to move some pots to the house wall edge and buy some windmills and streamers tomorrow. I don’t like plastic tat in the garden much but I’ll take that over no plants.

Now I’m wondering how long before they hatch and sod off? Hopefully quickly!!