Even the most ardent bird lovers - of which I'm one - don't care for these non-native pests. Introduced in this country in the 19th century, these birds have expanded into all parts of the lower 48, aggressively competing with more desirable native birds, and even driving a few species to near extinction.

Fortunately, there are some things we can do about them. They're not protected by federal law, nor by state law (at least here in Oklahoma), so we can hunt and trap them without restrictions.

traps are sold for both of them, and there are plans for building your own traps all over the internet. Here\'s one ingenious trap. I've actually seen it in operation, and it does work.

The problem is, you will need two different traps, one for sparrows and one for starlings. If you trap only sparrows, you will find the birds will be replaced largely by starlings, still leaving you with a bird problem. And both traps have the drawback of occasionally catching a more desirable bird. You can build in a door to release the bird, but I find this to be just a little too inconvenient.

So, my solution is to shoot them. I throw a slice of old stale bread out on the lawn, wait for the bird to come in, and blast it with my air rifle. Not real sporting maybe, but it takes care of the problem, and keeps my shooting skills in practice. (Admittedly, this solution may not be practical for many people here.)

What do you do with the birds? Well, don't make them someone else's problem. Besides, if you release them somewhere else, the damn things are liable to beat you home.

My neighbor's cats are pretty plump, thanks partly to me. And feathers are high in nitrogen, so what doesn't go to the cats make useful additions to the compost pile. But since this is the Survival and Preparedness forum, I should point out that you can always eat them yourself.

There isn't much meat on these pests, but if you catch enough of them, you can make a meal out of them. For sparrows, you can mix them with mayonnaise or, better yet, Miracle Whip, and make a sparrow salad out of them. Dandelion wine goes well with this.

You know that old nursery rhyme, "Four and twenty blackbirds baked into a pie?" Well, starlings added to a pot pie isn't bad. It's nothing to write home about, but it isn't bad. Add a few of them to a chicken or beef pot pie, and it will stretch your meat a little, or just throw them in stews. I've never tried a starling salad, but you might want to. And of course, there's always the compost pile.

So, there's my solutions to the sparrow and starlings problems.

Onward and upward,
airforce