Nesting Boxes Help needed for Starlings

[Kymba]

Apparently Starlings are in decline in the South of England due to the increase of Parakeets, This is the BBC news clip telling us about the problem and what we can do to help...

BBC News Player - Parakeets robbing nests

[aeshna5]

I saw this clip when it appeared as the deputy manager of Richmond Park had told me it was goig to appear that week as the clip was filmed in Richmond Park.

I'm afraid this is typical lazy journalism. Yes Starlings have crashed notably in south-east- but the BTO figures here are for the whole region + the birds have similarly declined where there are NO R.n. Parakeets, which is still a large proportion of the area.

I've been involved with the Richmond Park monitoring group since it's inception some 7 years or so back when we've conducted a monthly transect bird survey. What transpires is that the R.n. Parakeets have very roughly doubled each year, but so far no other hole nesting species has shown any obvious decline + some of these species have also increased; perhaps not the result we anticipated.

However Richmond Park is blessed with veteran trees so there's an abundance of potential homes.

I don't think we can be complacent as these exotic birds are increasing with no predators here + can be aggressive at the nest + could be a problem in the future; but it's not true that the current decline is due to these birds..

[John]

I couldn't have put it better myself. I was a little annoyed at the way it was being reported on GMTV this morning. It appeared that RNP'S were displacing many species of birds which (as aeshna5 has stated) is not correct.

I think the problem might hit us in a few years time when the birds numbers have probably increased to proportions where they have swamped the areas they currently populate. Still they are expanding outwards and in new areas where they have colonized there doesn't seem to be a problem.

John

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I saw this clip when it appeared as the deputy manager of Richmond Park had told me it was goig to appear that week as the clip was filmed in Richmond Park.

I'm afraid this is typical lazy journalism. Yes Starlings have crashed notably in south-east- but the BTO figures here are for the whole region + the birds have similarly declined where there are NO R.n. Parakeets, which is still a large proportion of the area.

I've been involved with the Richmond Park monitoring group since it's inception some 7 years or so back when we've conducted a monthly transect bird survey. What transpires is that the R.n. Parakeets have very roughly doubled each year, but so far no other hole nesting species has shown any obvious decline + some of these species have also increased; perhaps not the result we anticipated.

However Richmond Park is blessed with veteran trees so there's an abundance of potential homes.

I don't think we can be complacent as these exotic birds are increasing with no predators here + can be aggressive at the nest + could be a problem in the future; but it's not true that the current decline is due to these birds..