Red Wing Black Birds invasive?

[great white whaler]

Originally Posted by Cattle Dog

I was saddened to hear that someone would kill beautiful red-winged blackbirds.

The Major Pest by far are Starlings who rob eggs and baby song birds all the time. Kill those.

In the states, sometimes they have swarms of all-black blackbirds.

But here where i live, there is the occaisonal red-wing blackbird, and rarely do we see the yellowheaded blackbird (maybe one or two yellowheaded ones per year).

There are losts of birds that try to protect their nest; good for them; but for a jogger to complain that he was attacked by a redwing blackbird and so the coward killed it; that is very sad indeed. Maybe the babys have starved to death because Rambo killed their parent.

i got a robins nest in a tree up over my deck,..there's ma and pa and 4 babies i've been protecting them like 2 weeks now,..theres like 20 for sure black birds trying to get at the babies,my pellet gun is getting good use,,the black birds are on to me they are very smart and sometimes swoop down on ya

[doetracks]

Ok first you called them grackles, now they're blackbirds. Which is it?

[great white whaler]

Originally Posted by doetracks

Ok first you called them grackles, now they're blackbirds. Which is it?

o sorry ,grackles,,,thought they were a member of the black bird family

[calgarychef]

My grandfather used to shoot blackbirds and his mom would cook them. So as they are edible if you aren't going to eat them why shoot them? The song of the red wing blackbird is just so much a part of being out in a canoe or hunting in the marsh I can't imagine the point of shooting them.

[rhuntley12]

Someone should put togather a slideshow of what pest birds we should shoot.

Saw a grackle the other day but didn't know it was called a grackle, blackbirds chased it away though. Quite a few blackbirds in yard dive bombing dogs, haven't seen many robins around this year just more blackbirds though.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by great white whaler

i had this happen just this morning ,while out on my walk,tomorrow i carry a stick.

carry a tennis racket instead,

[doetracks]

Lol Wayne - might be an idea!

Brewers Blackbird and the Common Grackle are in the same family but different genus species.

I hate grackles. Blackbirds, not so much, but they certainly colonize tree rows. They're both noisy, the grackle more so.

[great white whaler]

Originally Posted by doetracks

Lol Wayne - might be an idea!

Brewers Blackbird and the Common Grackle are in the same family but different genus species.

I hate grackles. Blackbirds, not so much, but they certainly colonize tree rows. They're both noisy, the grackle more so.

i looked it up in my bird bible,,,i have common grackles can tell by the rudder shaped tail

[great white whaler]

red wing black bird is more like a swamp bird,,i have never seen one in town .

[KegRiver]

A bit of trivia.

Doetracks is correct, there are in fact five north america genus in the family to which the Grackles belong.

Baltimore Oriole is one. Meadowlarks and Bobolinks another.

Red winged and yellow headed blackbirds in another. Rusty Blackbirds, Brewers Blackbirds and Cowbirds in another.

And Grackles in the fifth Genus.

Grackles are the only ones in that family of birds that I can see any possible justification for shooting. And I don't advise shooting them. But I do understand if other want to do so.

For the other unprotected members of this family, I don't object to people shooting them, but I see no reason why one would do so.

What I do find offensive is a fellow I met some years ago that shot cowbirds, blackbirds, Grackles, Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers, Bluejays, Wrens, and other birds I'm sure. He had an argument for each. I didn't buy his arguments. Mostly his arguments were based on myths.
I tried to persuade him that his reasons were based on myths, but it didn't work. I hope someone else has managed to talk some sense into him.

[diamonddave]

We shoot them for the simple fact that they empty my bird feederes every other day and we are trying to attract the song birds with the feeders. They are a pain in the rear end. Red wing black birds that is....

[great white whaler]

i have more song birds today ,,than last week,,it like they appreciate my protection,,,its true grackles will kill song birds.

[Steven Noel]

If you're inclined to shoot something, I would suggest House Sparrows. They're a truly invasive species that habitually and viscously pecks bluebirds, swallows, chickadees and other native species as well as their young and eggs to death.

They are truly a terrible thing.

Warning: The link contains some graphic pictures of House Sparrow victims.

http://www.sialis.org/hospattacks.htm

[gopher]

Every man needs a varmint

[walking buffalo]

Robins are a much more dangerous species to the human population than black birds.

Robins have been proven to be the number 1 tranmission species for West Nile Virus. Having Robin's near your house dramatically increases the possibility of having West Nile virus infected mosquitos bite you.

Save your kids, shoot a Robin.

[WayneChristie]

There lots of red wing and yellow heads around here, wouldnt be the same around the water without them, I even have some in the yard from time to time, I love hearing them call. The grackles are around a lot as well, usually beating up the crows, and nothing like seeing them line up side by side all across the yard in late summer walking in step on grasshopper patrol. I havent seen them touch one plant in the garden except to chase a hopper off it and eat it. if they start damaging the veggies they have a problem, til then I hate grasshoppers way more.

[KegRiver]

I agree with you Steven. House Sparrows are nasty and they don't belong here.

Gray squirrels are even worse, and there are people who call themselves bird lovers or nature lovers who object very strongly to anyone taking actions against such species.

From one extreme to another.
I don't pretend to understand what the best course of action is, but I am convinced that neither extreme is good.

I have no problem with any legal hunting, nor with those who chose to not shoot anything legaly.

[CNP]

Originally Posted by Cattle Dog

for a jogger to complain that he was attacked by a redwing blackbird and so the coward killed it; that is very sad indeed. Maybe the babys have starved to death because Rambo killed their parent.

You made that up. Nice story, but if these stories make you sad.......quit making them up. Anyway, killing birds that are on the "killable" list shouldn't be a problem on a hunting forum.

[Pudelpointer]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Robins are a much more dangerous species to the human population than black birds.

Robins have been proven to be the number 1 tranmission species for West Nile Virus. Having Robin's near your house dramatically increases the possibility of having West Nile virus infected mosquitos bite you.

Save your kids, shoot a Robin.

Just in case anyone is thinking of taking WB seriously, Robins ARE ON THE PROTECTED LIST.

(I know you were kidding, but some won't)

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Pudelpointer

Just in case anyone is thinking of taking WB seriously, Robins ARE ON THE PROTECTED LIST.

(I know you were kidding, but some won't)

Good Catch!

It's illegal to shoot these disease infested vermin. The WN Virus info is true. Researchers have considered requesting a North America wide cull of robins to limit human exposure to West Nile.

[Steven Noel]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Good Catch!

It's illegal to shoot these disease infested vermin. The WN Virus info is true. Researchers have considered requesting a North America wide cull of robins to limit human exposure to West Nile.

Culling robins? That would be a sad, sad day.

[diamonddave]

........unless they were knocking over your inukshuks!!!!

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by Pudelpointer

Just in case anyone is thinking of taking WB seriously, Robins ARE ON THE PROTECTED LIST AND YOU SHOOTING THEM SHOULD NOT BE TALKED ABOUT ON THE FORUM.

(I know you were kidding, but some won't)

Fixed that for you.

[Redfrog]

I was mowing my lawn for the last few hours and the grackles have non stop been swarming the magpies and my young lab. . We have lots of trees around so we have lots of birds.

[BGSH]

Kill the magpies, they eat everything and anything and are the biggest bird pests in alberta

[FCLightning]

Originally Posted by best guide shawn homeniuk

Kill the magpies, they eat everything and anything and are the biggest bird pests in alberta

Actually the "eat anything and everything" can be very beneficial - just not in my yard.!

[Steven Noel]

Originally Posted by diamonddave

........unless they were knocking over your inukshuks!!!!

Always exceptions.

[YoteStopper]

Originally Posted by AbAngler

Ok, now I'm really confused!

I've always like them, so I was surprised when the old guy said he shoots them.

I find them pretty annoying at times, and have never shot any, but both the starlings and common grackles are both valid targets for my modded crosman phantom .22 air rifle

[YoteStopper]

Originally Posted by best guide shawn homeniuk

Kill the magpies, they eat everything and anything and are the biggest bird pests in alberta

How about a scoped 10-22 with CCI Quick Shoc's? That should make short work of them!

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by YoteStopper

How about a scoped 10-22 with CCI Quick Shoc's? That should make short work of them!

Must be new to magpie sniping?

Since buying a .17 HMR in late 2002 the local crows and magpies got slaughtered for the first 2 years.....but not the real smart ones.

In 06 bought my first .204....sure suprised them.

It was like 02-03 all over again.

2011....In the process of building up a 7mm rem mag....gonna fix them once and for all.