Author Topic: Some times I amaze myself (Read 831 times)

victorcharlie · « **on:** March 16, 2006, 05:33:55 AM »

Just made one of those lucky once in a life time shots.......The wife has a bird feeder out back. She doesn't like starlings and she was out yesterday afternoon with her pellet rifle trying to convince them they really didn't want to eat her black oil sunflower seeds.

I've been slipping out on the deck this morning to get a shot but they usually fly before I get to shoot........One flew straight toward me and as I was going to have to shoot to unload the spring I figured I'd shoot at it never thinking I'd hit it...........scratch one starling, flying with a .177 pellet rifle.......

I don't think I can do that again any time soon! It sure is fun to make a shot like that! :eek:

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2006, 06:00:32 PM »

I sit out on the front porch often in warm weather shooting mostly grackles and cowbirds that come trying to feed at our feeders. We see starlings from time to time but they seldom come into the yard and pretty much never to our feeder. We let the redwing blackbirds feed as we enjoy their song but the cowbirds and grackles are in mortal danger if they come near. I've noticed lately they are really taking advantage of me not being out there yet this year. Been too busy but need to get after them.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2006, 07:31:18 PM »

This remind's me of something that happened while I was training dog's. Took a new client out to see where his dog was. Planted a few birds, chuckar's, in remote release traps and turned his dog loose. What a rag! Anyway, at the first trap the dog never noticed the bird and I poped it out and let it go. The next time the dog was looking and I poped the bird. The bird flew straight at me with the dog hot on it's tail. As the bird went by I reached out with my right hand and the bird flew right into it! Then as the dog went by I reached down with my left hand and managed to snag the collar and lifted the dog right off the ground. To this day, that guy think's I've got the best hand's around. Glad he didn't ask me to do that again! :lol:

victorcharlie · « **Reply #3 on:** March 17, 2006, 05:09:28 AM »

I said starling, but that's a generic term up here for any black bird.....this one was shiny black with yellow eyes. Red wings are easy to tell.......I don't really mind when they visit one or 2 at a time but when a couple of hundred show up and empty the feeder and then do their business all over the house and cars that annoyes me. I've also noticed the other birds tend to avoid the feeder when these fellows are around......How can a fellow tell the difference between a starling, grackles, cowbirds and other black birds?

I remember when I was a small kid, and the black birds were flying over way up high by the thousands, one of the other kids shot a 22lr up in the middle of them and hit one.......It seemed like it took for ever for it to hit the ground. I on occasion see large flocks, but not like the early sixties, where a flock would fly by for 10 minutes or more. Come to think about it, the C-130's flew by quite a bit then as well........

Don, to bad he wasn't a scout for the Cardnals! Sounds like a play that would have got you into the hall of fame!

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** March 17, 2006, 05:17:44 AM »

Starlings are slightly smaller than a robin and have a dull almost mottled appearance to their black color. The large shiny black almost irridesent ones with long tails and eyes like you mentioned are grackles. Cow are far smaller than either, really not much larger than an English sparrow and the male is dark black with a brown head. The females are a wee bit smaller and a dull brownish black in color. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds smaller than themselves and their young push out the young of the parents who tend the nest. this is the reason I hate them so much and kill them on sight.

Theshootist78 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2006, 11:47:46 AM »

Starlings were released in central park (NYC) in the 1890's by Eugene Scheiffelin. He thought it would be a great idea to populate the park with all of the birds which were mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. He released a total of 100 birds, they did not stay in the park and within 70 years proceded to populate all of north america. They are an invasive species who displace native birds, they are adaptable to human enviroments and have thrived. Populaton is estimated at between 200,000,000 and 1,000,000,000.

corbanzo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2006, 02:46:42 PM »

Reminds me when the opposite happen to a friend of mine. We were out back of my house, having a fire at night, when he saw a little bird sitting on top of a light on a light pole, he grabbed the pellet gun, POP! No more light....

victorcharlie · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2006, 02:47:16 AM »

Quote from: corbanzo

Reminds me when the opposite happen to a friend of mine. We were out back of my house, having a fire at night, when he saw a little bird sitting on top of a light on a light pole, he grabbed the pellet gun, POP! No more light....

Yep....that's usually the way it happens for me! :lol: :lol: :lol: