As a Christchurch street is blighted by starlings, how do you get rid of the winged pests?
From reporter Lee Kenny:
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For the Christchurch residents living in a street blighted by bird poo starlings are a menace – but how do you deal with the flying pests?
According to New Zealand Birds Online, the common starling was introduced for insect control, but they are now found across Aotearoa and the Subantarctic Islands.
They nest in hollow trees, under house eaves and even in letter boxes. As well as creating a mess, they eat crops and make a noise, which some people find annoying.
There are a range of methods to discourage starlings, from the cheap to the costly.
Westport-based Maintrac Group sells a range of equipment for dealing with pests, like starlings.
These include the high-tech Bird-X, a $795 device that uses red and green laser beams to deter birds.
Deploying bird spikes is among the least expensive options. The stainless steel spikes can be adhered to surfaces, preventing birds from landing and therefore pooping on property below.
“A successful way to deter starlings is to prevent them from landing,” Maintrac Group's website says.
“Starlings need a lot of energy just to fly, so if they are prevented from landing near a food source they soon use up what energy they do have, and have to move off to other areas to feed. If one goes, they all go.”
Shiny holographic tape can also be applied to surfaces to discourage the birds from settling, while an artificial osprey hawk does a similar job.
Another option is a Carousel Gas Gun, which makes a loud bang and scares unwanted birds away.
The noise will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in the countryside, but the intermittent blasts might not be suitable for suburbia.
A less noisy option might be an ultrasonic bird and animal repellent, which emits a high-frequency sound to scare away flying pests.
Despite the thousands of starlings that descend on Dudley St, Richmond, each summer, one pest expert said they are not a common problem in Christchurch.
“The bird-work we do is usually involving pigeons,” Gary Hendrikse, director of Elite Pest Control, said.
“I don't think I've ever had a call to get rid of starlings.
“The only other nuisance birds are ones that nest in people's ceilings, that's often to do with preventing access.”
Other methods for discouraging starlings include removing nests and food sources, and patching up holes to areas that could be used as a nesting site.
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
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Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
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Update to Neighbourly members on data breach 06/01/2025 8am
Yesterday in the High Court at Auckland, Neighbourly was successful in being granted an injunction against any unauthorised use of the data taken in a recent breach.
As we alerted you on January 1 and confirmed on January 3, our systems were accessed illegally and members’ information, including names, email addresses, GPS coordinates from the address you provided to us, forum posts and direct member communications were among the data that was accessed.
We acted immediately upon hearing of a potential breach: we temporarily disabled the site, notified members and authorities and worked with our external security consultants to understand if and how it had occurred. We then confirmed the breach with members, safely restored the site to service and began the process of seeking the injunction. Yesterday’s decision by Justice Johnstone prohibits the use of the data by any unauthorised person, and requires them to permanently delete it, or any information obtained from it.
This does not mean that vigilance against scammers is not still required: there is a large industry globally that seeks to use stolen information for identity fraud or to dupe people into providing details of their financial affairs for theft. Again, to keep yourself safe from scammers it is critical that you:
- Don’t click links in emails. Instead, type the web address directly into your browser. This helps ensure you’re visiting a real site, not a fake one
- Enable two-factor authentication where available as this adds an extra layer of security to your data
- Stay alert for phishing emails. Be cautious of unexpected emails asking for personal information, especially ones that create a sense of urgency.
Again, we want to apologise to you for this illegal access to the Neighbourly database and to assure you that we have carefully worked through how this occurred. We have safely secured the site and its services for use and ensured we have robust processes in place so this cannot happen again.
We are continuing to work with the relevant authorities, including the National Cyber Security Centre, on any further steps we need to take.
If you have any further questions please contact us via our customer support team at helpdesk@neighbourly.co.nz.
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