FLYMPH FORUM

Cookshill is being difficult; does anybody have another source for high quality Starling that they could share with me? Thanks.

I thought I had a lead for you. I bought some at an expo several years ago and they are gorgeous skins, several dyed colors as well. I just checked the packages and not one name to the bunch. Sorry, Mike.

Ron Eagle Elk wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 7:56 am I thought I had a lead for you. I bought some at an expo several years ago and they are gorgeous skins, several dyed colors as well. I just checked the packages and not one name to the bunch. Sorry, Mike.

I just did some googling and saw that www.eflytyer.com had starling. Everything I got from him in the past has been top notch stuff.

Link to Starling Skins (scroll down to mid page): http://www.eflytyer.com/new_stuff/ns_feathers.html

Veniards wholesale them, maybe a UK Flyshop could help?

Thank you, everybody; good links. I hadn't even considered that Ebay would be a good source...

I appreciate the responses.

Mike - how about Scattering a bit of sweet feed out in the field? You do have starlings up by you, no?

Theroe wrote: ↑Sun Nov 21, 2021 8:01 pm Mike - how about Scattering a bit of sweet feed out in the field? You do have starlings up by you, no?

They are rumored to be here, though I've not seen any this far north. The state of Maine does classify them as a pest. Grackles on the other hand show up in clouds once or twice a season and act like they just came from a Phish concert; they don't act bad, just stoned and happy.

I keep eyeing the grackles that swarm our bird feeders. Vickie spends good money to feed the song birds, mourning doves, wild turkeys and woodpeckers. When the grackles are here they will swarm the yard looking for anything and everything edible, driving out everything else, except the turkeys. Those grackle feathers have a beautiful sheen to them. I keep wondering how the feather stems are. Hmm, a .22 short through the silencer should do the trick.

Ron Eagle Elk wrote: ↑Mon Nov 22, 2021 9:27 am I keep eyeing the grackles that swarm our bird feeders. Vickie spends good money to feed the song birds, mourning doves, wild turkeys and woodpeckers. When the grackles are here they will swarm the yard looking for anything and everything edible, driving out everything else, except the turkeys. Those grackle feathers have a beautiful sheen to them. I keep wondering how the feather stems are. Hmm, a .22 short through the silencer should do the trick.

...if you run low shorts, give me a holler; I've got enough around here to keep us both shooting for eternity. The grackles, when the sun hits them, have that same wonderful iridescent black/green/purple sheen that a good Starling cape has. Bigger bird, too.

I had the boys out on the lawn the other day and we managed to get a gorbie (Canadian Jay) to come down and eat bread out of my hand. The boys loved it.

Mike62 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:00 am

Ron Eagle Elk wrote: ↑Mon Nov 22, 2021 9:27 am I keep eyeing the grackles that swarm our bird feeders. Vickie spends good money to feed the song birds, mourning doves, wild turkeys and woodpeckers. When the grackles are here they will swarm the yard looking for anything and everything edible, driving out everything else, except the turkeys. Those grackle feathers have a beautiful sheen to them. I keep wondering how the feather stems are. Hmm, a .22 short through the silencer should do the trick.

...if you run low shorts, give me a holler; I've got enough around here to keep us both shooting for eternity. The grackles, when the sun hits them, have that same wonderful iridescent black/green/purple sheen that a good Starling cape has. Bigger bird, too.

I had the boys out on the lawn the other day and we managed to get a gorbie (Canadian Jay) to come down and eat bread out of my hand. The boys loved it.

I've got a few .22 Shorts stashed around here somewhere. They're a great round for getting rid of pests without alerting the local gun folks. Everyone on our little dirt road is pretty heavily armed. A bunch of gun shots usually brings the local response team to see if a neighbor needs help. Appreciate the offer.

My friend, the late Denny Conrad of Conranch Hackle Farm, skinned one Starling for me. This is a guy who skinned thousands of chickens a year. He swore he'd never skin another Starling, just a nasty bird to skin.