Starling Trap: V Trap

This is the trap I'm hoping to fill my freezer with. I had a good time making this: its dimensions are 4' high x 3' wide x 4' long. It has no moving parts, at least not involved with catching the birds.

I wanted it to be light and strong enough to withstand moving from one location to the next. I'm sure there are cheaper ways, but I want this to last years in all kinds of weather. This simple little set up with three boards and some holes is the heart of this trap. The slots are 1 3/4" wide and 5 or 6 inches long. The vertical boards keep the birds from crawling along the wire to the slots. The width of the slots is too narrow for a starling to fit back through with its wings out. Also they naturally want to fly up and away, which leads them up to the peaks on either side and away from the slots.

I used rabbit wire because I wanted to make sure that nothing can get to the starlings and to increase the trap's longevity. I'll see how long the zip ties will last, but I plan on using wire around the bottom once I see how things go. I'm always open to adjusting and love making things better.

I left one of the top sections hinged so that birds could get used to going in and out for a week and then zip it closed.

I actually got rid of the arrow shaft and just zipped it on loosely. I didn't like the gaps at the top. I got it all closed in.

Then I added an exit hole. My plan is to construct a cover out of weed barrier (left over from our landscaping this summer.) It's black and cuts out light, and I put it on when I've got a bunch of birds in the trap. I'll let them sit for a while, then open the sliding cover over the hole. I'm thinking I'll put a white pillow case or something similar for the birds to escape into. That'll go into a container with some CO2. It's all theory right now. Maybe make a down pipe like on the nesting box?

I put a perch and some cover in one of the high sides. I also added an access hole with a round opening to reduce the chance escape. I also found some little magnets shaped like washers so they hold the hatch down quite well.

Completed trap. Or a really big paper weight.