The natural predators would fly around rather than strike the introduced pests, Murray Wood from Dubbo City Council said yesterday.

He for one is hoping the falconry estimated to cost $18,000 finally gets the starlings to take flight for good.

The uninvited guests to the city mess the main street with their faeces, in the past leaving the ratepayers with clean-up costs of more than $1000 a week.

The council has already tried water cannons, laser lights, hallucinogenic drugs and other control measures in the past 10 years, but to no avail.

Starlings had enjoyed a “trifecta” of comforts in the city, the parks and landcare services director said.

“It’s given them food, a place to have babies and a roost for the teenaged birds,” Mr Wood said.

A Dubbo City Council committee this week endorsed a recommendation to undertake a two-week trial of falconry in concert with other control measures.

While the plan would need approval at the ordinary council meeting next week, steps were already being taken to bring in the peregrine falcons and owls.

The falconry contractor, who had success at the Melbourne Cricket Ground previously, would work through the approval process, Mr Wood said.

“They’ll have to jump through some regulatory hoops - they’re starting the approval process now,” he said.

Time was of the essence and Mr Wood hoped the birds of prey would be at their posts in the main street within three weeks.

Each year the starlings started to withdraw once the trees started losing leaves.

“We want to target the starlings, see how effective (the falconry) is when they’re in their peak,” he said.

While it all sounded positive, Mr Wood also offered a dose of reality.

“There are no guarantees - we’re dealing with natural phenomenon,” he said.

The contractor would use peregrine falcons on dusk when the starlings come to roost and then use barking owls and masked owls after dusk to disrupt roosting sites.

A total of six birds would be used throughout the two-week trial.

The works and services committee also recommended a two-week trial assessing the effectiveness of installing predator model birds after the falconry trial.

Meanwhile the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and “moustache”. 

The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching more than 322 km/h during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. 

According to a National Geographic TV programme, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h.

The barking owl (Ninox connivens), is a nocturnal bird species native to mainland Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea and the Moluccas. 

They are a medium-sized brown owl and have an extremely characteristic voice that can range from a barking dog noise to a shrill woman-like scream of great intensity. 

Barking owls are often said to be the source to the myths and legends surrounding the Bunyip.