If you love birds in your backyard you may get frustrated when bigger birds sometimes referred to as Bully Birds takeover your feeders. They cause two problems. First they eat all of your seed. Second their aggressive behavior can discourage other birds from coming around.
Bully birds include blackbirds, grackles, pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows. Pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows are not native birds and are not protected by law.
If you are having problems specifically with House Sparrows or Eastern Starlings see my blog entry next week. This entry also will address the more serious problem of their aggressive seisure of cavity nest sites.
As a general guideline you want to feed birds from birdfeeders that allow fewer birds to access food and that generate less waste
Take Action with the Type of Feeders you use
- Bully birds are almost always larger birds. So enclose the feeder in large mesh hardware cloth or chicken wire with openings big enough to allow smaller birds
to pass through (a 2-inch opening). You can also purchase a caged feeders which are often sold as squirrel proof birdfeeders and do a good job of keeping those pesky squirrels away too. Just be sure to get one with the feeder portion located several inches inside the cage so bully’s long bills cannot get in there. - Feeders with the weighted perches are another great option. The weight of the heavier bird causes the bar to lower over the food slots not allowing them to get to the feed
- Another option is tube feeders that have perches above the feeding holes requiring the birds to lean down to feed, which bully birds are unable to do. Before I insert the plastic perches, I trim them to 1½ inches -- long enough for goldfinches but too small for House Sparrows.
- Hanging suet feeder under a domed squirrel baffle will discourage European starlings. You can also purchase special starling proof suet feeders or any suet feeders that require birds to cling upside-down to eat. Bully birds don’t like to eat upset down
- Avoid feeding birds from flat surfaces, including the ground. Easy access to food on or below a platform feeder can quickly draw in those bully birds
- Most hopper feeders and feeders with lots of perches should only be used with the right kind of seed that do not interest these bully birds. More information below.
Bully birds LOVE the cheap wild bird seed mixes containing millet, milo and cracked corn. They also love bread and sunflower seeds.
Fancy blends are not necessary just buy single types of seeds, such as sunflower or safflower
- For finches, fill hanging tube feeders with only nyjer seed (thistle).
- For cardinals, chickadees and nuthatches fill hopper or tray feeders with safflower seed. Fill caged feeders with sunflower or safflower seeds or pieces of peanuts. Cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches are all happy to cling to them and extract the seeds.
- Finally, severely restrict or stop your feeding in the summer. Most birds are raising families, and even seed eaters will be feeding their young insects. Natural food is abundant. Your feeders will most likely be dominated by House Sparrows and Rock Pigeons.
- Sometimes the greatest problems can be the cast-off seeds below hanging and post feeders that draw the attention of the Bully birds. Pigeons are notorious for gathering in flocks underneath feeders for their meals.
- Collect the fallen seeds in a deep container, such as a plastic garbage can or pail, that the pest birds cannot or will not get into. You can make a hole in the center of the container and place it right on your feeder pole.
Blackbirds such as grackles, cowbirds, and red-winged blackbirds only use feeders
heavily during migration. If you can't tolerate them for a few weeks in spring and fall then take down your feeders for a while when the birds are abundance. A detailed article from birders magazine will provide more tips and will state some advantages to grackles in your backyard.
Most bird feeders are designed to appeal to people, not birds. But if you remember to think like a bird, you are much more likely to have a successful feeding station.
If you are interested in buying a decorative birdfeeder, squirrel proof birdfeeders, birdhouses, birdbaths or many other things for your backyard visit YourGardenRetreat.com
Some other articles that may interest you
Water will attract more birds to your Yard
Is your Birdhouse ready for the Nesting Season this Spring?
Nesting and Birdhouse Dimension Chart
4 comments:
I am very interested in the follow-up post you indicated to watch for...these birds are terrorizing the local birds at our feeders.
We have the same problem...only my neighbor is complaining of pigeon droppings on his car...sigh..I took the feeder down...and I hve two birdhouses w/ peeping in them..will this harm the wee ones.?
I am having problems with birds that build clay houses on my house. They are up under the ceiling of my covered patio and porches. I discouraged them somewhat this spring by hosing off the clay each time they attempted to build, only to find they just found another eave or area to build. Any suggestions or help would greatly be appreciated.
Regarding the clay houses on your house, those are barn swallows. You can knock down the nest but they will rebuild in that area. Also they come back every year to nest. They are messy as they hang their rears over the nest to excrete. We had them in our old house, and actually after 2 years of them coming back found we enjoyed them very much. Research the bird and see if you want to keep or get rid of them, they are fascinating to watch as they grow and their family members hang around clearing the yard of bugs and mosquitos. That in itself is worth the relationship.
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