Bird feeding: how do you stop starlings from eating everything

[JimW]

How do you baffle a squirrel?

Show him a shovel and a mattock and tell him to take his pick.

 

[bluescreen]

bcuster They are exactly the same birds! They were introduced to the States by Europeans (I think English people) and are now a total menace there, destroying crops and harassing the native wildlife. I'm not making any parallels with settlers but yknow.

Eugene Schieffelin, who had the bright idea of introducing all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare.

The birds of Shakespeare cause US trouble

Shakespeare mentions the European Starling once, in Henry IV Part I. That moved a 19th Century Shakespeare enthusiast to introduce the bird into America.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[bcuster]

bcuster They are exactly the same birds! They were introduced to the States by Europeans (I think English people) and are now a total menace there, destroying crops and harassing the native wildlife. I'm not making any parallels with settlers but yknow.

I did not know this...

 

[two sheds]

Doesn't matter so much now because I don't see the squirrel or the crow too often because Frankie the dog has chased them off. I've got a window feeder that used to be monopolized or destroyed, and I wanted a sort of quarter sphere of perspex that I could attach to the window using suckers to keep them off. Couldn't find one though.

So not much help apart from you could get/borrow a dog.

 

[polly]

Doesn't matter so much now because I don't see the squirrel or the crow too often because Frankie the dog has chased them off. I've got a window feeder that used to be monopolized or destroyed, and I wanted a sort of quarter sphere of perspex that I could attach to the window using suckers to keep them off. Couldn't find one though.

I bet you could make one! There are places online that will cut perspex to size for you.

 

[two sheds]

I did idly wonder and try to find something - I thought it might be too expensive to have perspex customized but might not be on second thoughts, or get three triangles and fix them together

 

[StoneRoad]

What has worked for me is a) multiple feeders and b) a "squirrel-resistant" one that has been modified to restrict the openings still further.

"My" starlings visit for a couple or three times a day for maybe a week, then push off someplace else for a week or two, then they come back again [rinse & repeat]

If they are appearing to monopolise the food, then I open a door / window / clap my hands out the window - so most of the birds fly off. The little 'uns don't go so far and come back first.

 

[polly]

What has worked for me is a) multiple feeders and b) a "squirrel-resistant" one that has been modified to restrict the openings still further.

"My" starlings visit for a couple or three times a day for maybe a week, then push off someplace else for a week or two, then they come back again [rinse & repeat]

If they are appearing to monopolise the food, then I open a door / window / clap my hands out the window - so most of the birds fly off. The little 'uns don't go so far and come back first.

Ah this is reassuring. Maybe they'll move on for a bit. Thank you.

I have several feeders with different food, and an allegedly starling resistant one too. With copious wire modifications

I feel mean sending them away. I do like them really - they make such brilliant noises and obviously there's the murmurations. I would definitely prefer to find something that only the smallies can use. Had some success actually just putting black sunflower seeds in a feeder for the tits. The starlings don't seem interested in those.

I'm going to try putting less out and keep searching for the elusive starling resistant feeder.

 

[planetgeli]

As PS said, pack up feeding for a while. And never put fat balls out, they attract them more than anything. I've scared starlings off my feeders occasionally (by clapping) and they seem to remember. We have many starlings here but they must have another food source somewhere (which is always key).

Little bastards destroyed my fascia nesting in my house for 2 or 3 years. They just made the hole bigger and bigger until they'd taken about half a metre out.

 

[bcuster]

 

[polly]

Put less food out, so there isn't enough for a flock of them to bother stopping by.

Reporting back to say that this was great advice, thank you! I've reined it in a bit and the starlings have stopped swarming, though I've still seen them on the feeders. And yesterday I saw the robin and sparrows were back Very grateful

 

[WouldBe]

Not seen any starlings round here in years.

Could you stick some in a box and post them?

 

[20Bees]

Ah this is reassuring. Maybe they'll move on for a bit. Thank you.

I have several feeders with different food, and an allegedly starling resistant one too. With copious wire modifications

I feel mean sending them away. I do like them really - they make such brilliant noises and obviously there's the murmurations. I would definitely prefer to find something that only the smallies can use. Had some success actually just putting black sunflower seeds in a feeder for the tits. The starlings don't seem interested in those.

I'm going to try putting less out and keep searching for the elusive starling resistant feeder.

I feed sunflower hearts but not black sf seeds, I’ll get some tomorrow! I get loads of starlings here in the mornings, all splashing and bathing too. They empty all but the niger and peanut feeders in next-door’s garden and mine.

I refill feeders mid-afternoon, and put mealworms out too, and the robin, wrens, tits and finches all feed in peace then.

Murmurations are a joy to behold, they start to gather just behind here before settling in the reed beds over on the National Trust land. Serious camera envy when groups of enthusiasts are waiting for them!

 

[polly]

I feed sunflower hearts but not black sf seeds, I’ll get some tomorrow! I get loads of starlings here in the mornings, all splashing and bathing too. They empty all but the niger and peanut feeders in next-door’s garden and mine.

I refill feeders mid-afternoon, and put mealworms out too, and the robin, wrens, tits and finches all feed in peace then.

Murmurations are a joy to behold, they start to gather just behind here before settling in the reed beds over on the National Trust land. Serious camera envy when groups of enthusiasts are waiting for them!

Buy a small bag! My mum feeds sunflower hearts and says the birds in her garden won't bother to hull seeds any more You can buy black sf hearts too though.

Sounds like you live somewhere really enviable I used to work on the Docks in London and we used to see loads of murmurations there. I wonder if they still do. I reckon most of the UK's starlings are actually just in my garden.

 

[20Bees]

This is an old photo looking west from the end of my garden, The NT estate is a mile of so away to the left as the crow flies, they get 10,000 starlings coming in to roost on the reed beds!

 

[bcuster]

 

[polly]

They are amazing.

Btw I've got a starling proof feeder that works, so I've got the starlings their own fat balls and they fight like fuck over those, but with each other and away from the little ones

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Your next job polly is to teach your pet starlings to mimic human speech.

 

[LDC]

Similar problem... I have a neighbour who puts 2-6 full jars of peanut butter wired into a tree in her garden to feed the starlings (as well as normal feeders) and they go mental for it (not surprisingly) and it's like a crack den for them round here. They're now starting to ravish all the food in the bird feeder in this garden as well. (Her insistence on pouring piles of cat food at various spots in her garden and on the walls seems to have slightly abated now thank fuck, although sure all the feral cats and rats she was feeding are pissed off.)

 

[pogofish]

Having Sparrowhaks as regular visitors helps.

Ravens will take young starlings too.

 

[polly]

Similar problem... I have a neighbour who puts 2-6 full jars of peanut butter wired into a tree in her garden to feed the starlings (as well as normal feeders) and they go mental for it (not surprisingly) and it's like a crack den for them round here. They're now starting to ravish all the food in the bird feeder in this garden as well. (Her insistence on pouring piles of cat food at various spots in her garden and on the walls seems to have slightly abated now thank fuck, although sure all the feral cats and rats she was feeding are pissed off.)

Blimey. I can recommend a good feeder, but it's quite expensive (my mum gave it to me because I am a skint overgrown child): Nuttery Original Seed Feeder - Harrod Horticultural

 

[cesare]

We also followed the advice of putting less birdseed out at once and the starlings have mostly gone, great advice which has benefited us as well thanks platinumsage and polly

We do find that our birds tend to flick the seeds all over the ground and we now have the wild mice problem Offset by lots of small birds though, which are a joy.

 

[bcuster]

Your next job polly is to teach your pet starlings to mimic human speech.

Stunning!

 

[StoneRoad]

Most of my winter visiting starlings seem to have largely pushed off and headed somewhere else to nest.
There are probably a couple or three pairs left.
I saw one of the adults a few hours ago - isn't their plumage bright ?

 

[miss direct]

Same question but regarding magpies. I do like all birds, BUT I am being hounded by a group of about 10 magpies. They crack open the bird feeders or knock them over and steal all the food. I used to have lots of small birds but they're not coming now because of the magpies. One of the magpies is a youth and can't fly very high. Has little legs and is fluffy. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, they find a way to get to the food. Any ideas?

 

[polly]

Most of my winter visiting starlings seem to have largely pushed off and headed somewhere else to nest.
There are probably a couple or three pairs left.
I saw one of the adults a few hours ago - isn't their plumage bright ?

I just noticed last week that they were no longer around. I had one yesterday but most have gone - wonder what that means? Did it get left behind??

 

[Epona]

You're very picky about which birds are allowed to eat in your garden

 

[Epona]

If what I have seen recently is anything to go by, the magpies will just kill one another if there are too many in a particular area.

 

[polly]

You're very picky about which birds are allowed to eat in your garden

Me or miss direct? I think we both have only one undesirable bird each?

miss direct I really don't know because magpies are so clever and determined. I think you just have to make friends with this set of magpies.

 

[sojourner]

The gorgeous chattery thugs are emptying any sized amount of expensive buggy nibbles from our feeders last few days Poor old crippled Alan Blackbird is starving!