Overrun with starlings and their babes

[Nickynockynoonoo]

I posted this yesterday but got no replies so decided to rename the thread, in hope of one or two replies

Since I began seriously feeding the birds, other than chucking out bits of bread etc., I have had a huge success. We now have goldfinches, blackbirds, chaffinches, tits, song thrushes and a few million starlings!

It has been lovely to watch the baby starlings come to feed, firstly being fed by their parents and then quickly learning to feed themselves. I put home made fat cake out in wicker basket horns. Very easy pickings. Too easy I think. I am making approx 1.5Kg per day. I'm filling up the baskets twice per day.

I do not want the birds to totally rely upon this food source. My thought are; to introduce shop bought fat balls beside the baskets so they get used to them and then cutting down the home made. I don't want to only put out so much and say when its gone, its gone because the non-bullies won't get a look in.

A friend told me that it will tail off when the babies grow up? Not so sure.

Oh, our song thrushes eat from a basket too. Lovely to watch and nice to see that we have red listed visitors. Very important birds(VIBs)

[Wild-Woman]

Starlings are thriving here too. There's usually about 20 that arrive twice a day, squabbling and fighting, they polish off a half coconut shell filled with lard and seed then zip off over the back somewhere. The only time they all make a dsah for it is when the jackdaw arrives to muscle in on the scene.

[Scubapauly]

Same here, hardly seen any of the small birds now the starlings have moved in. They are making their way through the suet blocks and fat balls.

I even put a caged mealworm feeder out for the blue tits (when they appear) but thats not even getting touched. Weird, like all the small birds have dissapeared......

[bobbarber]

I had Starlings nesting at one end of my house and Jackdaws at the other and when they were about to fledge the noise was deafening. the Starlings soon disappeared but the Jackdaw fledgelings hung around for a week or so in a large Laurel tree nearby before dispersing elsewhere. At times it seemed as if they were trying to out compete each other as to who could make the most noise ...Bob

[cutecoot]

It's good to hear you have so many other types of birds coming into your garden, along with all those starlings, NickyNocky .. I have lots of starlings but very little else and thought it might be because they're being bullied off (although I have seen my robin go for the odd blue tit or chaffinch that has tried to come into my garden, so it may be him!)

I think you were asking about cutting down on putting out fat cake to discourage the starlings? Probably a good idea to start cutting down on that and putting out more hanging feeders for various types of seed, all the other birds will still come in to feed at those, or feed on the ground where seed has been dropped, but starlings won't like it one bit!

(Love your name, btw )

[Nickynockynoonoo]

Thanks for your replies.

I bought a fat ball holder yesterday and a huge bag of fat balls. I have hung it on a feeding station, where there was a nut dispenser, between 2 of the fat baskets. The tits have found it already and are taking no notice whatsoever of the starlings

Cutecoot, I have my niger feeders and a sunflower hearts dispenser hanging in a tree about 10 feet away from the feeding station where the starlings feed. The finches take not a blind bit of notice when the starlings arrive. LOL, sounds like you have a robin with attitude. Ditto with your name!

Scubapauly, I had no luck with a cage feeder. The tits just didn't seem able to work out how to get in it so I gave it away.

Apparently, only 15% of chicks survive, so I shall carry on with Nickynocky's cafe and hope they move on eventually. I got the usual comments at the supermarket checkout with my 3Kg of dripping yesterday That will keep them going for a day or two.

[cutecoot]

Originally Posted by Nickynockynoonoo

I got the usual comments at the supermarket checkout with my 3Kg of dripping yesterday

Originally Posted by Nickynockynoonoo

Ditto with your name!

Thanks

[big bill]

I am in the opposite my predicament is overrun by the House Sparrow and fledglings they are on every feeder Mixed seed sunflower hearts nuts and fat ball ,its impossible to keep up with them and they are such messy eaters