Best starling proof bird feeder - help please.

[hillwalkinggirl]

Although I do quite like starlings and their antics amuse me for hours they are just getting too greedy. They descend on the food in gangs and muscle my blackbirds, tits, thrushes, blackcap, Doves, hedge sparrows and wagtails out of the way.

Can anyone recommend the best type of feeder that the starlings can't muscle in on. They have already worked out their flying technique for flying at the fat balls and hanging on to them.

[htcdude]

Something like this:

Longacres | Wildlife and Pets - Gardman Squirrel Proof Fat Snax Feeder A01277

Not particularly that one but there are some available with smaller holes for smaller birds only.


EDIT: Try this link:

http://www.birdfoodbypost.com/acatal...d_Feeders.html

Nige

[Gill Catton]

In my garden I'm also lucky enough to get starlings (they're in massive decline nationally and actually need all the help they can get - the other birds you mention are doing ok) and I have found that actually once the hoards have left (they don't stay all day) that's when the other birds come so it may well be that the other birds in your garden are getting a share but maybe when you don't notice? I have two fat ball feeders and a bird table and I find that if I have plenty on the table they get quickly bored of the fat balls and don't eat them all in seconds leaving food then for the periods when the starlings are off doing something else.

[nightshade]

Feed the Starlings elsewhere in the garden perhaps, as I do with Corvids.
I have used chicken wire before now to restrict access to smaller birds if necessary

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by hillwalkinggirl

Although I do quite like starlings and their antics amuse me for hours they are just getting too greedy. They descend on the food in gangs and muscle my blackbirds, tits, thrushes, blackcap, Doves, hedge sparrows and wagtails out of the way. Can anyone recommend the best type of feeder that the starlings can't muscle in on. They have already worked out their flying technique for flying at the fat balls and hanging on to them.

It's important to sort out whether your priorities are the health of your local bird population, or the accessibility of the smaller and non flock birds for you to see. I'm not implying any moral or judgement here - this is exactly the same scenario I'm dealing with - and that in City where starlings are in very low numbers.

Having watched the Starlng flock grow over the winter - the local flock was less than 12 over the previous year and none visited my garden, there are now up to 30 feeding on fat balls and on ground fallen seed. Although the both thrush and blackbird have become notably more shy, and blue tit and great tit have reduced the number (but not duration) of visits there's been no effect on Sparrow, Dunnock, and Robin. If anything the presence of the starlings has enboldened these three species, perhaps because of the increased warning ability re: cats.

The starlings find the tube feeders challenging, so the smaller birds are rarely challenged over access to these and I spread the fat ball feeders around the garden to reduce localised competition. Although the cost of feed and the reduced presence of blackbird and thrush are an issue, for the present I'm to not going to do anything to discourage the starlings - certainly I'm not going to spend large sums on sophisticated feeders.

I do find that putting small trays of food (coffee jar lids work well) in the base and lower branches of the hedges certainly helps the Dunnock and Robin avoid the worst of the ground feeding competition.

CM

[Dogghound]

I agree, Starlings are in more need of help then most of the other species.

[Paul mabbott]

It doesn't have to be either-or. I wish we had starlings in the garden to feed but I do like to protect the smaller birds from wood pigeons which really would eat everything! So the seed-hoppers are caged ones which keep out squirrels primarily but food for ground-feeders can be protected from larger animals. You can buy quite expensive cages or you can recycle something else. This was the salad tray from our last fridge - the sort of thing that you often see on skips ....

[rossy]

that just about sums it up, every morning i put out a variety of food, for the birds, just before it becomes light, and blackbirds, robins, get in, as as soon as its light , the starlings pile in, but they have to eat as well, so it becomes a free for all, they can clean up in minutes, but they dont stay down for long , as they are very wary, as the sparrowhawk , which could come in for his- her meal, but get this one, round at me mams she has 2 window boxes, where she puts mealworm, and what the birds dont eat during the day, cats have been eating at night, rossy.

[Brocakat]

I'm sorry but I can't remember the firm ( but it was a long time ago) - that the RSPB used to do the convential rectangular-shaped ones -only they were made of wood with only the end-where-one-fills-it being chequered -wire.
Filling it, it also came with a small square piece of wood which weighed-down onto the nuts so they could be picked-out better.

The only birds which accessed this feeder were tit-family members.

[hillwalkinggirl]

Thank you everyone for your replies - a lot of useful information there. I'm surprised to hear that there is a shortage of starlings as we have had up to 30 on our adapted picnic table at one time. They must have all come to live in Pembrokeshire.