Thief in the Garden!

[jaelen]

I've been having a bit of a struggle trying to defend my seed feeders from the starlings over the past few weeks... despite them having two of their very own suet feeders. (Home-MADE suet, I want to add! I tried making my own suet blocks until I discovered that the greedy things weren't letting anyone else near it. Now they get store-bought fat balls... I am so mean.)

My BF managed to get this photo that I wanted to share, because it's so funny- the starling looks SO pleased with himself.
I've got even with them, though- I have now cut all the perches off the seed feeders; even though it hasn't stopped them completely it's a bit more of a challenge.

[nightshade]

Poor Starlings, they are birds as well and just as under threat.

[htcdude]

Heh he'll come back with a knife and fork next week and start eating your dinner

Have you tried getting the caged seed feeders? Like this one:

Wild Bird Hanging Caged Seed Feeder Buy Online

Keeps bigger birds out, that way you can have that feeder for smaller birds, and put some fatballs out for the Starlings.

Nige

[jaelen]

Oh, they love their 'squirrel-proof' bird feeder... they've taken that one over, too! The younger starlings squeeze their heads through the bars and quite happily peck away at the fat balls, while their elders swing around (I read somewhere they don't like feeders that swing. Hah.) on the block suet feeder and take turns knocking each other off.

Two days ago I saw one starling sitting forlornly by the block feeder all by himself, waiting for somebody to turn up to squabble with. It just wasn't any fun otherwise.

What you said about the knife and fork is probably very likely! The BF said after I cut the perches off of the seed feeders they'd be in raiding the fridge.

jaelen

[Kreacha]

I just love starlings - right characters

[Johnny81]

Marvellous birds starlings. I use to clap to disperse them from eating too much food in my garden, now I just leave them.

[Kayleigh]

Aww bless..wait till he is teaching his babies his new trick..

[~T~]

So strange that the starlings in my garden have started doing this after months of ignoring the seed feeders and thats with no less than three fatball feeders with my homemade stuff that they love. I did switch to the rspb no mess seed since I had run out of sunflower hearts. I think its that they are enjoying. I had made seed catchers on for the bottoms but had to take them off as the starlings just stood on them, now its a little harder for them but the determined ones still hang on much like the OP's picture.