magpies and grey crows raiding my bird food

t63m

Hi
I have lately been feeding the birds in my back garden but magpies and grey crows keep raiding all the small birds food. They show no fear and I know this may be a stupid question but is there anyway to deter them and let the small birds alone to their nosh. All ideas are welcome. I'm really enjoying the activity of the small birds but to see a magpie greedily cramming his mouth with more than he can eat is a bit much. I know they are birds too and they are hungry but!

jmkennedyie

Hard to stop them if you are feeding on a table / on the ground. Some people try netting - with holes big enough for smaller birds to get through.
Larger species will struggle with hanging feeders - have you tried those?

t63m

Hi
Thanks for your ideas. I'm going to arrange hanging feeders and try that tomorrow

padi89

Hanging feeders are your best bet as said. I feed on the ground too on a small feeder tray, i then use a large hanging basket turned upside down to keep out the bigger birds (pigeons,magpies).

Half-cocked

I get Herring Gulls raiding my bird table:D And a fox that eats peanuts hoovering my ground feeder clean every night. She ignores the dog food I put out, prefers nuts! Hanging feeders are the best way to target the smaller birds or put a roof on your bird table. I've also put out apples since the cold snap started and had 10 Redwings and a Blackcap feeding on them today.

cubix

Not a great photo but I moved the ground feeding table under the kids trampolin. While not full proof it has stop alot of the starlings I was having problems with, I presume they don't like enclosed spaces. Where as the blackbirds/song thrush's etc are hedge row birds anyway. You can see where the starlings are still feeding on the left overs by the washing line.

snaps

Ive hung weighted fishing line around my feeders Constructed a cross to hang them above the feeders. This is keeping the crows off my feeders and allowing the tits and finches to get at the nuts and seeds.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Try attaching the feeders using rubber bands. It works a treat!

snaps

Crystal Jealous Shelf wrote: »

Try attaching the feeders using rubber bands. It works a treat!

Then when the feeders break the bands and they fall on the ground the crows fly off with the feeders!

Run_to_da_hills

I made a special bird table for magpies and crows, the other day they devoured half a carcass of a roasted chicken. Its amusing watching them fight over stuff. The smaller birds come up to the window sill where I leave out scraps and crumbs.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

snaps wrote: »

Then when the feeders break the bands and they fall on the ground the crows fly off with the feeders!

I don't know what kind of feeders or bands you have but I've had no such problems in 5 years!

the_syco

My mum has a cage that you put the birdfeeder into. Only the small birds can fit in the holes, so the larger birds can't get at the food. Something like: