Crows

mossie

Is there any way to keep crows away from my seed feeders? The seem to have figured out that by making the feeders swing some seed will fall out and they keep this up all day. The smaller birds hardly get a look in.

Scrappychimow

mossie wrote: »

Is there any way to keep crows away from my seed feeders? The seem to have figured out that by making the feeders swing some seed will fall out and they keep this up all day. The smaller birds hardly get a look in.

Perhaps you could leave some cheap biscuits on the wall for the crows , then they will be happy.

Birdnuts

Get one of those tables that come with a "shower curtain" that will only allow smaller birds access.

mossie

Scrappychimow wrote: »

Perhaps you could leave some cheap biscuits on the wall for the crows , then they will be happy.

I've tried that but they still go for the seed feeder..

mossie

Birdnuts wrote: »

Get one of those tables that come with a "shower curtain" that will only allow smaller birds access.

Any idea where I'd get one of these?

V_Moth

mossie wrote: »

Any idea where I'd get one of these?

http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/product_info.php?cPath=25_26&products_id=106

mossie

V_Moth wrote: »

http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/product_info.php?cPath=25_26&products_id=106

Thanks.

cubix

Another alternative is to buy one of the caged feeders in aldi at the moment (€6/7 and buy a clear pot plant tray from woodies/ B&Q and mount it on the base of the feeder. So when your clever crows rattle the cage it will fall on the tray and not the ground;)

Wild_Dogger

I love crows

Mickeroo

Started a thread on this over in Zoology but thought some of you guys might be interested anyways. A study has found the use of "hand" gestures in ravens, what makes it so significant is it was a behaviour thought to be exclusive to primates before now I think. Here's the article: http://www.livescience.com/17213-ravens-gestures-animal-communication.html

kildare.17hmr

Wild_Dogger wrote: »

I love crows

you wouldnt love crows if you saw what they are capable of, especially grays! They can kill sheep and even young cow calves!

Mickeroo

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

you wouldnt love crows if you saw what they are capable of, especially grays! They can kill sheep and even young cow calves!

Really? Can you link to any proof of this? I'd be sceptical of that being entirely true but be happy to be shown otherwise.would be interested in reading about such behaviour. You mean poking eys out and the like? I've only ever witnessed them doing that on dead animals.

kildare.17hmr

Mickeroo wrote: »

Really? Can you link to any proof of this? I'd be sceptical of that being entirely true but be happy to be shown otherwise.would be interested in reading about such behaviour. You mean poking eys out and the like? I've only ever witnessed them doing that on dead animals.

Ill have a look for a link when i have a bit more time but it is true. they peck the eyes of lambs and sheep that might be weak and also their thoungs and their anus and if a sheep rolls onto its back its an open target to be eatin alive by crows, they peck away at the stomach and pull out the guts while the sheep is alive. there was a post in the hunting forum last year from a regular poster who came accross this while out hunting, very nasty sight and he had to put the sheep down straight away to stop it suffering.

They can also do the same to weak calvs.

Iv seen crows trying pecking at lambs a few times, never as serious as i discribed above tho

Just a couple of quick searches
http://www.grow-your-own.ie/sheepparasites.html

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/ulster-eagles-cause-crow-attacks-on-lambs-to-decline-14969331.html

mossie

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Ill have a look for a link when i have a bit more time but it is true. they peck the eyes of lambs and sheep that might be weak and also their thoungs and their anus and if a sheep rolls onto its back its an open target to be eatin alive by crows, they peck away at the stomach and pull out the guts while the sheep is alive. there was a post in the hunting forum last year from a regular poster who came accross this while out hunting, very nasty sight and he had to put the sheep down straight away to stop it suffering.

They can also do the same to weak calvs.

Iv seen crows trying pecking at lambs a few times, never as serious as i discribed above tho

Just a couple of quick searches
http://www.grow-your-own.ie/sheepparasites.html

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/ulster-eagles-cause-crow-attacks-on-lambs-to-decline-14969331.html

Coming from a farming background I've heard of this happening but never witnessed it. A lot of animals / birds prey on the weak and ill so it's not unthinkable.

mossie

Mickeroo wrote: »

Started a thread on this over in Zoology but thought some of you guys might be interested anyways. A study has found the use of "hand" gestures in ravens, what makes it so significant is it was a behaviour thought to be exclusive to primates before now I think. Here's the article: http://www.livescience.com/17213-ravens-gestures-animal-communication.html

Crows are definitely more intelligent than the average. I've seen them dealing with the seed feeders taking turns shaking the feeder while their mates wait below. Also remember when I was a kid (not too recently:( ) when we were milking there was one rook who arrived at the same time every day to pick up any scraps of meal the cows left behind. He'd sit on a shed waiting, had no fear of us, and would "caw" in response if you spoke to him. After the cows went out he would fly into the shed and feed. Certainly seemed pretty smart at the time:)

Traonach

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

you wouldnt love crows if you saw what they are capable of, especially grays! They can kill sheep and even young cow calves!

There opportunistic animals, they do it to survive. Nature is cruel. Virtually every predatory animal would act in the same way. Do you not love any predatory animals?

Birdnuts

Traonach wrote: »

There opportunistic animals, they do it to survive. Nature is cruel. Virtually every predatory animal would act in the same way. Do you not love any predatory animals?

TO be fair most crow species are classed as vermin under the law ie. they can be trapped and shot as needs be - I don't think you can put all predatory species under one "heading" anyways since they all have different diets, ecology, behavour etc. I think the main problem in Ireland as regards crows, foxes etc. is that human activity has removed/reduced their natural predators leading to unnaturally high populations of these "vermin" species in many cases. Hopefully the recovery of many of our raptor species can restore a natural balance in the case of corvids, magpie populations etc. as is the case in most of the rest of Europe

PS: Indeed the link from the Belfast Telegraph that Kildare included in his post highlighted this point

kildare.17hmr

Traonach wrote: »

There opportunistic animals, they do it to survive. Nature is cruel. Virtually every predatory animal would act in the same way. Do you not love any predatory animals?

i understand that but we dont have any other predatory animal in this country bar the fox that is such a threat to livestock and farmers lively hood. Crows are a problem species when this kind of thing happens. Just to ad something, im talking about domesticated farm animals, they have no way to protect themselves and cannot run away from a preditor and therefor must be protected from them by us.

Id rather see a hundred dead crows on the ground than one lamb wondering around after having its eyes pecked out and its intestines trailing behind it

Stoner

V_Moth wrote: »

http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie/birdwatchireland/product_info.php?cPath=25_26&products_id=106

they still shake these unfortunately , in my place anyway

Igotadose

I live in West Kerry and have learned the hard way that the only thing that works in feeders is seed cakes like the kind you make from suet & seeds. Also, that anything short of a metal box with holes in it (like made from heavy-grade mesh) falls prey to the crows, magpies & jackdaws that are abundant.

Lately, I've seen the jackdaws kind of hanging on the feeder and tearing chunks of the cakes; not a huge problem - the smaller birds (great titmice, goldfinches, robins) get their share, but the crows are bullies and greedy and I have a feeling I'll be putting out a lot of cakes this year. Any recommendations for better metal feeders or where to place them to keep the corvids at bay?

ShiddyArze

I once read, on the national geographic magazine, that a crow is the most intelligent creature on the planet for the size of its brain. Scientists were mystified.

They did an experiment where there was a piece of food floating on the half ways down a piece of a tube half filled with water.. The crow eventually figured out, if he drops stones in to the tube, the water level would rise and bring the food to the top of the tube, amazing!

Ever notice too, if you throw a chip or bread on the ground, crows will appear out of nower to eat it, but if you threw something like a cigarette butt no cow would appear. How can the tell the difference from that far away?

**I don't throw cigarette butts on the street**

Igotadose

I'm doomed. I know people that couldn't figure that out. They're on boards, some of 'em.

Anyway, I'm hoping to make it difficult enough that they just basically give up or at least, visit less often. A finer grade of rigid mesh might help. They tore apart anything that wasn't metal, those pre-made suet balls in a green bag were sport for them.

Anyone know if the formulation of the suet cake would make a difference? I expect the answer is 'no' - what won't they eat - but maybe someone's come up with something.

Had a friend back in the US had one as a pet, that she'd rescued. Amazingly smart bird, great personality, loved to have his neck rubbed. Another place I knew for bird rescue had one that could talk like a parrot, knew a few words. Lived to be like 20 years old, too.

Still, I want them to feck off.

ThunderCat

Igotadose wrote: »

I'm doomed. I know people that couldn't figure that out. They're on boards, some of 'em.

Anyway, I'm hoping to make it difficult enough that they just basically give up or at least, visit less often. A finer grade of rigid mesh might help. They tore apart anything that wasn't metal, those pre-made suet balls in a green bag were sport for them.

Anyone know if the formulation of the suet cake would make a difference? I expect the answer is 'no' - what won't they eat - but maybe someone's come up with something.

Had a friend back in the US had one as a pet, that she'd rescued. Amazingly smart bird, great personality, loved to have his neck rubbed. Another place I knew for bird rescue had one that could talk like a parrot, knew a few words. Lived to be like 20 years old, too.

Still, I want them to feck off.

Just a friendly reminder that it's best to remove the green netting that is around the suet balls going forward so birds legs don't get tangled in them and damaged as they try and get out of them.

Ulmus

http://birdfood.ie/ctrl/node:124;product:240;/fat_ball__26_suet_feeder_guardian#.VzNOHIQrLcs

Place feeders closer to house, might deter crows. But make sure birds are safe from cats.

savagethegoat

Mostly Jackdaws I have on my peanut feeders....I chase them regularly, waste of time really.

Igotadose

Ulmus wrote: »

http://birdfood.ie/ctrl/node:124;product:240;/fat_ball__26_suet_feeder_guardian#.VzNOHIQrLcs

Place feeders closer to house, might deter crows. But make sure birds are safe from cats.

it's right outside the window along the footpath - pretty darn close. Makes no difference, I walk up to the window and beat on it while the crow's ravaging the feeder and it only moves off if I open the window and reach out.

I like this product, though the price, ouch! The one I built using mesh from the local welding supply is working, I am thinking of mounting it a little differently to make it harder for the crow to get a hold of it and chow down, maybe hang it from the roof somehow. Right now it's hanging from a metal 'shepherd's crook' kind of pole and the crow holds onto that while digging in.

The suet cakes in bags, well, the bags were readily torn apart and the suet removed pretty much within an hour or so.

Stigura

ShiddyArze wrote: »

They did an experiment where there was a piece of food floating on the half ways down a piece of a tube half filled with water.....

It gets worse. I read a study where they put a peanut in a test tube. Infernal bird then found itself a bit of wire. Stuck the wire into the gap between the floorboards and levered it over to bend it.

It then used its bent ended length of wire to hook under and fish the nut out of the tube!

Mind bending wire bending from a bird brain!

ShiddyArze wrote: »

Ever notice too, if you throw a chip or bread on the ground, crows will appear out of nowere to eat it, but if you threw something like a cigarette butt no crow would appear. How can they tell the difference from that far away?

Worse still! I once sat on a wall, eating a sandwich. In no time, I was surrounded by jackdaws. Like ye do, I threw a few bits of crust down. Whoosh! they were diving on every scrap.

Based on this experience, I returned with a trap. Very specialised and well designed trap. It basically looked like I'd dropped some bits of bread. Had forgotten my, rolled up, tee shirt.

I'd even left an ultra eye catching bread bag, with some bread still in it! Right next to where staff sat and ate their lunch! Just like some slouch had had a feed, then lumbered off, leaving an unsightly banquet for the scavengers.

Magnet! As soon as I turned my back, I'd have a jackdaw! I wondered that they weren't swooping down, even as I scattered the bait bread.

Know what? Not a sign of a single one of them! I walked round the blocks. Double figures of minutes out of sight, and physically hundreds of yards away. Came back ..... Nothing! Not a crumb of bread had been disturbed!

All afternoon I tried that. Then, packed up my kit and crawled off home with my tail between my legs. Defeated by the towns jackdaws. Beady eyed fcukers.

Igotadose

Yeh, they're amazing beasts. So far, they're attacking the feeder but it slows them enough that the small birds are active, too.

My next attempt will be finer mesh and see how it goes. Can't really have a 'tube style' or platform feeder - the winds are such that seed gets blown out onto the ground

Rosahane

I bought a few of the squirrel proof bird feeders - various types but all with a mesh cage around the feeder.

They work pretty well, crows or jackdaws are thwarted and the starlings are mainly reluctant to go into them, although they can and make it occasionally.

I also made up a hanging feeding table for the robins from a large plastic flower pot base covered with a semi-spherical wire cage hanging basket which is exactly the some diameter. Although the starlings can also get in its only the occasional one which does. Previously food for the robins wouldn't have lasted five minutes.

Igotadose

Well, I continue my feud with them. Put the feeder up hanging from the gutters, and for awhile they let it be. Unfortunately, one of 'em figured out he could stand on it and peck away at the suet while his buddies (including the magpies, who no longer go to the feeder at least), chowed down below.

Now, to see if I can find a place to position the feeder where they'll have to hang upside down to feed at it. I realize now I built too big a feeder from wire mesh, big enough for a crow to hang from it as long as the feeder's hanging vertically.


Also looking into some suction-cup mounted window feeders, had great success with them in the past in the US and I think they'll hold on in the wind out here.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Igotadose wrote: »

Well, I continue my feud with them. Put the feeder up hanging from the gutters, and for awhile they let it be. Unfortunately, one of 'em figured out he could stand on it and peck away at the suet while his buddies (including the magpies, who no longer go to the feeder at least), chowed down below.

Now, to see if I can find a place to position the feeder where they'll have to hang upside down to feed at it. I realize now I built too big a feeder from wire mesh, big enough for a crow to hang from it as long as the feeder's hanging vertically.


Also looking into some suction-cup mounted window feeders, had great success with them in the past in the US and I think they'll hold on in the wind out here.

A. Reduce the size of the feeders.
B. Fix them using elastic bands.
C. Stop feeding Suet at this time of year.

Discodog

Crows are staggeringly intelligent. They can even remember human faces. I would make some puzzles & put really tasty treats in them.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html

They certainly don't deserve the "vermin " label which, after all, is just an excuse to kill a creature.

Igotadose

Kyler Narrow Bayou wrote: »

A. Reduce the size of the feeders.
B. Fix them using elastic bands.
C. Stop feeding Suet at this time of year.

Thanks; soon as I figure a way to put out a seed feeder where the seed doesn't blow away in a day or two I will stop the suet. Have plans to address A and B. Might try that suction cup thing to see if it holds - experience has shown suction cups don't grip glass all that long

Discodog

One simple solution is to make a cage out of some wood & chicken wire. Choose the hole size to suit the birds that you want to exclude.

Chisler2

Mickeroo wrote: »

Started a thread on this over in Zoology but thought some of you guys might be interested anyways. A study has found the use of "hand" gestures in ravens, what makes it so significant is it was a behaviour thought to be exclusive to primates before now I think. Here's the article: http://www.livescience.com/17213-ravens-gestures-animal-communication.html

I put out fat-scraps for the corvids during hard winter weather when they cannot dig into the earth. Watching my local "Crow family" feeding on the flat top of an old tree-stump was interesting. They "take turns" in reaching in for scraps. There appeared to be a version of "table manners" or courtesy......a bird which had taken a piece of fat moving back slightly to allow another to move forward, and what seemed to be well-choreographed space between group members. Bright birds.