Bird feeder hack

enrique66_35

Had a bit of problem with rooks clearing my bird feeder in a matter of minutes. Their method was clever enough to be fair, one lad hangs upside down pulls out the little plastic perch/stick and generally jabs/batters it to get the seeds out with plenty spilling to his pals below.

I can't stop that completely but I found using an elastic band to hold the perch/stick in place (see attached) has at least slowed them down as I guess its in the way and they haven't (so far) been able to remove it. Gives the sparrows, finches, tits etc half a chance to get a bite anyway before the rooks inevitably defeat this hack. :rolleyes:

Hope it helps somebody!

enrique66_35

Sorry forgot attachment!

kylith

I’m hoping my hack works. I had starlings cleaning out the fat ball feeder in a matter of hours and fighting off the smaller birds, so i’ve cut the top and bottom off a drink bottle and put it over the feeder leaving only an inch at the end exposed. Starlings have already tried it and given up but I haven’t seen sparrows or tits at it yet. I hope they figure it out.

enrique66_35

I stopped putting out fat balls for that exact reason - they were cleaned out in a matter of minutes cause its too easy for starlings or various corvids to grip onto the feeder. I've even had rooks successfully untwist the feeder and drop it to plunder the fat balls within!

Been thinking of ways to improve on my hack above to completely stop the rooks but so far nothing that wouldn't potentially interfere with small birds feeding. Any ideas welcome.....

New Home

Folks, just to reiterate that it's recommended that fat balls only be used during winter when the weather is the harshest - they're just empty calories and have a very low nutritional value, they have a place when it's very cold to give birds an extra fighting chance, but aren't good when the weather is mild.

New Home

enrique66_35 wrote: »

I stopped putting out fat balls for that exact reason - they were cleaned out in a matter of minutes cause its too easy for starlings or various corvids to grip onto the feeder. I've even had rooks successfully untwist the feeder and drop it to plunder the fat balls within!

Been thinking of ways to improve on my hack above to completely stop the rooks but so far nothing that wouldn't potentially interfere with small birds feeding. Any ideas welcome.....

You could create a sort-of cage with a mesh large enough to let smaller birds through, but small enough to stop the larger ones.

Here are some pictures.

greenttc

My parents have this down to a tee. they have constructed cages around their bird feeders with chicken wire, the small birds can get in but the starlings and other bigger birds cant. They have them up for a few years now and they work perfectly. they don't look the best especially for my parents garden which looks like a show garden but I think they value feeding the little birds more than garden style. you kinda don't notice the cages after a while in fairness

looksee

I have a seed feeder and fat balls hanging outside. The fat balls are suspended from string that I tie onto them, then loop the resulting bunch of three balls over the hook. The small birds have almost no interest in the seed feeder, though they do pick up spilled seeds from the ground. The fat balls are much more popular, but even though we have starlings, pigeons and rooks etc around they do not pay any attention to either. The only larger bird that comes near the food is a magpie that picks up spilled bits from the ground occasionally.

Igotadose

I have a caged feeder I bought at the Farranfore garden center, and it fits fat balls fine. With the crows, blackbirds and starlings out here, its the only way the small birds got anything! I also put seed in the feeder which works well, until we get a wind storm (like, this year, every week or so,) it gets blown around and the seeds dumped. A fat ball sitting atop the seeds in the feeder helps for awhile.

kylith

New Home wrote: »

Folks, just to reiterate that it's recommended that fat balls only be used during winter when the weather is the harshest - they're just empty calories and have a very low nutritional value, they have a place when it's very cold to give birds an extra fighting chance, but aren't good when the weather is mild.

I didn’t know that,thank you. I would like to put up some seed feeders, if that would be more appropriate at this time of year, but I haven’t worked out how to keep the starlings off of them yet.

enrique66_35

New Home wrote: »

You could create a sort-of cage with a mesh large enough to let smaller birds through, but small enough to stop the larger ones.

Here are some pictures.

Thanks, I saw something similar on the RSPB forum where a lady used two handing basket frames to make a cage around her feeder. As a temporary measure I put the wire rack/shelf out of a small greenhouse (think the cheapo ones you see in Aldi/Lidl) over the top of the feeder and that has done the trick if a bit ugly. Will look to do a neater looking job of it at the weekend.

Thanks also for the chicken wire tip - similar idea but a bit more malleable than a wire rack I imagine. Duly noted on the fat balls front as well - will be keeping those back until winter.

Holy Diver

I find that generally the trick is to keep whatever feed you are using bigger than the holes in the feeder. If the crows can’t shake a load of food onto the ground I find they will lose interest.

This doesn’t help with my seed feeder however which they empty within a few hours. Today I tried something new and it may well be working as there were a few confused looking crows hanging around this evening. I have fixed my seed feeder to a tree trunk so that they can’t shake the seeds onto the ground. It remains to be seen how successful it will be.

Juliet799

You could use feeder (Erva) with wire mesh big enough to let the small bird in but deter bigger birds from doing so, the circular design to make sure there’s bird access from all angles.

Knine

I just stopped feeding peanuts & fat balls & use feeders with small openings. I offer sunflower hearts & nyjer seed. The Starlings have lost interest.
I have Sparrows, Goldfinch, various Tits, Robins & a 2 fat Collared Doves so far. Have not seen any Greenfinch in years sadly!