Sparrows have taken over my Nigerseed feeder.

Mo Ghile Mear

I have been using Niger seed in a couple of feeders for several years and getting a great variety of visiting garden birds, ....goldfinches, chaffinches, greenfinches, the odd bullfinch, bluetits. Not all of them could feed from the Niger feeder but they'd gather on the patio underneath and eat the seed that the goldfinches knocked on the ground.

However for the past few months i'm getting nothing except sparrows. They seem to have mastered the art of picking at the slit and knocking out some seed, and they are gathering in their droves. The finches and blue tits can't get a look in and have stopped coming 🙄.

I tried putting out peanuts for the sparrows in the hope that would distract them but they're eating those as well as the niger seed.

Any advice? Nothing against the sparrows but I'd like my goldfinches back.

House Sparrows are now one of the rarer garden birds and have experienced significant population declines over the last few decades. I know not many people appreciate them but anything we can do to preserve them is a bonus.

appledrop

I've always had great success with sunflower hearts.

Don't get me wrong the sparrows will still come but what usually happens in my garden is sparrows all come and feed together for a while then when they go the goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, etc all come then.

I even have Robins that have mastered landing on the feeder.

You need a special sunflower heart feeder and this is key because sometimes 8 of them can all feed at same time.

appledrop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581279#Comment_121581279

I have read that before but trust me where I am in North County Dublin I'm not joking when I say we have thousands, you want to hear in in spring!