Hi! I’m new here & talk about bird feeders!

Hi Wave tone1 

I joined recently and commented on someone’s post but I’m not sure if anyone replied so I thought I would post up my own post.

I think around the end of last month I bought a window feeder as having a bird house sort of feeder was getting over crowded with starlings and other birds could get the food then. I still have the window feeder and the only visitor I have is a pigeon.

I have the feeder on the kitchen window with a mesh feeder next to it with peanuts in. The feeder itself has fruit pellets as well as white sunflower seeds & peanut kernels.

My question is, should I move the feeder somewhere else? Would I need to go back to the bird house feeder?

Any help and guidance would be great! x

  • Hi Amy,

    As with all things there are pros and cons to window feeders and it might be worth just waiting. Quite a few of us don't feed at this time of the year as there should be plenty of natural food available and finches etc will be out in rural areas feeding up - I know that I am seeing decent sized mixed flocks of Goldfinch, Linnets and others when I'm out walking feeding on seed heads out in the fields. This potentially is why you are mainly getting pigeon and starlings at the moment.

    Is the pigeon agile enough to perch on the window feeder or is it standing on a ledge and reaching in? If reaching in can you place it higher?
  • Hi Cin J,

    Thanks for replying to my post. The pigeon does sit on the ledge of the window and reaches in, I could place it higher.

    I do have a picture of my bird house feeder when I first got it (however I forgot to add it to this post). At first I was getting Robins, blue tits & great tits. Then when I found the correct food the sparrows started going for it and I was really happy. But this year I have had starlings crowding the feeder as well as a pigeon so the little birds were missing out. That’s why I took it down and thought a window feeder maybe better.

    I read somewhere that sparrows were declining so I wanted to help them out, but I fear that they missed out because of the starlings.
    I’m not sure what else I’m suppose to do x
  • Hi Amy,

    I'm relatively new to this so do take anything I say with a pinch of salt.

    I had a similar issue and decided to get a couple of feeders with guardian cages that stop starlings and bigger birds from getting at the food. Sparrows, finches and tits got used to the cages fairly quickly and use these feeders happily. Starlings still try but fail to reach the food. I use CJ Wildlife feeders (www.birdfood.co.uk/.../squirrel-resistant-feeders), which aren't exactly cheap but seem very effective.

    I read that starlings are in decline too so have feeders that they can use, away from the feeders with cages.

    Sparrows in my garden seem to like hanging out with starlings but not when they are squabbling over food!
  • Hi DB_Fife,

    Thanks for replying to my post. The reason I am so frustrated with the starlings (apart from the obvious) is that I don’t have trees in my garden to hang all kind of feeders, plus my dad is growing food in the garden next year so he doesn’t want birds attacking his stock.

    My next door neighbour has feeders galore on his trees so I am glad they are getting some food. I just think, did I waste my money on the window feeder? Or is it just a waiting game x
  • Hi Amy

    I have not tried window feeders so can't say what happens with them.

    If the window feeder doesn't work and you don't have trees, you can buy a feeder pole from which to hang feeders - if you have a suitable spot for one.

    Hope you find a solution.