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How to keep crows and jackdaws off your bird feeders (but still let them share nicely!).

Lucydot
07/04/2012 22:51
Awoken by cackles  and gleeful shrieks outside the bedroom window, I looked
out early one morning to see a dozen or more crows and jackdaws  swinging on my
bird feeders and 'drinking' the contents .  I spoke later with a neighbour who
had experienced the same problem and because of this she had eventually given up
feeding the birds altogether.  New to birding, and not one to pass up a
challenge, I scoured the internet looking for ideas to prevent them stealing all
the food before their smaller colleagues got a look in.  Squirrel proof feeders,
although successful were expensive - after buying three I decided to look for a
less costly solution.  I found one economical solution sitting on the shelf in a
local agricultural store in the guise of hanging baskets. After buying six round
bottomed baskets and a pack of cable ties, I rushed home to try out the idea.  I
tied two cable ties loosely at the top, spaced wide enough to slip the feeder
handle through.  The weight of the baskets keeps the edges together with no
gaps.  I suspended the feeder and it's cover from a tree and within seconds the
birds were demonstrating their approval.  The roundness of both baskets together
provide a roomy internal space and the wires lots of comfortable perching space
while awaiting one's turn.  An additional use I have found is that if I hang a
small feeder and a single basket onto a tree hook and place it within the hedge,
the sparrows keep their own feed for themselves, away from the beady eyes of
sparrow hawks and other flying predators.
One message that was often repeated in my internet searches was 'crows and
jackdaws etc. have to eat too', a sentiment I thoroughly agree with. We are all
satisfied now as the small birds sift through the mixed seeds looking for
their favourites and toss the rest to the ground for the crows and friends to
feast upon.

Note: baskets of different sizes accommodate most sizes of feeders.