Hi,
Last year, with help from others here, I contrived enough deterrents for larger birds to protect the table feeder and the the suet balls. I even stopped the crows from lifting up the hanging coconut by tying the bottom down. However, the starlings are proving a problem, they can clean out a coconut in a day so the little birds don't get a look in. See the attached shot
Anyone got any bright ideas of how to stop the starlings getting at the coconut?
You need to suspend it in a cage like the one hanging on your feeder station , you could make on using to hanging basket holders wired together to make a large ball, just an idea.
Regards Shane
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It can be difficult to keep Starlings away from feeders, as they are quite skinny and can often still access the food through guardians around the hanging feeder. However, one solution is to hang the coconut from the apex roof of the adjustable ground feeding guardian, which you can adjust so only the smaller birds have access - see link. Starlings are particulay fond of fat based foods, so taking that food awat for a week or two may encourage them to look elsewhere for food.
shopping.rspb.org.uk/.../adjustable-ground-feeding-sanctuary.html
Hi Shane, the cage hanging with the suet balls is indeed made from basket holders and I had thought of doing something similar, maybe just a half cage made from one basket.
Thanks for the tip
David
Hi Debs
I do believe that would work but I don't really have the right space for ground feeding. I could adopt the idea (see Shane's suggestion) and have a hanging guardian, I'll give this some though
Thanks
I would like to make a plea for the Starlings - they need to eat too. In fact although there a lot of Starlings around they have been put on the UK Red list as their numbers have declined rapidly over recent decades. See this page from the BTO.
If cost is a consideration why not make some raw pastry with just lard and flour and enough water to bind. This could be put in your coconut shell or do what I do and make into a cylinder shape and put it into a mesh feeder. The Starlings love it as do other birds. It's cheap to make although I usually reinforce it with blitzed up sunflower hearts and peanuts.
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Tony
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