can anyone give me some advice on how to stop starlings emptying my bird feeders on a daily basis, we have tried gaurded feeders, but they hang on to them & eat the lot . we use seed &meal worm mix they chuck the seed on the floor & just eat the meal worms .
Hi gazza and welcome.
I guess my reply would be - just look on the positive side and enjoy the starlings. Some of us do not get them at all, so miss out on a lot of action!!
Feeding the birds in your garden means just that. Expensive though, isn't it!!!
Pipit :)
Great birds and also dropping in numbers; so I think you are doing a good job in feeding them.
Alot of birds are now replenishing thier body weight after breeding (plus young birds a building up thier fat supplies for the winter ahead) thats one reason why you are getting a feeding frenzy at the moment.
It wont be like this all the time as Starlings will flock with other Migrant Starlings and find new pastures to feed and roost.
It does however mean that its more cost on buying bird seed!
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein
hi pipit i know we are lucky to have the starlings, but they come in such large numbers they drive away the gold finches & our resident blackbird & robins the only ones who can get a look in are the sparrows
Hi Gazza
Welcome to the forum. I think you'll just have to try and see them in a positive light. They are red listed for Conservation concern so anything we can do to help them has to be good - and they are great characters.
CJ
Steve G said: hi pipit i know we are lucky to have the starlings, but they come in such large numbers they drive away the gold finches & our resident blackbird & robins the only ones who can get a look in are the sparrows
I do sympathise, but take heart - they will be away soon. Grit teeth for now. The Blackbirds and other residents will hang on in there.
Cheers
Pipit x
Hi there Gazza..I'm new to the forum and also newish to birdwatching and their habits..Back in May we had as many as 30 starlings around the feeding area on the patio..we went away for a fortnight and they all vanished..my son was supposed to fill up the feeders while we were away..lol..over a period of a few weeks lately some starlings have returned...not the same ones I suppose but a very welcome sight to see them..about a dozen or even more..at least 20 sparrows are here too..6 pigeons ..4 doves..a few blackbirds with their young ones..and even some long tailed tits...It went quiet a few days ago when a sparrowhawk came two days following but all seems ok now..I just love to see those starlings homing in our patio and how they land..and how they squabble with each other...Ive got a feeling that all the bird species that visit are getting used to each other now...Perhaps yours will as well...lovely to watch them all mingle...
Bryan
Hi Gazza and welcome to the Fourms. Enjoy yourself here
Starling are notorius for emptying feeders fast if they like the food stuff.
The best thing to do is to fill the amount of food that you feel is appropriate and do not replenish for the rest of the day. You could reduce the food in the morning and split the feeding foray into two parts of the day.
Starlings love fat balls, and Tesco scones - so it may be a good idea to take some of their favourite foods away from the feeders all together.
Stops them from being so demanding of your time, greedy and demanding of your wallet.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Hi Gazza, and a warm welcome to the forum from me,
I have shed loads of starlings all year round apart from at the moment. Mine have gone off to the moors to moult, but are now drifting back again. I have had a peaceful 3 weeks, but not for much longer.
First of all, I suggest you remove all your flat feeders and those little trays underneath hanging feeders. You could also have several different areas where you provide food, so there are more places and therefore less starlings per area. Then I suggest you scatter some of your mealworms on the ground where the starlings can't see them - under hedges or bushes. I do this and all the sparrows, dunnocks, blackbirds etc find them first. I have a large bird table next to a boundary where I feed the starlings, pigeons and jackdaws. The small birds don't use it, and the starlings etc can have as much as I can afford. The smaller birds use the hanging feeders without trays undisturbed on the whole.
It's a question of trial and error and what suits your birds and garden. Starlings are magnificent birds in their full plumage, and great models for photographs, especially in the bird bath. Enjoy them
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Excellent reply Sparrow!!
Gazza, please don't reduce the amount of food you leave out for the birds. They need our support!! Sparrow has some really good advice for you to follow.
Pipit
thanx for all the advice i think il try just feeding seed in the feeders & scatter mealworms on the lawn. I dont like to put them to near the boarders or bushes as we have a couple of feline friends that like to prowl about especially with fledgelings on the ground