Help please! I have been feeding birds for about 2 years and have built up a steady 'clientele' comprising robins blue/great/coal tits, blackbirds, starlings, wood pigeons, sparrow, occasional dunnocks, wren and sometimes even a woodpecker. But this has all changed since the arrival of black caps about a month ago. At first it was one, now it's at least two different ones. Initially quite polite and unassuming, i actually felt a bit sorry for them as the Robin was bullying them and now they have turned into the worst bullies themselves! The sit in branches for ages and swoop down to chase away any birds approaching the feeders, especially the tits and the sparrows, who at least fight back as there are many of them. I normally replace fatballs every day or every 2 days and now haven't replaced them in 10 days! Does anyone have any tips? I am unable to move the feeders around as I don't have any other places to put them.
Hi,
The blackcaps will be migrants. They will be gone in a month or so. The two options are 1) to leave as is. There will always be a hierarchy to some extent. Might well be worse this year for you, but going perhaps unnoticed, blackbirds will be keeping song thrushes out of the garden, robins will be bullying the dunnocks etc. Option 2) may be better? Take the food down for about a week. Blackcaps will move on. Being migrants, you may find another one stumbles across any future food put out, but that would be nearer to their departure date anyway.
Thank you for your helpful reply, it's good to be reminded this isn't a forever thing. I wasn't sure about their migration pattern and read they migrate in April so was worried this would carry on until then. Thanks again for taking the time to reply!
No probs. They used to be known as Summer migrants, arriving in March/April. Now, we have Winter migrants from mainland Europe that come in around, or after, UK breeders leave. It depends where in UK you are (and weather probably), but here, garden blackcaps seem to disappear in Feb. If you are further East, it may well be March by the time the over Wintering birds leave.
Thank you for this info, very useful, we are in Northamptonshire.
As said they will most likely be migrants and hungry. They can fiercely defend a food source - if you want to leave feeders out an alternative would be to place apple 1/2's out for them away from the feeders if possible
Cin J
I’m having the same issue with a solitary male Blackcap- arrived in our garden 3 weeks ago and is bullying all the regulars ( great tits, blue tits, coal tits, sparrows, robins and bullfinches). The only birds it seems to leave alone are the nuthatches. Tried moving feeders around to make it more difficult for it to ‘patrol’ its territory but that hasn’t worked. It’s very entertaining watching its antics, sitting on sentry duty in a branch close by, but now it’s getting rather annoying. I’ve tried apples too, but it hasn’t shown any interest in them. Maybe I will have to remove food altogether for a day or two but I’m reluctant to do that. We had a female in the garden a couple of years ago, she only stayed a couple of days and was not territorial.
Thank you, I have tried apples cut in half and they have an occasional nibble but parents hugely bothered, they are not as appealing as the ball feeders it seems....
Your description was spot on, made me chuckle, definitely sitting on sentry duty :)
I am hoping that all my regulars return once it leaves ( maybe it won’t!). Will be interesting to see what happens - fingers crossed your regulars return too