I hang out grease balls on hooks around the birdtable, but recently magpies have been coming, ripping open the nets and taking the complete balls! Have seen them doing it.
Anyone any ideas as to how I can stop them please?
Hi Snowy,
The only thing I can think of is to place the balls in a fat ball holder/feeder (http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/p/BirdFeeders/Starter_suet_ball_feeder.htm) and remove the nets as these are not good for little birds whose feet can get caught in them...
Hopefully this should at least slow the magpies down as they'll only be able to peck bits from them
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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What birds are you wanting to take the grease balls? If you don't want the magpies to fly off with the whole thing couldn't you try making something larger and heavier so they can't just fly off with it? Alternatively, if the birds you are wanting to attract are tits you can use a plastic cup or yoghurt pot and hang it upside down. Tits are agile enough to be able to cling upside down to get food. You could also place a "cage" around the feeding area so that only smaller birds can gain access to the table.
It isn't advisable to use netting to hold food as birds can get tangled up in them and if they aren't rescued quickly they can die as a result.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
Hello snowy.The best thing you can do is to put the fat balls in a holder, which will stop larger birds such as magpies flying off with whole balls. This means that the smaller birds will get their share as well as the larger species. Also it's best to remove the nets as they can be dangerous.Paul.
Warning! This post contains atrocious spelling, and terrible grammar. Approach with extreme edginess.
Thank you for your advice. Have now put the balls, without nets, in a holder and it's working very well.