I have read of lot of posts concerning fieldfares behaviour, greedy and bully.It's strange how the birds can have a different behaviour in different garden. I have a very large garden/field and had fieldfares for the first time this year. First day one, fourth day 5 or 6, but they were very well mannered with the 5 blackbirds and other smaller birds. They all eat together on the ground.
My problem is with starlings. I can have between 20 or double this number every day. So you can image how quick the food is going down!. But this is becoming a problem because they eat so fast that by the end of the day there is nothing left (on 3 bird feeders). They hang like grapes on the bird feeder and the smaller birds don't dare to approach, they fight, they pooh everywhere, they are really messy. I even found one stuck on a bird feeder (all its body was in it). I can't put more food as it's doesn't come cheap. I wrapped the bird table with chicken wire but it is difficult to do the same with bird feeder. Now I put peanuts on the squirrel proof feeder and the food is not going down as fast as usual, I don't know what to do with the bird feeder. I, now, put seeds half the bird feeder. I could buy more squirrel proof feeder (very expensive) or a home made ground bird table with chicken wire, but I would like it's to get rid of them if possible. I don't mean killing them of course.
Any suggestion please?
Many thanks.
No bird soars too hight, if he soars on his own wings. (William Blake)
Hi Juliannes, and welcome to the forum.
I also have a lot of starlings, and yes, they are greedy and will eat you out of house and home. They like just about everything there is in the way of bird food, they squabble, and make a mess. There is a positive note - they spend so much time squabbling that much of the food ends up on the ground, so the ground feeding birds can have a party underneath the feeders.
However, I love watching them. Their plumage is beautiful, they don't bully the other birds, they are wonderful entertainers, their calls and conversations are delightful (well, some of the time!!) and they are great mimicks - so becareful what you say in front of them!!!!
Without splashing out and buying special starling-proof feeders, I don't know what you can do, other than sit back and try to enjoy them!!!
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Thanks Sparrow to reply to my first post.
I didn't read any negative comment about starlings at all in this forum. It seems I am the only one being grumpy...
You are right for the food ending on the ground and ofter the smaller one are there taking advantage of it, (I put food on the ground for them anyway). So I will TRY to enjoy them without banging on the window and without grinding my teeth!
Hi Juliannes,
I didn't say I don't grind my teeth when they take all the food (especially expensive suet pellets) !!!!!
Hi Juliannes and welcome to the forum
I had a similar problem when I started feeding the birds - sometimes my yard looked like a scene out of Hitchcock's The Birds! In desperation I had a word with the RSPB and they advised me that starlings prefer to eat in large groups and so if I reduced the number of feeders/food available the starlings would give up because they couldn't find sufficient food for their numbers. It took a few weeks but it worked. 36+ starlings reduced in number to a more manageable (and affordable) 10-12 stalwarts. So, when the weather warms up a bit and they can find food elsewhere, you could try that.
I would add, though, that starlings are useful in attracting other birds simply because the others drift by to see what all the racket is about!!!!!
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
We used to get 50+ starlings coming to feed in my old garden, and one one occassion there was at least 100 patrolling the lawn for grubs! There was a flock of about 500 in the area and groups used to break off to come to the garden.
I personally found the best way to resolve problems was by putting up a wall feeder with a fat cake on, my lot always seemed to prefer the fat cake above anything else and as long as they had their fat cake, they left the hanging feeders alone and instead lined up on the fence to wait their turn to go down to the table. Only the youngsters seemed to make a few attempts to go on the hanging feeders but they soon stopped and left them alone. So I had the starlings (and jackdaws) crammed around their wall feeder and the smaller birds using the hanging feeder just a few metres away from each other. I'd spread fruit around the lawn too that they had to forage for, that helped to keep them occupied as well, they were particularly fond of the raisins and sultanas.
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
I can sympathise with you Juliannes, Starlings have been nothing short of a problem at times here.
I can see it from both points of view though also; they are very beautiful with their plumage and they are the clowns of the bird world with their chattering etc. But, they can be a total pain! There are about 14 feeders in my garden and no mater what I put out or where, the Starlings will take over the lot.
The mealworm feeder for example is on the weakest possible pole and it bounces up and down at the best of times and the top is down so there's only a inch gap. Yet even with all the bouncing and the small gap, they eat the lot!
They never used to bother with the sultanas but now the Blackbirds love them so much they want in on the action!
This has frightened a lot of new visitors off, such as Song Thrush and Long Tailed Tits. Oddly enough, Britain's smallest bird the Goldcrest didn't care and carried on oblivious!
I put an old hanging basket over both my ground feeder and the feeder tray on the feeding station and that kept them off there (at the time I had a garden full of small birds that wouldn't eat off feeders). But the only thing I can suggest are those cages, although I'm aware of how much they cost!
Cutting food back can work, although I found if you're not careful and the starlings get there first the other birds leave hungry.
On the other hand, they are entertaining to watch (when they're not arguing) and providing they're not driving you to total distraction, just try to watch them and notice how pretty they are...and don't forget they'll soon be disappearing for a few months, mine always do! lol!
:o)
After reading all your answers, I am so happy we rarely see any starlings, untill they arrive on the lawn looking for leatherjackets. Strangely though, we have had one lonely starling, for the last few days, eating happily with the other birds.
I had exactly the same problem last winter, so gradually over the summer I replaced the normal feeders with ones enclosed in cages designed to keep squirrels out. This has proved very successful. The smaller birds can feed unmolested and I put normal wild bird mix on the birdtable and ground. I think that the cost of replacing the feeders will be quickly offset by not having to constantly refill them with the more costly mixes.
I don't know if this will help, but i have the same problem in my garden and the way i have tackled this is making my own Fat Balls, I will usually get a 1.5kg of mixed bird seed for about 89p and mix it in with suet and lard ( veg fat) 50p. I will hang these away from the feeder and most of the time the starlings will stay near these giving the smaller birds a chance to feed. Also for the smaller birds i will put the fat balls in the trees where the likes of the robins, blue tit and many other small birds enjoy them hiding away from the greedy eyes of the starlings :)
all for nature, without it, we would not be here....
Thank you very much all of you. I think I found some great ideas such as the use of hanging baskets, cut down the food (already done) and put fat cakes away from the feeders. I don't have many birds feeders: 2 with seeds (of which one is squirrel proof), 1 peanuts squirrel proof and 2 fat balls feeders divided in three different places: a bird station, a tree and a wooden garden arch. Also, to keep the price of the food down, I mix the seeds with cheap oat, sultanas, split corn (bought in France, doesn't seem to exist in England), suet and sunflowers hearts.
I will try all these ideas this week end and will let you know! Anymore suggestion always welcome!