starlings

hi i have made somewhere up for a bird table so my wife who has bi polar disorder can see and feed the birds that come into the garden , we keep getting alot of starlings nicking all the food we look on the net about feeders and come across a feeder that squirels and large birds cannot get the food from but the starling seem very hungrey

how can we stop the starlings from taking so much food thanks for your advice

 

Starlings are greedy birds and if access is easy to food they will take it all. Basic plastic hanging feeders will deter them as they struggle to get a grip, but this unfortunately doesn't help the larger birds and ground feeders like Blackbirds. The open mesh type for nuts, fat balls etc. are easy for Starlings to cling too.



I find that Starlings are opportunist feeders and will swoop down in passing should they find food. The only feeder of mine they can access is one with fat balls so I take that in until they move on, it's usually only half an hour before I return it to the feeding station. I live in a rural area so it may not be that simple in urban areas.

 

many thanks for your reply we have got several feeders in our garden but its the one with the mealworms in they seem to attack more and empty , this is the feeder in question all though we put the weight up according to instruction the starlings seem still to empty the feeder

 

Our starlings go crazy for the square fat cakes that go in the square cages.

I find if I put those out specifically for the starlings, then the rest of the birds can have the other feeders to themselves.

So you could try diverting them away and enticing them to a different area?

I must admit I have a bit of a soft spot for the starlings we get, we have some nesting in our roof above our bathroom every spring, and they eat the leatherjackets out of our lawn so they're quite welcome!

 

Prior to this epidemic. I would sometimes drive down to the shopping complex. Grab a big mac from the drive thru Mac Donalds. Park and set about enjoying my morsel. In the birdworld, wings would begin to beat and the word would go out. Within minutes there would be a line of several starlings perched on the railings. I didn't need to make a sound. Simply, hold a chip up inside the car. No fibs. The little beggars would chance their luch an enter the car. Perch on my hand or steering wheel, grab a chip, and away. No fear whatsoever. Next, there would be a few mums and litle ones, standing watching the performance. Perhaps I should pass the hat around and be reimbersed for my portion of chips. As I always say. This planet is big enough for all of us.

 

We have 60 plus Starlings here. Started off as summer visitors but now here all year round. I have tried several Starling proof feeders in an attempt to stop them grabbing all the food. They don't work. I've given up trying to deter them. They don't seem to like Niger seed though, haven't seen them eating that .

 

thankyou for your replys its a bit unfair that the starlings seem to empty the meal worm hanger and not leave anything for the other birds in the garden .

 

They don't like Nyger seed. I have two feeders which goldfinches, chaffinches, sparrows, great tits and blue tits love and I've not seen a single starling on those feeders. So, perhaps you could try that out?

 

thanks for your reply we like to give the birds that come into our garden a choice of food including meal worms the starlings are only going for the meal worms and can empty the feeder in 1 day which is unfair to other birds that like a feast