ALRIGHT! I'm SICK of them! Now how....?

Question

How do I get rid of flocks of black birds?

I have two poles with a total of 8 feeders on them. For the first few weeks of May & June, I had cardinals, gold finches, Downy woodpeckers, purple house finches, nuthatches and chickadees.

But all of a sudden the grackles and starlings took over and all I ever see are occasional blue jays who aren't afraid of the "black plague."

Is there a way to selectively get rid of certain birds? I use a variety of feed including safflower. Peanuts and sunflower seeds are gone in one day. Shiny, sparkling things up in the trees have no effect. I don't want to put up a fake owl as I will get NO birds!

So, now what?

This is getting expensive!

Answer 1

Try a bird trap,when you catch a c**p bird kill it,if you catch a good bird just let it go...These are cage traps and don`t hurt the birds at all..

A 12 gauge works real good to but you might scare away the birds you want there..

Answer 2

just take down the feeders and they will all go away. you invited the birds there with food and now you are mad because they are there?  that makes no sense.  you cannot selectively get rid of certain birds.

Answer 3

try a 22 with rat shot! it is like a bullet with fine buckshot in side. just leave a dead one in the yard for a while,they will get the picture!hahahahah   i am just joking, for real. i had the same problem while living in st.Louis. eventually they just left, without me firing a shot. sorry that i could not be more helpful. but please e-mail me if they leave soon.

Answer 4

1. get loaded bee bee gun,

2. sit and wait

3. shoot! youll prolly only annoy them not hurt them

Answer 5

Please do NOT take the advice of people telling you to break the law.  ALL wild native birds, (including blackbirds and grackles) are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and harming them in any way can get you fined or jailed.  You might try taking the feeders completely down for a while and then put them back out again.  If this does not work and you absolutely only want to feed certain species..then take the feeders down completely, as a free meal is an offer to any and every bird no matter what the species.  You can deter Starlings by offering suet in a suet feeder that only allows acces from the bottom.  Woodpeckers can easily feed from it, but Starlings cannot hang upside down to access the food.  You can find these on the web or at a local pet store.  You can also put up hummingbird feeders that the blackbirds and grackles will not use.  Also, you refer to these birds as not being "nice".  Just because they are not colorful does not mean these birds are "not nice".  Just because you don't enjoy looking at them does not mean they do not have a place in the ecosystem.