Crows are killing all the songbirds, help!?

Question

Hello,

I like feeding birds in my backyard, and everything seemed to be fine for a week straight i saw nothing but song sparrows and some crows, they were find eating together. Until last week, i caught a crow trying to kill a sparrow and i interfered the crow left. But later that day i found 2 dead sparrows. After that day it hasn't stopped.

All i see is dead sparrows every single day, every time i watch them i see nothing but crows scarring them away and fighting. I don't know what to do, im sick of the crows trying to hurt them. What can i do to prevent crows but keep feeding the rest of the birds?

PS: i have a bird feeder.

Answer 1

Argh, I'm having problems with crows too at the minute but they're not killing any birds.

They do however devour all the bird feed, harass my chickens and steal their food and have at least on one occasion stolen and eaten an egg. We've counted 27 crows at one time and they start squarking at 4.30am!!

They've become a real pest but we get it every year when the farmer brings his cattle up to a field close by. As soon as the farmer moves the cattle on the crows disappear.

I'm a vegetarian and generally a big animal lover but these crows have had me tempted at taking drastic action. However I think it's illegal to cull any so I'll just continue to run out my back door waving my arms and clapping my hands like a lunatic to scare these pests away. Doing this has reduced the amount of crows who visit but it's not the best or most effective option at getting rid of them completely.

I hope you have more luck than me!

Answer 2

You cannot harm the birds in any way.

What you are witnessing is nature.   You cannot stop nature,  and you should not interfere.    

All animals need to eat.  Get used to it.

If you don't like cruelty - go to any slaughterhouse. We eat adult animals and babies.  Humans kill lots of animals for food.  It's not pretty.  Why not try to stop that?

If you are a meat eater - put down that burger.  Can you see the sad eyes of the cow that had to die for you?

Humans take over animal habitat, destroying their homes, even destroying active nests.    How many animals lost their lives and homes when your house was built in their territory?

I hope you are getting my point.  We kill animals, animals kill animals.

Birds kill and eat each other, their young and eggs.  They dump eggs and lay their own.   If that isn't enough they also have to deal with other predators, including tree-climbing mammals, and snakes.

Nature may seem harsh, but predation is essential to a healthy ecology.   Survival of the fittest ensures that only the best of the species survive and reproduce.    Only a small amount of wild babies born each year will survive.   Most will become lunch.

If there was no predation, the species who eat seed, grain and fruits would explode.  Once that happened,  the birds would eat all of the available plant life, including our crops.    We would have to kill them, or cover all crops (not possible), or they would eat everything.

The circle of life is essential to everyone, including humans.   You cannot stop, or prevent any of it.  

Wild animals don't come into your home and tell you what to eat, or how to behave.  They don't steal our children.  Animals are not people, they have no moral codes.  They operate on instincts.   There is no right or wrong, good or bad.   It is what it is.

edit***  Twisted?  Not usually.  

My message to not harm the birds was a general one, as many will recommend the use of a bb gun, or other lethal controls.  I did not mean to infer that you intended to harm the birds.

I do not believe it's your intention to harm anything, obviously, since you feed the birds.  However, your attempt to exclude certain birds, or certain activities among wild birds, is futile.

It's unrealistic to attempt to stop normal predation among wild animals, especially when you and your neighbor are attracting the birds - including the crows.

We do not own the wild animals who inhabit our yards, and have no rights to them.

Humans should only interfere when we are the cause of the problem.   Humans should stop other humans from illegally raiding nests, harming wild animals and poaching.  We should help wildlife that has been injured or harmed directly, or indirectly, by humans or human activity, and loss of habitat.  We should assist those species who are endangered because of us.   We should protect our wildlife from domestic and feral cats, who destroy millions of songbirds each year.

One other thing I should note.... You are seeking to protect the wrong bird.   Crows are native to North America, and protected here.  Common English Sparrows are a feral species and they are not protected here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Sparr...

"In the United States[9] and Canada, the House Sparrow is one of only three birds (the other two being the European Starling and the Rock Pigeon) not protected by law. As an invasive non-indigenous species, it is legal to kill House Sparrows and destroy their eggs at any time in most places in the United States. These three introduced species are now each more widespread and common on the continent than are any other birds. House Sparrows kill adult bluebirds and other native cavity nesters and their young, smash their eggs, and take over their nesting sites,[10] and as such are major factors in the decline of bluebirds and other native cavity nesters in North America.[11]

Because the House Sparrow is smaller than the less aggressive native birds with which it competes, it is impossible to keep them out of nest boxes built for many native birds. Attempts to counter the effects of the House Sparrow on native bird populations include the trapping and shooting of adults and the destruction of their nests and eggs."

Answer 3

I had battled the same problem for about a year.  With hawks as well.  What finally worked for me is getting a feeder that big birds could not even fit on.  I put the feeder right next to a big fire bush for protection and shelter.  I also put garden fencing (about 2 or 3 feet high) around the base of the shepherds hooks that the feeders are on, from the bush all the way around.  This way ground feeders (doves, etc.) could eat what I shake on the ground and are protected from cats as well as crows and hawks as it is difficult for them to divebomb them with the fencing.  It gives the birds a little extra time to fly to safety in the bush.  The fencing has holes in it that allows small birds and bunnies through.  This sounds silly but has finally worked for me.  I have not had one dead bird in quite a while.  As to the cirlce of life, by you protecting the birds on your property,  you are not depriving anything.  I totally understand, you just don't want to witness it.  The predators can move along next door.  They did for me!!!!  Good luck!!!!