I need adivce...the birds have driven me crazy????

Question

I have a small feeder hanging from a large tree in my backyard. Recently I have had sterlings eating all the food. They are pigs, they are too big for the feeder, they are hogging all the food and there is like 20 if them now just hanging all over it.

I must look like a r****d to my neighbors everytime every timefrom the back door to the tree...I am trying to scare them away. I have a mini scarecrow (I mean mini) and I want to know if there is anything esle I can do to get rid of the starlings/sterlings before they wreck my feeder and scare away the birds I do like.

Anyone with advice or experience I would appreciate your input....thanks in advance.

I am reposting cause I did not get any answers last time. :)

Answer 1

All I can say is when you feed one bird you feed them all including the hawks who will sometimes come down and dine on the birds at the feeder. Starlings have to eat to as they all do. What I have done is set up multiple feeders in yard. i also put out suet which the starlings love. They will go to that before seed anytime. I have 3 Starlings as pets so I cannot talk bad about them. they are smart wonderful birds that talk as they are from Mynah bird family. Any bird or critter can become a bother when there are to many. I have the same problem only with Grackles and they kill my baby sparrow. :( Good luck.  

Answer 2

I go through this with the Starlings too. Even though I get so irritated watching how greedy and obnoxious these birds can be, I do not turn any hungry animals away. In fact, my yard is usually full of the undesirable birds most people will not feed like House sparrows, starlings, gulls, pigeons, scrub jays, magpies and crows.  

Starlings are very smart birds and funny to watch if there are a few at a time.  As irritating as a large flock can be, they do not have any easy life.  They are hated by almost everyone, killed and tortured by farmers, and have the worst children than anyone could ever imagine giving life to!  When you see and hear a large noisy flock of starlings now during baby season, watch and you will probably see mom and/dad (dark brown feathers with gold specks)  being poked, bitten, and pulled at by as many as  5 light brown fledgling starlings.  They follow begging to be fed as all of them scream non-stop SSSSccccccccc... sccccccccc.

If you do not want them in your yard, make sure your seed feeder does not have fruit bits or nut pieces they are picking through the birdseed to find.  Plain wild birdseed is less desirable to them.   Other ideas to make them less interested in your feeder would be adding a birdbath to your yard.  They love water and bathing almost as much as they like food!  Many would spend hours bathing instead of eating.  Offering other food sources in your yard like fruit trees. grapes, berry bushes, suet cakes, or soaked dry dog/cat would take their interest away from your feeder as well.  Good Luck!

Answer 3

I don't know what kind of birds your trying to attract, but if it's a certain species ( I like attracting finches) look in to a bird feeder that just has big enough holes for birds of that size (for example finch feeders have just little slits just big enough for them but not other birds)

Answer 4

Here's the thing to do...Go to your local library and ask for a book on birds (birds who nest, flock and live where you do) and READ about them!  There is one book in particular that you mUST get and it is called "Arnie the Darling Starling" and it is all about this baby starling who was brought up by a warm-hearted woman who found him as a baby.  The story will totally change your outlook on these truly delightful creatures (you will end up with a different perspective.)

I used to have my nah birds when I lived in San Francisco. Now My nah birds are related to starlings and the common black bird, and just so you know they ALL can be perfect mimics!!  My bird said the most amazing things and he/she also made shrieking noises that were not so pleasant!

The farmers in this country HATE the starlings and trap them by the thousands and often they die slow, painful deaths (starvation...in cages and it is awful!)

I think you are wonderful to feed the birds.  We are losing the songbirds all the time and we desperately need them to help pollinate the flowers, etc.  Give yourself a pat on the back from me and please do me a favor and go to your local library and get a library card (they are free) and read up on what you can do to make your bird feeder less friendly to all the darling starlings that you 'think' that you hate!!

Good luck to you!