Any keen bird feeders out there?

Happygreen

the original factoryshop has the wild bird seed mix in the leaflet this week : 12.5 kg for £ 6 (normally £ 8).

UKSBD

Haven't read the thread so apologes if already mentioned.

Has anyone got any tips on getting rid of starlings?
I had a lovely feeding are set up, lots of robins, tits, blackbirds, sparrows, dunnocks, etc. happily getting on feeding side by side, then the b**** starlings arrived

Squawking away, making a mess, scaring other birds away.
It's taken the whole enjoyment away of sitting watching the birds feeding.

I've put a cage round one of the feeders which lets the tits and robins through and keeps the starlings out, anyone got any other suggestions for getting rid of starlings?

Primrose

We have the same problem here and the garden is like a squawking factory! . Fortunately we find every year it's fairly short lived. Starlings often like to congregate in groups, even
small ones and once the babies are capable of learning to feed themselves and forage for food independently, which they do quite quickly, they tend to move on.

Gers

We had the problem last week and this - I bought an 'Acme Thunderer' whistle and used it when the hordes arrived. Once they flew into the tree I then blew it again which made them scatter.

One day they came back seven times - always en masse - but today they haven't appeared once. Perhaps they're moving on.

I've noticed that the birds aren't feeding as much or in such large numbers. Last spring we had horrendous weather so they all just ate whenever they could, this year the weather is glorious so maybe they're catching insects whilst they can. I put out a couple of smashed up suet balls which the blackbirds eat, and some apple slices.

The squirrel has also stopped visiting so often or staying long to graze - it takes the hazelnuts I leave out each night and then goes. I'm assuming a more plentiful supply of other food for it and any babies.

There have been a couple more dead siskins and tits plus one which looked as if it were dazed. It didn't move as I got close to it but when I picked it up it staggered off my hand, flew a few yards and stopped again. Then I decided to leave it alone, later it was gone, thank goodness.

Primrose

We're having a major problem at the moment with the sparrowhawk and regularly come down to breakfast to find feathers (baby starlings?) on the lawn. Also several have flown into our patio door glass panes. . They knock themselves out and look quite dead. I've learned to just leave them quietly alone now and often in due course they recover and fly off (no doubt with a huge headache).

PlymouthMaid

I was also enjoying a nice mixed variety of birds in my yard until recently when starlings and magpies seem to have driven all the gentler species away. I am quite sad about this.

Happygreen

A small crowd (compared to what you all are describing!) of starlings have arrived here, too. It's the first time I can recall. Maybe they won't settle here and move further along as did the magpies, phew...It is still to be seen if they will cause trouble as all the other wee birdies are still around, many pairs of yellowhammers, young thrushes, new lots of sparrows, wrens, swallows in the shed, warblers and dunnocks.
Primrose, you could stick some black shapes of birds of prey onto your patio doors. It will deter at least of the little birds from flying against the glass!

KxMx

My garden is quite small, and when the starling baby season hits I usually withdraw all food for a few days.

My garden can't support such numbers and they cause chaos , hitting windows etc and my other birds won't come in. 30/ 40 on the small fence/flapping around the feeders, and 6 a time in the water bowl! And my normal birds won't come in.

After a few days of finding no food, the starlings tend to move on and my normal birds come back once food is out again.

bettyboo71

We don't seem to have starlings here, which I am glad of, reading everyone else's posts.
We have had some chaffinch chicks, one of which seemed to have grasped that I was the source of food, but not that it should be wary of me. It would fly to the bush and sing loudly as I filled the feeders, and I could get very close to it - but I didn't go too close or try to touch it, because I don't want it to be tame.
We have also had several baby sparrows. As they get more confident they have wee flights around the garden, then they sit on the fence to get fed, which I have loved watching. Fortunately, they seem to be really good at looking out for the neighbour's cat, and all disappear as soon as he appears. We had to adjust the bowls on the feeding station, as he kept jumping at them. Now he can't reach them but he keeps trying and usually gets a shower for his troubles!

KxMx

Baby great t.i.t today being fed by a parent