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Starlings......help! !

(31 Posts)
NfkDumpling Sun 21-Sept-14 22:20:55

Our bird feeders are dominated by sparrows. Hardly anything else gets a look in. Not even starlings. And the bl***y rooks have discovered the walnuts are ready!

rosequartz Sun 21-Sept-14 20:26:01

We have lots of magpies, fat pigeons and seagulls although we are not near the sea.

We haven't seen any starlings for a long time, but the sparrows seem to be back.

annodomini Sun 21-Sept-14 18:23:59

I see hardly any starlings around here. It's a different story with pigeons and jackdaws. My neighbour moved and left me her very smart bird feeding station. One of the attachments has a long container inside a sort of cage which only tits and small finches can enter. It also keeps out marauding squirrels.

shysal Sun 21-Sept-14 18:11:15

I have had up to 20 starlings a day coming since the spring too. I don't mind them, but had to delay putting out the food in the mornings until the neighbours got up, as they were very noisy. However, this week, they have almost stopped coming, now that the babies have most of their adult plumage. It has cost me a fortune in dried mealworms and Chunky Dumpling fat balls (their favourites), so not sorry to be needing less. I have also been visited by up to 12 magpies at a time, as well as crows, who like the filled coconut shells. From past experience I know that the small birds will now get more of a look-in, and the starlings will disappear. I hope you find the same, Katek.

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Sept-14 17:42:12

We have the same problem with pigeons. Had to stop using the bird table for that reason. Just have hanging feeders now.

Rarely see a starling round here anymore.

There are sort of cage things you can use on grass. They cover the food and only allow small birds through. We had one but son collared it. Used to make me sad for the less brave birds though. They hopped round the outside in desperation.

Katek Sun 21-Sept-14 16:26:54

My DH has always fed the garden birds and when we moved house a year ago he carried on with this, buying a big bird feeder 'tree' sort of thing with all sorts of different feeders on it. We have been plagued since spring by a group if around 7/8 starlings who absolutely decimate all the feeders -apart from the peanuts - and leave nothing for the smaller birds. They can't get anywhere near the food as they're chased off. Any suggestions what I can do with the very plump starlings to let smaller birds feed?