Hi, For the first time in the 20 yrs we have been here, our yard with its two modest feeders has transformed into a set from "The Birds" - over a hundred grackles, RW blackbirds, and a few starlings have taken over the feeders, driving away the usual titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, goldfinches, cardinals, sparrows, juncos & woodpeckers - even the RB & hairy woodpeckers spent the afternoon hovering on the outskirts rather than challenge the masses of blackbirds.
I know the other birds won't starve - they have been stashing as much as they've eaten all winter - but I am too cheap to be willing to feed this army of blackbirds! Will they be able to open black oil sunflower seed if I convert both feeders to that for awhile? Or is the only solution to stop feeding for awhile? They aren't interested in the small nyger feeder that's off to the side but, then again, neither are most of the regular feeder birds! Thanks for any suggestions - Alicia On 3/6/2011 5:32 PM, Donna Scott wrote: > Along with all my other feeder birds on this snowy day, there are ~ > 2-300 Red Winged Blackbirds and a dozen or so Grackles here at my > feeder areas (along with 33 C. Red Polls and many Cardinals and > Goldfinches, etc.). Most the RW B.birds are male, but there are a few > females with them. > Donna L. Scott > 535 Lansing Station Road - by Cayuga Lake > Lansing, NY 14882 > d...@cornell.edu <mailto:d...@cornell.edu> > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.872 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3486 - Release Date: 03/06/11 > 14:34:00 > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --