Stop Bird Feeder Pests
Unwanted birds, squirrels, bears and other mammals are a problem because they eat all your bird food and drive away the birds that you are trying to attract. Cats are a different problem altogether, they kill and eat our beautiful feathered friends. Here are a few ideas that will help reduce bird feeder pests. Unwanted Birds:Most of these nuisance birds will attack your bird feeders in large flocks. They eat a lot of food fast and usually leave a real mess. The most common nuisance birds are European Starlings, Crows, Grackles and Pigeons. You can reduce their attraction to your feeders by using feeders that have small perches without catch basins.Since these birds are typically large, if there isn’t a place to land they can't feed. Avoiding tray feeders, keeping the area under your feeders clean and never throwing food out on the ground will keep these bird feeder pests away. Squirrels:At first I didn't consider squirrels to be bird feeder pests. I thought it was amusing to watch as they jumped from the trees to my feeders and hung upside down as they ate. It was fun until I realized that they were eating up pounds of seed and destroying my feeders.I've tried putting food out for squirrels in other areas of my yard, which only attracted more squirrels. I've tried expensive squirrel proof feeders, they figure out how to un-squirrel proof them. Most squirrel proof feeders are also harder to fill. After trying everything else, I have found a few things that work. Since squirrels can jump about seven feet, place your feeders at least eight feet from any jumping surface. Tilting baffles at least 18 inches wide placed above your feeders if hanging, or below your feeders if on a pole, work quite well. If you are hanging your feeders from a horizontal line, place loose fitting plastic tubing over the line. It will spin if squirrels try to walk across it. You can even make your own baffle from common household items like record albums, salad bowls, soda bottles or stovepipe. Bears:Bears are the most destructive bird feeder pests.Black bears are vegetarians and will eat anything that birds eat. They will use their strong sense of smell to locate your feeders and stored bird seed. There is little that you can do to keep bears away from your feeders. You may think that by hanging your feeders high that they will not attract bears. But since bears have a great sense of smell they will still be attracted to your yard. Attracting bears is not in the best interest of either the bears or the homeowners. Bears that learn to approach one house will approach other houses and invariably result in concern from non-suspecting people. Bears that become accustomed to approaching houses and people often become chronic nuisances. It is highly likely that they will end up being hit by cars, shot illegally by people who misunderstand their intentions and suffer diet deficiencies from continued improper foods. Unfortunately if you live in an area where bears are present, you should not put out feeders from April 1 to December 1. If you love watch birds as I do, you have to find other ways to attract birds into your yard. Try bird houses, nesting boxes , attract birds with water and creating a bird garden. Cats:Cats cause the deaths of more songbirds than any other animal. Wild cats generally hunt only at night. Their prey is usually mice and other rodents; so domesticated cats do the most damage to songbird populations. It is a myth that a well-fed cat will not kill birds or small mammals. In fact, they will still kill their prey simply by instinct. Since discouraging a cat from chasing or killing birds is nearly impossible, try some of these tips:
Other Mammals:Raccoons, deer and moose have become a nuisance in many areas. The best tactic, for keeping these bird feeder pests away, is to make your feeders inaccessible with fencing. If that approach is impractical, you'll probably have to temporarily take down your feeders. Mammals will find new foraging places. If your mammalian visitors appear only at night, take in your feeders at dusk.
When you attract wild birds into your back yard, you should be prepared for the bird feeder pests that come along with them. With a little planning you can provide a safe feeding environment for our feathered friends and cut down on the amount of seed lost to these unwanted pests. Bird feeder pests can becomebird house predators learn how to protect your bird houses here. Bird feeder pests top of the page. Return from Bird Feeder Pests to A Home For Wild BIrds Home
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