Defeating Sparrows, Starlings and Grackles
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2020
- Learn how you can help keep sparrows, starlings and grackles out of your feeders and houses! Liz from The Bird House in Rochester, NY will give different tips and tricks you can use in your backyard.
Visit www.thebirdhouseny.com for more information, or to purchase some of the items mentioned in the video. 
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This was great. Straight talk, no interruptions, and available
THIS is such an excellent and thoroughly informative presentation about bird boxes and design advantages. I really appreciate the refresher! This was a particularly rough year for the Tree Swallows and Bluebirds, house sparrows have been directly attacking the parents on the boxes as well as entering and pecking bluebird chicks in the nest, leaving them all dead. From species, to housing, to seed types, all great information and I'll be sharing! Thank you!
I love mourning doves, and will buy food just to have them come back to my place. They are such gentle birds.
Dunn: So Frederick, did your success change using these suggestions? I'm desperately seeking a winning strategy.🤨
Phenomenal! Even with all the bird books I have, none put together as clear and concise comparison of sparrows or how to defeat the flocks of obnoxious birds and promote the more preferred types to feeders. Thank you!
Really good video. So informative! I've been backyard squirrel/bird feeding going on five years now.
By default bc of where i reside, I LOOK for the sparrows, starling and grackles bc the pigeons are incessant!
American blue jays, morning dove and cardinals are regular feeders. Robins come around from time to time. Rarely the snowy woodpecker and yellow finches visit.
I live on the third floor and got a huge, beautiful evergreen (I think it's a white fir) tree that I throw suet onto. I can spread it out so the sparrow, starling and grackle are not on top of each other.
I throw (from the third floor) down peanut unsalted in the shell, walnuts in the shell (I use the tree to break the fall so as to not crack the shells) I put out freeze dried mealworms and wild birdseed. It's rather unconventional how their food is served, but it works!
So, i got a good laugh in addition to education from watching this video.
Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful presentation! Liz, you are so easy to listen to. Thank you and keep these coming!
Really well done and so appreciated from a customer that lives an hour away and can't make the Tuesday talks. Thank you!!
Wow!! Such a great video and information. The safflower works very well for me keeping those grackles and starlings away.
Thank you, great info. Wonderful to have it online!
This was informative and interesting Liz. Great job. Thank you!!
Very well done. Concise and well paced. Keep this going
Great information. I love that this is a learning video. Went through a lot of just someone filming birds until I came to your. Perfect speed and perfect pictures.
Thank you! Great information! I will definitely try the safflower seeds. I've also had some success in the past by taping a metallic pinwheel to my bluebird house to keep the sparrows away.
What a great video! Well done
Thank you for sharing your helpful hints.
thanks for an excellent presentation. Am glad to know about the upside down suet feeder; starlings polished off a suet cake in a regular wire box within 24 hours.
This was great. Very informative. Took notes so I could recall what you said. Thank you.
Great presentation!
Nice presentation and very interesting. It seems as if there were definitely fewer birds at my feeders this year, wonder if anyone else has had the same experience. Keep the videos coming - I rarely make the time to come to classes, it's nice to be able to watch at one's one selected time.
Excellent video. I learned so much!
Thanks so much - very informative and so helpful!
Thank you, great presentation!
Really enjoyed. Learned a lot.
Great Job Liz. Your Voice is so Soothing, yet informative.
I have been looking for months for a presentation that would be as informative and helpful and this video has been. I have read so much on different "bird" websites, but none as good at showing the specific differences between the songbirds. I am relatively new to bird feeding and housing. It has been soooo frustrating identifiying sparrows and finches. First you have the male, then the female, then the breeding male and female, and then the juvenile....of the same Song Sparrow! Thanks so much for helping to make identification easier!!
I know how you feel... my bird identification book has been essential in helping me over the past several years I've gotten into bird watching. I STILL learn something every season and it's neat to look back in it because I write down the date and circumstances/where in my yard I first saw a particular species. I have the Stokes Field Guide to Birds; highly recommend it!
Excellent video! Thank you! I’ve decided I like grackles! They are native birds unlike House Sparrows and Starlings. Grackle populations have declined by about 50% since records have been kept. To me, their most distinguishing feature-after suspecting they are starlings or blackbirds, is their long curved tails. Starlings have stubby tails. Grackles rank #9 on the Concern chart. (20 is Worst…tree swallows-10, black-capped chickadees-7, Carolina chickadee-9, blue jay-8, dark-eyed junko-8, eastern bluebird-7).
We have no concern w blue Jay's or chickadees in sw ohio. We also see the hybrid of the two chickadees. So many chickadees here. I love talking w them
Great video, great tips. Thanks
Thanks so much - we have been back from Florida two weeks and totally distressed that we only have grackles and a few sparrows! I had forgotten about safflower seed and will try that!
Safflower really helps and other birds learn to like it but prefer the regular food with sunflower seeds.
Loved this! Thank you, Liz. Great presentation.
Thanks so much for instituting these videos...This presentation was excellent and informative..Topics for the future might include waterfowl and warble identification..thanks so much...
Thank you so much for the information, I am just getting into birding
thank you so much. Just found your channel and love your tips. Will get safflower seed ASAP. Tight now I took the feeder with platform away and got a smaller one but smaller birds are letting me know it is not their favorite, but they are eating lol.
The squirrels are eating the suet that has "heat'" in it. Geeeez. Thanks again
I enjoyed your video. Very informative and a pleasure to watch. You should add your website to the info so people can find you.
Peggy Allen
Thank you. Very helpful!!
Thanks so much sunshine. 🕊️💚🌞🇨🇦
Very informative. Thanks.
Like your voice. Excellent video.🦃🦃
Them baby chickadees were so cute!
Very informative. Thank you.
Very informative! Thanks!
Thanks!!!! From Chile.
Great starting tips! Sparrows killed my baby bluebirds last May. I stopped putting out any food. Now, in October, the bluebirds have just started coming back. And there is a pair of sparrows that come at the same time. These sparrows seem to follow the bluebirds! Hoping some of your tips will deter the sparrows!
Very nice presentation. Upside down suet feeders, who'd a thunk it? Two Thumbs Up!
Good show. I stopped safflower a long time ago, but I'll probably give it another try. My starlings are pretty athletic, upside down suet did not work on a homemade feeder, but I may try buying one. Thanks!
Starlings figure out ways to get at the suet even when it's upside down. The only thing that might discourage them is plain suet that has no cracked corn, nuts, fruit, etc... I had some that worked well, but unfortunately it's not melt-resistant for those hot summer days. As an alternative I purchased bark butter (a suet knock-off) in a stackable form and placed it in a dome feeder, which I lowered to make it just wide enough for my woodpeckers to enter.
I've noticed that my bluebirds only defend their nest from other cavity nesters. They never bother the other types of sparrows that are around their boxes. They also leave the house finches and other small open nesters alone.
European sparrows, squirrels, or anything else that nests in cavities is an instant battle.
If you're ever confused as to whether the sparrow you're concerned about is a European sparrow or a native species sparrow, the bluebirds will tell you 😉
I killed about 45 house sparrows six years ago, I don't see them anymore, they are a pest, predator that will kill and break eggs. I have purple martins also.
thanks so much!
Terrific video, so very informative. I have house wrens and I'm wondering which, if any, house sparrow deterrents work for house wrens, food, scare tactics, type of bird house, etc
I live in Downtown Columbus (Ohio) and have been at war with a huge flock of house sparrows. It's like they travel in gangs to terrorize other birds! I had all these wonderful birds at my feeder until the house sparrows took over. So I switched to a mix with no millet - they were back mobbing the feeder within hours. Then switched to all safflower seeds - I woke up the next morning to the feeder (and my fence) covered with house sparrows - they were feeding safflower to their babies too! I finally switched to all Nyjer seed two days ago. I have since seen ZERO sparrows, but not many other birds either. But maybe it'll take them awhile to return. I know I'll get limited types of birds with Nyjer so once we get closer to fall, I'll maybe try other types of food but with those wires hanging around feeder. I also have hummingbird feeders which the sparrows leave alone, and I am going to put up a peanut (in the shell) feeder to see what happens there. (I've noticed the squirrels here don't like Nyjer either, so that's good!)
UPDATE!!!! It has now been over a week since I switched to Nyjer seed. I will occasionally see a lone house sparrow land on the feeder, but it's almost like it's just tasting the Nyjer seed, then decides it doesn't like it. I have seen both house finches and Carolina Wrens eating the Nyjer seed regularly...so I guess if I'm stuck with them, it's better than the house sparrows! Haha!
Very informative
Honestly, the best defense I've had against starlings, grackles, and cow birds is to get morning doves to your feeder. They're not scared of any bird that I've seen so far and can definitely hold their own. For the most part it seems that the smaller birds (like the American Goldfinch) don't mind the mourning dove as much. The other nice thing is that morning doves are prettier to look at than the others as well as are much more skiddish of humans so they won't completely dominate your feeder.
In my experience mourning doves also scare song birds so I discourage them too by using caged bird feeders. I use a bb gun for starlings only. Not grackles or sparrows.
Sparrows, cracles and starlings, oh my!
Thank you.
nicely done, Liz WE also are getting fewer birds through the winter. Now it appears the Red wing blackbirds et al have arrived early. My question is for the bluebird house with the rectangular opening, what is the height of the opening?
good stuff
Thanks for this info. I seem to be struggling big time with the house sparrows. Several times a day I get raided. I am trying the halo with the line and we’ll see what happens.
Thank you
Going with upside down suet. Wood peckers seem to have no trouble and the starlings can't hang on. Thank You so much. Safflower seed is next try.
The starlings that visit my upside down suet feeder figured it out. They alternate between hanging on for dear life and ramming their beaks up repeatedly to grab some of the suet.
The last video I watched called for the protections of all life. "Defeating these pests" as some see them, falls within the rules... lol.
I live in NC. You said birds don't like the small yellow seeds and millet in the cheaper variety mixes, but the birds in my yard gobble it up. Some of them prefer the sunflower, but many birds with small beaks like doves only eat the millet.
Well, this year the House Sparrows easily won occupancy to all of my nest boxes, defeating the Western Bluebird and Tree Swallow. This in spite of my continual harassment. But you gave me ideas here with good explanation for me to try out for next season. Thank you for your interest and effort. ☺
The thing is, if you let them win this year, you seal the fate of that birdhouse for years on end. I will just stop the hole in the box up, and let the season pass, if I have to. Generally just doing this for a few days has gotten rid of the sparrows, but this year I have had to stop it up the whole season. The tree swallows did manage to lay claim to my other box, so far so good. I am not done with the fight! lol. Thats pretty much why I am here,
The feeder you showed near the end which is a double suet feeder is one I have but dont use anymore. The reason being eventually the house sparrows flocked and raided it and starling can reach in and reach the suet. which aggravated me to know end. That feeder to keep starling out would need more space between the outer caging and the suet. I originally started using it for downy woodpecker which did use , but it was the previous factors why I dont use it anymore.
Yep, 100% agree…. We threw ours away.
@@johnross6314 Didnt trash mine and have found a way to deter house sparrows and starlings. I now put a plastic casing the same casing that a lot of suet seed comes and put some hardware cloth on the face of the casing 1/4" and now House Sparrows no longer use it and it also makes it more difficult for starlings although they can still reach in to get some of the suet. Another thing I did was go to the upside down finch feeder as last season the house finches had taken over the sock feeders and upright type finch feeders. Now the goldfinches eat in peace , I actually now have 2 upside feeders and may get a third one as so many goldfinches now use this feeder.
I get so many sparrows it's like a horror movie. They look like a hoard of mice. They give me the creeps. I'm not far from Rochester in Scranton. I have to stop feeding birds. It's just no worth it. I can't afford all the feed they eat.
Great presentation! Where can I get the info on the size of holes for bird houses that will keep the birds like wrens and bluebirds safe and discourage the sparrows?
Also do gold finches use bird houses?
What time of year do I need to hang new wren bird houses and cleans out the old ones?
In the pacific north west we get Violet Green swallows, Violet green swallows will fit into a 7/8 oval . The 7/8 oval keeps house sparrows out. Another hole size i use is the 1 and 1/8 round hole , the 1 and 1/8 round hole for sure keeps house sparrows out . On Vancouver island Red breasted nut hatches fit into the 1 and 1/8 round hole . Any hole size larger than the 7/8 oval or the 1 and 1/8 round hole needs to come with a warning as it will not keep house sparrows out .
This is a great video
Your graphic on hole size is very educational, where can I get a PDF of it?
thks for an informative presentation.....SSWilliams
Thank you great video question when does the grackles come how long do they stay right now it’s March by my house and I have a ton of grackles and starlings
Great video. I have a problem with doves. I wonder is the safflower seeds will back them off
You are so interesting 👍
the Common Grackle is considered an agricultural pest species in North America, since huge wintering flocks can cause millions of dollars in damage to corn, rice, sunflower, and other crops. Lethal control measures are often used to stop the damage and may be contributing to Common Grackle declines.
Very good info. But where to buy the caged feeders? Have not found them here in Missouri.
We do what we have to do to get the bird we want and try to deter others we dont want. I use safflower seed in a tray feeder and went to upside down goldfinch feeders which has stopped the house finches from taking over the sock feeders which I no longer use now.
Fishing line did nothing for my feeders.
I'm in SW Florida so a lot of the birds you mention aren't around here. I would like to keep the grackles away but not the bluejays, any suggestions
Excellent advice I have a huge sparrow flock but I also have a nice number of Cardinals that come to feeder. I will use the safflower seeds exclusively but what bout black oiled sunflower seeds that I know the Cardinals like. Is there a way to give the more desired birds variety without the sparrows taking over everything??
I live in town and have few problems with black birds thank heavens. But have tons of sparrows. They are a pain. They eat peanuts which are not for them and my suet. I do put cheap seed on the ground for them, which many do eat. But still have enough eating the peanuts and suet. The best way to keep them away is safflower. They do not like, neither do squirrels.
My birdboxes have 1 1/8" holes and are all full of house sparrows.
Please start with month and your location, so we can compare our date & location. Going to try these ideas.
Try reading the description for once ass hat. March 17th of 2020, lazy B!
Are there any affordable starling traps I could buy online?
I've heard that fishing line is inappropriate to use with bird feeders because birds can get tangled in it. Lighter weight metal wires that hang down should be a safer option.
I use craft wire with a weight on the end for my halos. Works like a charm! No HOSP bothered my feeders at all this past winter!
Ive had quite a bit of luck eliminating house sparrows from my yard. I have three feeders, one with nyger, one with sunflower, and one with just peanuts. I also have a suet feeder. The sparrows and starlings are rarely if ever on these feeders but the starlings like the suet which is anoying. Stay away from millet and cracked corn. Sparrows love that stuff.
I live in MA and switched from black sunflower seed to safflower seed and the sparrows come in bunches all day long and empty large hanging seeder in two days. That's not to say I Cardinals, woodpeckers, goldfinch, purple martin, chickadees, tufted titmouse & many other birds feed at my feeders, but it's always a battle for other birds to force the sparrows out of the feeder. The only thing that they won't eat is suet.
Richard Carlton Hi there, glad you don’t have sparrows eating your suet, they eat mine. Total pests
I just ordered one of these as recommended by another commenter:
www.sparrowtraps.net/
We had house sparrows show up on our property for the first time this year and I'm planning on taking them out before they get any worse! They harassed our nesting bluebirds relentlessly until we put up a homemade sparrow spooker. The biggest way to help our native songbirds is to permanently get rid of these a-holes!
Hi like your site these starlings teralize my other birds.
i love all birdies
🤦🏻🤦🏻🤪🤦🏻🤪🤦🏻
Even invasive species that kill native birds? House sparrows build nests on top of bluebird nests & kill baby bluebirds.
So do I but starlings belong in Europe. I have a few dozen buried in my garden
@@danbev8542 I COULDN'T KILL ANY LIVE ANIMALS
@@Karreenna if we don't get rid of the invasive species, we won't have our beautiful birds here anymore. They kill and eat other birds, their eggs, as well as trick other birds into raising their young (if they don't, sometimes they'll destroy their whole nest). Killing stinks, but losing our native species to gangs of birds that don't belong here is way worse.
We have a real problem with returning House Wrens destroying the eggs of Bluebirds and Chickadees. The Bluebirds & Chickadees have a headstart on choosing nesting boxes. A real heartbreaker. Because House Wrens are native, we can only try to keep an eye on the Bluebird houses (that are occupied by Bluebirds or Chickadees) and shoo the House Wrens away from boxes already occupied.
Any suggestions?
We have a terrible time with Grackles and Starlings during the spring time right up until toward the end of June. After farmers plant their fields most of them go bother them for a while.
Safflower seeds are not touched by birds here. We have bought various bird seed mixes that have Safflower seeds in them but the birds do not touch the Safflower. It always sat in the feeder untouched. We now buy a mix that has chopped nuts of various types and sunflower seeds. It is popular with everyone. We have a caged cylinder feeder that we put strictly sunflower hearts in and the finches, Titmice, Chickadees go for that. Sadly the Grosbeaks can’t fit in there. I see them trying but they are just too chubby.
Thankfully we don’t have many sparrows. One summer we had terrible problems with sparrows that would fly at the other birds with their claws. The Sparrows were nasty birds. They made a terrible mess out there besides the fighting. It may be that their regular food source was not available that year because we have not had them since then.
The Grackles and Starlings are bad enough.
I would love to know if there is a way to feed red-winged blackbirds while denying starlings food. Any suggestions?
There really isn't, the red-winged blackbirds will eat mealworms and black oil sunflower seed and so will the grackles.
Sparrows and finches seem to come in groups of three to my feeder and are quite aggressive to all the other birds. It looked like one of them injured a nuthatch too. I hope I can discourage them from dominating my feeder. All the other birds come solo, but the sparrows and finches are always with two other birds.
Do Goldfinch’s like safflower seeds?
I have experienced red wing tip black birds that absolutely gobble up all my seeds and they are bullies. I still love them but what can I do?
Starlings CAN eat the upside down feeder. Also, birds are lighter and less colorful are not "drab", but exactly how they are meant to be.
Just started watching hopefully something I can learn to keep starlings away they make nests in tractors whichs start fires
Sparrows eat EVERYTHING, I had them wiping out the grape jelly in my Oriole feeder, NOTHING stops a sparrow.
My upside down dirt feeder is not starling proof. They fly up and sometimes they can latch on to the cage. It’s so frustrating.
I can't get rid of the house finches at my feeder. They are like a huge mob
My birds won't eat safflower and the grackles love it
I’ve just started feeding about 3 months ago, I love seeing the sparrows and starlings?? Is there something I’m missing here?
Yes, the actually murder the American bird species. Sparrows will attack and murder bluebirds as example. Starlings will attack the nests of many native birds. These are beasts with no natural predator. Do not feed these creatures. Plus they decimate farmers fields of all kinds of grains. Raising the prices for what you put in the table to eat.
I tried safflower seeds and the house sparrows emptied the feeder onto the ground, i never saw any other birds at that feeder
I bought the round cage with the suet feeder in the middle and the Starlings reach right in and grab the suet through the 1.5" openings. I tried cutting the suet cakes in half and centering them in the suet cages bc the outside edges are closer to the outside of the cage but they just try harder and stick their necks in further. I dont know why the company didnt make the outside cage larger. Its infuriating when you spend money on something and a simple size adjustment would've made the product work but to save a buck they "cheeped" out and now it doesn't work at all. Back to the drawing board. Now I am think of trying to find a bigger cage and putting the cage inside of a cage. But I can't even find a larger cage. Half the day spent looking. I see videos of people unpacking a cage that looks bigger for the dinner bell feeder but I can't find that cage anywhere. If anyone knows of a cage with 1.5" openings and is about 15" across and 10 or so inches deep, please let me know. Right now it's Starlings: 3, Me: zero.
We live in very small town in the middle of the USA. In a neighborhood with lots of trees and mowed yards. Is it possible to attract blue birds? If so when should we put up houses? How high? It is April 1,2022 today.
Yes, providing to do not have sparrows already. All the pest birds tend to follow the. Lie birds around the neighborhood to let the Blue birds find the people provided food. Then the pest birds will pounce and take over the feeders that are specific to the Blue birds. Because they are about the same size and will get through the cage/holes that protect the food for the blue birds.
If you want to try, buy bird feeder that is specific to only blue birds. There are several on Amazon, and your local bird store. Make sure that woodpeckers, starlings and others cannot stretch their neck or tongue in far enough on a “blue bird” feeder to steal the food. Blue birds like the pepper infused small suet balls, and couple of the dried small worms.
Blue birds are not afraid of the shiny streamers like the sparrows are. This can help prevent sparrows from invading in the first place once they see the blu birds come to feed.
Hope this helps.
Do the native sparrow have the same aggression tendencies against other native cavity nesting birds as house sparrows?
They usually do not, for the most part the native sparrows are not cavity nesters and do not compete for nesting sites.
I have all these species in my yard and the only ones that have ever harassed my nesting bluebirds are the HOUSE sparrows... which unfortunately showed up in our yard for the first time this past summer. I even witnessed a female house sparrow having a stare-down with a female bluebird on a branch, about 2 ft apart. The bluebird had a bug in her mouth and just wanted to go feed her babies. They sat there a long time, and finally the bluebird couldn't wait any longer and flew to her house, with the house sparrow right on her tail. That's the day I put up a homemade sparrow spooker and thankfully, it worked! Our bluebirds raised 5 babies, without harassment.
In the UK Sparrows are a good bird to see but I guess in America its different. BTW Sparrows are peaceful in the UK to.