Expert: Roger Lederer - 2/4/2009

Question
Roger, thanks for being available and sharing your
expertise. I live on the N. Florida Gulf coast and enjoy
feeding Finches and songbirds. We have tried the thistle
feeder - it was rejected by all. The tubular feeder with
the slits for thistle was also rejected. Our success has
been with tubular feeders with round feeding ports. The
problem is a flock bird (Cowbirds, I think)that overwinters
here and swarms in beautiful coordinated swarms numbering
hundreds of birds. One sex in the flock is is a homgenous
gray-brown, lighter on the chest and about the size of a
cardinal; the other is solid black and slightly larger.
They have a short, pointed beaks. Anyway, they chase away
the Finches and eat all the food. They are aggressive with
each other as well as any other bird attempting to feed.
The Finches, Chickadee, Cardinal and Dove have no chance.
These birds arrive and depart in unison with a noise that
is startling. How do I feed my favorite birds without
feeding these aggressive flock birds? They feed constantly!
I've tried modifying the feeding port to a smaller aperture
and putting a dowel above the aperture perch so the taller
"cowbird" would have insufficient head clearance, all to no
avail. That bird is an acrobat, it can hang upside down and
feed! Please tell me how to get them off the guest list.
Thanks!!

Answer
A few common sense tactics will keep entire varieties of birds away from your feeder. Use small, hanging feeders with tiny perches, suitable for finches, sparrows, and wrens. Screens with spaces too small for a large bird’s head will keep out the enterprising few who try anyway.

Take away their favorite food, cracked corn, and avoid using ground feeders or food on the ground until they give up and go away. If you feed your birds suet, try a bottom-feed feeder -- birds must hand upside down to get the food, and blackbirds hate that.

Blackbird is often used as a generic term for any bird that is dark in color (i.e., everything from grackles to starlings to cowbirds).  In some cases, particularly while migrating, they congregate in large flocks. Sounds like you might have two species of blackbirds, not just cowbirds.

But you won't be able to feed doves as they are as large as blackbirds. You simply cannot sort out all the species you want and avoid others. Take heart, though, as when spring arrives the blackbirds will be gone.