FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Re: Bluebird Feeder/Nesting Boxes

["Bob & Pam Tallman" <pamtallman1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Joyce and Ann and other bluebird lovers,
I know exactly what you mean about waving your arms or clapping your hands
to scare off the starlings or grackles, but I can't always be around to do
that and my husband said the neighbors will think I've gone crazy! (Our lot
is only 1 1/2 acre)  The lone mockingbird is the most aggressive one as he
is not affraid of me, waving arms, or clapping.  It has only been in the
last couple of weeks (he has been nexting in the bushes in the front yard
all winter) he decided he owns the mealworm feeder and area surrounding it
in the back yard.  He/she lies in wait for me to call the bluebirds and is
always right there to run them off.  Let me know if you hear of
anything-------I can't feed all the birds in my backyard world as the
mealworms or bluebird banqet as they are expensive!  If you know anyone
having a sparrow problem w/their bluebird houses, I have a great pvc house(2
for $20.00) that you pair w/wooded house that sparrows prefer(w/reducer
plate on front to prevent bluebird from entering as there is a spring trap
on inside of entry hole).  The sparrows kept killing the adult and young
last year so I did some research and came up with the pvc boxes.
Thank you for the response,
Pam Tallman
Crestwood, KY
pamtallman1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: joyce porter <joycelporter@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 7:24 AM
Subject: [birdky] Re: Bluebird Feeder


>
> Thanks, Ann,
>
> It's interesting how other people deal with this problem.
> I usually bang on the kitchen window,15 to 20 feet back from the
> feeders. But until I get the cardinals, gold finches,titmouse, chickadees,
> etc,  trained to recognize that the
> banging on the window is not meant for them , guess I'll have to
> settle for scaring them all away. The Grackles however are not nearly  so
> persistent as the regulars.
> Sure will be glad to see a  spring warbler! Joyce Porter
>
>
>
>
> >From: "Ann Morgan" <aandm@xxxxxxxx>
> >Reply-To: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >To: <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Subject: [birdky] Re: Bluebird Feeder
> >Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 21:36:25 -0600
> >
> >
> >
> >  Judy,  I don't know if this would work with bluebirds as we have never
> >tried to provide special food for them , but I have had some success with
> >"training" my feeder birds.  We have hordes of grackles  and sometimes
> >starlings who descend often on our large sunflower feeder. We have our
> >feeder out about 15 feet from a picture window at the back of our house.
I
> >wave my hands and the grackles fly away and give my "regulars "a chance
at
> >the feeder.    If it is a particularly large or
> >persistant  flock, I open the window and clap my hands several times as
> >sharply as I can. As they fly away, the regulars
> >(cardinals,wbnuthatches,chickadees, titmice,downy and rb
> >woodpeckers,dove,juncos,  wtsparrows, goldfinches and house finches)
> >immediately fly in .They just seem to know that I don't mean them.  As
long
> >as I stand near the window where they can see me, and I wave my hands
even
> >when just one comes back, the grackles don't return and it does not
disturb
> >the regulars. Of course, I usually have other things to do and can't
stand
> >there long but I wave them off every time I pass though the room and it
> >gives my regular birds a chance at the feeder. Sometimes the grackles get
> >tired enough of me that they give up and leave entirely. In case you are
> >wondering,  there is a field behind our house so no one has to witness my
> >performance except my long-suffering husband.
> >
> >If anyone ever figures out a really good solution to this problem, they
> >should win some sort of birder's Nobel prize. I know a number of people
who
> >have quit feeding the birds because of this problem. It was not that they
> >especially disliked grackles and starlings, but they just couldn't afford
> >to
> >feed hundreds of agressive birds who cleaned out their feeders in an hour
> >or
> >so.
> >
> >Ann Morgan aandm@xxxxxxxx
> >
> >Madisonville
> >
> >
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with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line.
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Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm
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BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY
E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx