FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Larger birds getting at small feeders

[FINCH64@xxxxxxx]

We have feral chickens and at least one of the hens has figured out that if 
she flies up and grabs onto the seed feeder she can spill some of the seeds 
onto the ground below and then feed on them there. In fact, in the past one of 
the chickens knocked the feeder down and cracked it. We had to put Scotch tape 
to keep it together.
I'm wondering if anyone has ever observed other larger birds spilling seeds 
from feeders in this manner - maybe Wild Turkeys or American Crows? They are 
the only larger birds that I can think of which might frequent yards and which 
might feed on bird seed. Maybe Northern Bobwhites as well?

I used to have a tube feeder when I lived in Greensboro, North Carolina some 
years ago and on one occasion I had not filled it in awhile and it was empty. 
Normally, Northern Cardinals would feed on the seeds that the smaller birds 
(primarily House Finches) dropped. I had just re-filled the feeder and there 
was 
a Northern Cardinal eating seeds that a House Finch was dropping. But 
apparently the House Finch wasn't 'working' hard enough and fast enough for the 
cardinal. The cardinal flew up to the feeder and chased the finch away and was 
clinging to the perch on the feeder as best he could and pulled seeds out one 
after the other and dropped them on the ground and then flew down to eat them.

Barry Jernigan
Murfreesboro, Rutherford Co, TN


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