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Sparrows taking over feeders... (1 Viewer)

O

OnTheVerge

Active member
Any suggestions on what to do? I don't mind feeding them and up until this fall, they've happily co-existed with the smaller birds (nuthatches, chickadees) and all got a fairly equal turn at the feeder.

But now, the sparrows have taken over. They've chased away the red-breasted nuthatches. I used to have 6 nuthatches eat from the feeders but hadn't seen them in months. Saw one trying to eat from one of the feeders two weeks ago and the sparrows chased him off. He hasn't been back.

And now they're doing the same thing to the chickadees. When I put my new feeder in (a tube feeder), the chickadees were all over it while the sparrows ignored it. Now, the sparrows hog that feeder and the BOSS feeder, leaving my little chickadees nowhere and nothing to eat. They're slowly but surely leaving my yard.

What can I do? Separate the feeders more? I thought sparrows were ground feeders, but they spend a ton of time at the feeders. They get along fine with the finches so I still have house and cassin's finches around, but I really want to keep the chickadees and nuthatches.
 
What sparrow, House, Song, or something else?

Assuming it's house sparrows, they are an invasive specie and not protected by any law, feel free to use extreme prejudice (which is pretty much the only thing that works).
 
Agree with jzmtl, House Sparrows are not into sharing.
They cannot cling very well however, so that allows for countermeasures.
Suet feeders covered by a plastic bell so only the underside is open is fine for Chickadees and Nuthatches, not so much for HS.
Similarly, removing the perches if possible from your feeders helps some. Finches will do well with a sock feeder, which HS seems to avoid.
If all else fails, extreme prejudice is an option, but frankly, winter in Calgary will thin the flock more than you can.
 
Yes, it's mostly house sparrows. There are a few others (tree, the occasional chipping) but they are few and far between.

I'll look into some house sparrow-proof feeders this weekend and hopefully get the chickadees and nuthatches back. There are feeders in the other neighbours' yards but the sparrows apparently prefer the food here. Maybe if I make it more difficult, they'll go eat at the neighbours!
 
As far as Safflower seeds go, the Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmouse and Carolina Wrens all eat from that feeder in my yard.
 
jzmtl said:
What sparrow, House, Song, or something else?

Assuming it's house sparrows, they are an invasive specie and not protected by any law, feel free to use extreme prejudice (which is pretty much the only thing that works).
Click to expand...


Yeah, definitely something we don't like to read on BF.
 
OnTheVerge said:
[...]
What can I do? Separate the feeders more? [...]They get along fine with the finches so I still have house and cassin's finches around, but I really want to keep the chickadees and nuthatches.
Click to expand...
Sure a separation would be a good thing to do and help.
Another possibility is to feed more specialised food for the nuthatches and chickadees like fatballs. House Sparrow´s can ot use them because they aren´t able to sit there or to cramp a th the ball /ring freely suspended.
 
stonechat1 said:
WRONG! :C
Click to expand...

Don't you have a genocide to plan?

To others who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the guy who suggested all French should be wiped off face of earth the last time I said to remove a house sparrow from a birdhouse (because of my location of Montreal)

stonechat1 said:
Sure a separation would be a good thing to do and help.
Another possibility is to feed more specialised food for the nuthatches and chickadees like fatballs. House Sparrow´s can ot use them because they aren´t able to sit there or to cramp a th the ball /ring freely suspended.
Click to expand...

Have you actually tried any? No you haven't, because if you had, you would know house sparrows would overwhelm any more feeders you supply, and they can easily cling onto any free hung perchless suet log, basket, or whatever

KCFoggin said:
Yeah, definitely something we don't like to read on BF.
Click to expand...

I don't like to deal with it and would be gladly not to if I could, but the reality for some of us is that if we don't at least attempt to keep them away, this is what we end up getting.

dsc01737a.jpg
 
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grobble said:
I'll just nip out and inform the House Sparrows currently hanging on the fatballs and peanut feeder of that fact.
Click to expand...

Interesting input. I've not had sparrows willing/able to cling upside down from the bottom of suet feeders with inaccessible top and sides.

If yours are that capable, it may help to dangle some strings from the corners of the feeders.
Allegedly Sparrows are not as comfortable navigating in the presence of such perceived obstacles. The technique is used by some to deter HS takeover of Bluebird nest boxes.

Safflower seed is definitely a winner though, it was well accepted by Cardinals, Nuthatches and Chickadees, but did not appeal to HS or European Starlings. Mourning Doves are also very fond of it, so if you provide a seed tray to reduce spillage, expect the Doves to establish a long term lease on it.
 
jzmtl said:
I don't like to deal with it and would be gladly not to if I could, but the reality for some of us is that if we don't at least attempt to keep them away, this is what we end up getting.
Click to expand...

You end up with a bunch of birds sitting on a roof?! Heck, that's bad, isn't it?
 
Thanks for the responses, everyone.

I've tried putting out safflower seeds, but no birds touch it. It's been out for 2-3 weeks and the birds completely ignore it - all the birds.

What would be a chickadee/nuthatch feed? I bought a bag labeled that from the bird store but it was the sparrows' favourite. I don't think the chickadees/nuthatches got any after the first day :(

I really don't mind the sparrows and have no problem feeding them, but I was hoping not to do it at the expense of other birds. I'm thinking I might put in a shepherd's pole and hang an upside down suet feeder (though i've never seen the nuthatches or chickadees at the suet) and then a droll yankee big top feeder since it doesn't have perches. Would that work? I can keep it away from the tree that the sparrows like - they seem to like the cover more than the others - and if the sparrows can't get to the food on the pole, maybe they'll stay in the tree...

One more question: I read chickadees like shelled peanuts and that's what I give the jays (and magpies). I've had a little chickadee fly into the fly-through feeder but the peanuts seem to give him problems. Dropping them or not carrying them off. Should I break some of the peanuts into littler pieces? I didn't even think of them trying to get the peanuts; the peanuts seem way too big for such a little bird to eat!
 
OnTheVerge said:
Thanks for the responses, everyone.

I've tried putting out safflower seeds, but no birds touch it. It's been out for 2-3 weeks and the birds completely ignore it - all the birds.

What would be a chickadee/nuthatch feed? I bought a bag labeled that from the bird store but it was the sparrows' favourite. I don't think the chickadees/nuthatches got any after the first day :(

I really don't mind the sparrows and have no problem feeding them, but I was hoping not to do it at the expense of other birds. I'm thinking I might put in a shepherd's pole and hang an upside down suet feeder (though i've never seen the nuthatches or chickadees at the suet) and then a droll yankee big top feeder since it doesn't have perches. Would that work? I can keep it away from the tree that the sparrows like - they seem to like the cover more than the others - and if the sparrows can't get to the food on the pole, maybe they'll stay in the tree...

One more question: I read chickadees like shelled peanuts and that's what I give the jays (and magpies). I've had a little chickadee fly into the fly-through feeder but the peanuts seem to give him problems. Dropping them or not carrying them off. Should I break some of the peanuts into littler pieces? I didn't even think of them trying to get the peanuts; the peanuts seem way too big for such a little bird to eat!
Click to expand...

Safflower seed definitely is an acquired taste for most birds.
I primed the pump by mixing then initially with shelled sunflower seeds, that got the Cardinals etc started and then the sunflower gradually went away but the birds stayed.

The little Satellite feeders are pretty good for Chickadees, they are agile enough to land on them easily. They can handle shelled peanuts, but do better with shelled sunflower seeds. Shelled seeds are a lot less messy, just use a seed tray to keep down the waste from spillage.

Seed mixtures are generally substandard, they include lots of cheap small seeds such as millet which Sparrows love, but Nuthatches, Chickadees etc don't. They want fat rich oil seeds or suet to keep fueled in the cold winter.
Just don't buy them from a seed store unless you are confident that they have not been treated with pesticides or mercury fungicides, as seed often is.

The Big Top without perches is not going to be a magic bullet for your situation. Sparrows can and do cling to the feeding ports directly, they can manage without perches. However, a Shepherds Crook is a great mount for suet holders and Satellites, if you use a multiple arm model. Hopefully it will not need a baffle to deter thin or bushy tail squirrels and raccoons.

Water is a wonderful lure for birds, but is probably impractical for a Calgary deck. Still, even a pan with water kept from freezing by a heater coil will make yours the most popular deck in Calgary. ;)
 
grobble said:
I'll just nip out and inform the House Sparrows currently hanging on the fatballs and peanut feeder of that fact.
Click to expand...
We use fatballs for tits and woodpeckers, not a single sparrow has been observed in the more then 30 years we´re feeding birds who was able to feed on them. We do not put them in any basket, throw them on the ground or hang them on brenches that a sitting bird would reach them. They are all hanging on the tree like Christmas baubles on the christmas tree.
 
jzmtl said:
Don't you have a genocide to plan?
Click to expand...
No, AFAIK
jzmtl said:
To others who don't know what I'm talking about, this is the guy who suggested all French should be wiped off face of earth the last time I said to remove a house sparrow from a birdhouse (because of my location of Montreal)
Click to expand...
You should mention also that I said that the native Indians in Canada must consider french conquerors in their country as not native and erase them from their country. So like you do with House Sparrows which are hundreds of years in that country.
jzmtl said:
Have you actually tried any? No you haven't, because if you had, you would know house sparrows would overwhelm any more feeders you supply,[...]
Click to expand...
I suggested a separation of the feeders (erecting them on different spots). I never wrote to put more feeders up in the garden. It´s like guarding prisoners: ten prisoners on a spot and a single guard is an easier job then guarding the 10 prisoners scattered on a football field. Replace guard with House Sparrow, prisoners with feeders and the football field with the garden/back yard.
 
Iv'e had a around 50 house sparrows flocking to me feeders. To keep them off the feeders I hang wire or monofilament line weighted with a small sinker around the feeder.

Have been doing this for a number of years and it does keep the house sparrows off the feeders. Nuthatches, goldfinches, siskins and other birds ignore the wire.

The wires on the image are a little short and now lengthen them
 

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Thanks so much everyone! I have a new plan in place to help out the littler birds...and just time, as it's blizzarding outside!

I'm going to get a few of those satellite feeders - I've never seen them before, but think they'll be perfect. Already ordered 2 off of Amazon and I have shepherd's hook to hang them off. The squirrels have their own little platform feeder so they leave the bird feed alone (most of the time). I'm also going to try the filament on the tube feeder, since that has the most expensive seed in it - sunflower hearts. No surprise, that's the one the sparrows gorge at the most.

That'll still leave a BOSS feeder for the sparrows (I've stopped buying mixed seed), suet for anyone (sparrows love it but don't go through it too much), and nyger seed for the finches (which the sparrows also eat when they're desperately hungry). There's also water in a shallow pan with a heater.

Oops, and I just bought yet another feeder. In addition to the fly through feeder that fattens up the jays and magpies and the suet, that only gets eaten by magpies and the occasional chickadee, I'm adding one of those peanut-in-shell wire "wreaths".

Oh, and no worries about water availability. The birds' first source is a neighbour's leaky gutter but they found the bird bath over the summer and it doesn't freeze, plus the water pan in the front yard (which is new, so hasn't been discovered yet).

Thanks again - pretty excited about my new feeders and set up! I had chickadees scolding me this morning to put out seed and blue jays squawking at me in the back, telling me to put out some peanuts already! Poor guys, the snow and cold is making them pretty unhappy.
 
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