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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Are all sparrows of the devil? (1 Viewer)

House sparrow

Robin Edwards said:
The Human problem here is probably not reversable, exaserbated from a desire to own and collect non-native species with little desire for controls. I read somewhere that there are more Tigers kept as pets in the US than there are in their natural wild - is this true?
Click to expand...
Come and meet my friend samba a male siberian tiger he,s 3 years old he
Already reaches my shoulder he,s ever so friendly ask the post man haha
I bet some folks would own a siberian tiger given the chance and I,m not
Sure If any do own one would surprise me thou I can,t denie that, mans
Daft enough to try anything really at times.
 
KristieNat said:
I am recently having problems, however, with Grackles. There had been one or two visiting my feeder for a few weeks, but yesterday there was a whole flock. They seem to eat anything and will bully other birds off the feeder. One was even on my suet feeder which I hadn't seen before. Since they eat anything, I don't really have a method for keeping them away like I do with the Sparrows and Starlings. I feel like if they keep coming, my only option is to take my feeders down for a little, which I really don't want to do. I guess I could leave the tube feeders, though.
Click to expand...

Kristie, we have a lot of grackles here, too. Strip malls at night often look like a scene out of The Birds. The best way I've found to keep them off feeders is with a large cage. It needs to be large enough (with small enough openings) to keep the big-bodied grackles from reaching in to the feed. It seems a similar setup would work with suet.
 
Just been watching the feeders and discovered to my horror that, while hardly any birds seem to have bred here this year, the House Sparrows are double brooded!

Wonder at what stage I can describe them as a plague?
 
wrambler said:
Kristie, we have a lot of grackles here, too. Strip malls at night often look like a scene out of The Birds. The best way I've found to keep them off feeders is with a large cage. It needs to be large enough (with small enough openings) to keep the big-bodied grackles from reaching in to the feed. It seems a similar setup would work with suet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice - I'll have to try that. The only thing I'm afraid of is deterring other larger birds, mostly the Blue Jays, which are favorites of mine. Although, I have seen a few try to cling to my peanut feeder, so hopefully they will keep coming for that, even though it's more difficult for them. Also, I feel like the spilled seed will just keep attracting the Grackles anyway. I'm hoping that they're just passing through. I've only seen one or two all summer, but just recently it's a whole flock. I remember seeing them last year in large flocks around here at the end of August. I really hope they're not here to stay! :(

It's funny because a few weeks ago I was having issues with House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Starlings eating up all the food, but now I would gladly take all of them combined over the Grackles.
 
bird feeders

KristieNat said:
Thanks for the advice - I'll have to try that. The only thing I'm afraid of is deterring other larger birds, mostly the Blue Jays, which are favorites of mine. Although, I have seen a few try to cling to my peanut feeder, so hopefully they will keep coming for that, even though it's more difficult for them. Also, I feel like the spilled seed will just keep attracting the Grackles anyway. I'm hoping that they're just passing through. I've only seen one or two all summer, but just recently it's a whole flock. I remember seeing them last year in large flocks around here at the end of August. I really hope they're not here to stay! :(

It's funny because a few weeks ago I was having issues with House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Starlings eating up all the food, but now I would gladly take all of them combined over the Grackles.
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Hi kristie funnily Enough
It was only last week that I saw a similar post on here relateing to a ladie
In the uk who had a similar problem with jackdaws and crows raiding the
Feeders in her garden her husband sorted the problem out I can give you
The post details here there is one photo thumbnail of the Item her husband
Made to sort the Issue out If your Interested The post Is by mamabear 24
Problems with jackdaws/crows raiding feeders which was posted on wednesday august 6th 2014, Its a nicely made structure he made hope
It might be of some help to you in giveing you some Ideas

Coal tit.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Coal Tit. I think I remember that post. Fortunately, I did something similar yesterday, and took some old fencing wire and made a cage-type thing around the feeder that the Grackles like to get to. It took about 15 minutes and looks pretty sloppy, but I figured I'd see if it worked first. Well, I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I saw the Grackles try to get in through the wire but weren't able to fit. They just gave up and ate off the ground. The best thing is that the Cardinals and Blue Jays (as well as the smaller ones, of course) can still fit inside. I did see a Red-bellied Woodpecker try to get to the food but wasn't able to, but that's the only drawback so far. Hopefully this works but I'm still skeptical, just because the Grackles are so persistent. Crossing my fingers.
 
snowyowl said:
I share your feelings about Gray Squirrels. We don't have them here and if I saw one I would do everything in my power to trap or shoot it. The Red Squirrel is our native squirrel and we would like to keep it that way.
The Gray Squirrel is a creature that belongs in the eastern/southern USA with a toe hold in southern Ontario and Quebec. Unfortunately they have expanded their range to further north and east in Canada displacing the Reds in the process.
Click to expand...
For clarification, it's different Red Squirrels involved - Sciurus vulgaris in Europe (inc. Britain), Tamiasciurus hudsonicus in Canada :t:

Invading Gray/Grey is Sciurus carolinensis in both cases.
 
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