Are certain birds "pests"? (1 Viewer)

It's difficult to define the word pest in relation to wildlife visiting bird tables or feeders, especially as [we] humans encourage it in the first place. I don't consider any bird a pest. Yes, some are more domineering and aggressive than others, but should that count as being a pest? Many birds like some mammals adopt a feeding heirarchy among themselves so the stronger and fitter get all the best bits. We simply cannot allow human ethics and values to dictate how birds behave and what birds visit our feeders. Unlike some mammals, birds are generally not destructive at feeding stations although some crows and woodpeckers can dismantle nutfeeders. Mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice and foxes can cause considerable damage to feeding areas and equipment, thus causing cost and irritation to us. This is perhaps when I would use the term pest although it's still a rather loose and old fashioned definition of the word. No, I would rather use the word pest in relation to nuisance humans and the various irritations we create for ourselves rather than thrust the term on wild birds.

Si.

The limping Pigeon was back again today, along with a dozen or more of his fitter fellows.
After watching him struggle to compete for food with others quicker than he, I bided my time until a noise sent the crowd fluttering for refuge, leaving Limper scavenging alone in the border. I carefully threw him some bread, which went down a treat, then a few small brazil nuts which were swallowed whole. Earlier I'd put out peanuts in their shells for the Squirrels, which Limper now proceeded to ug-ug-ug into his crop, with much satisfaction.
If it's a human trait to help 'lame Ducks', then I suppose it's reasonable to extend this to lame Pigeons, even if at times they can be a flamin' nuisance...?

Limper was back again today along with a throng of his unkind kind (every bird for itself) and I think I've worked out his survival routine. Not as fast as nimble, normal Pigeons, he has a trick up his sleeve (or rather down his gullet) in that he's able to swallow quite big things which stick in the craw (literally) of the less well-endowed crowd. I had put out a number of large brazil nuts for the Squirrels, and some marauding Pigeons had attempted an interdictory raid, but no amount of frantic pecking rendered the big nuts small enough to be swallowed. Limper watched from his wall-top perch, then fluttered down calmly to devour all the nuts, taking them into his crop with ease; just one gulp and each nut was gone. He may be hampered by a limp, but in one respect he's "the cream of the crop"!

Limper is still soldiering on, despite the bitterly cold weather and light snow in Chester. We were away in Tunbridge Wells over the weekend (4 hour traffic jam on M40 no joke going down, and puncture on way back at Stafford didn't add to the fun) so I was a bit worried we might not see Limper again, but he was there this morning, on his own in the back garden, hopping hopefully for sustenance, which I was relieved to provide. He had the last of my brazil nuts to himself, and even a morsel of chocolate biscuit. His right leg is no better, but he's a game bird (in the plucky sense) and has so far survived despite the odds being stacked against him. It is my avowed intent that he be sustained "in the bleak midwinter": I worry daily, until I've seen him provided for, hoping it will enable him to last yet another day...

I like most birds visiting my feeders. The only ones I do try to get rid of are the:
-Collared Doves
-Woodpigeons
-Magpies
If I don't avoid these birds, they eat all the food for the smaller birds, and don't let the smaller birds have any of the food, by scaring them away.

I think we should appreciate all the birds we have in our gardens whatever they are it's typical of humans to compartmentalize like this and say well " I don't want those types of birds" You have to understand nature, it's tough out there and if you don't eat you die! I have a small garden with a number of feeding stations to cater for all types of birds no problems. We should appreciate all of our birds because one day there may not be any Starlings or Jackdaws to appreciate.

'Limper' (the limping Pigeon) came again today, just as I was beginning to fear he may not have survived the very low temperatures this last week, well below zero each night. He's still hanging on so tenaciously, I'm inclined to rename him 'Limpet'. As usual, he was apart from the main Pigeon flock of about 15 birds who come regularly; he just sat on the back garden wall while 'the madding crowd' rushed round the lawn, head-noddingly hoovering up all the peanuts within seconds. But my cunning plan worked rather well: a handful of small nuts was thrown into the border as a diversionary tactic and, while the mass of birds was thus distracted, several larger nuts were aimed individually at Limper, who gulped them down as fast as he could, hopping awkwardly from one to the others. Now that a thaw has since removed the snow, I'm confident Limper is through the worst weather (for now) and I'd like to think he can make it to Christmas and, hopefully, 2011.

All birds are welcome on my feeders. I didn't used to like the collar doves coming half a dozen at a time, untill I realised they go around under the feeders cleaning up dropped food thus keeping those little four legged things away.

I also know someone that bangs on his windows to scare the starlings off his feeders, and then complains that he hasn't got any small birds feeding ( he obviously doesn't think the smaller birds can hear the banging as well )..

Any bird that feeds on mine i love!

The only visitors I have a problem with are Starlings (non-natives and absolute gluttons that throw all my sunflower on the ground) and squirrels (for obvious reasons).

I was going to ask the same question...what to do about the Cowbirds that dominate my feeder put up for the Cardinals and Bluejays? I know the Cowbirds have got to make a living too, but holy cow, they run off the Cardinals in particular.

Oh well...:'D

I didn't think cowbirds liked sunflower seed. They tend to go for mixed seed with millet and cracked corn. Eliminate that and they disappear.

Hi Joe,

I'm using Purina Premium Picnic which has these ingredients: Black Oil Sunflower, White Millet, Safflower, Sunflower Kernel/Chips, Peanut Pieces, Raisins, Cherries.

I've got one of those standard looking pagoda style feeders on a pole on the other side of the yard from my niger feeders. I get Cardinals, Bluejays, and Tufted Tits with this mix (plus 20 million Cowbirds). The Chickadees bounce back and forth between the niger and this mix.

Are the Cowbirds just after the white millet in the above mix. I see the Bluejays and Tits leaving with the peanuts and safflower in their beaks, but can't tell what the Cardinals are eating for sure. Are the Cardinals after the sunflower? Who's eating the raisins and cherries?

Any help with who's eating what in the ingredient list above would be appreciated and I'll try to find a different mix. The Cowbird situation is getting ridiculous, but I don't want to lose my other visitors!

Thanks |:d|

Cardinals love black oil sunflower, especially kernals, and some will also eat safflower, although not as much as some think they do. They MIGHT dabble at the nuts and fruit, but I doubt it. In my experience, sunflower is their food of choice.

Chickadees are most likely going for the sunflower seeds, both in and out of the shell, and the peanuts. They may also dabble at the fruit, but I'd bet not.

Tufted titmice, from what I read (I don't get them here), are about the same as chickadees in diet, mostly going for sunflower and nuts. They also may eat the fruit.

Bluejays will eat just about anything they see, but in my experience go for any kind of peanuts first. They also gobble up corn, and seem to resort to eating the seeds after the nuts are gone, and prefer the larger seeds, like sunflower. I would suspect they might be eating the fruit as well.

On to the cowbirds. They are there for the millet, and probably the sunflower kernals. Cowbirds don't prefer to crack larger shells like sunflower, but will definately eat the kernals, and love millet and cracked corn. Should there be no other food source, they will resort to the sunflower in the shell, but not usually.

So, on to the big picture. As for the bird seed you're feeding, my guess is you are paying a pretty penny for it. Personally, I don't waste my money on "special" seed mixes. Most of them claim to attract more birds, but in most cases, those birds are actually eating the common ingredients, and not the fruits and stuff. The nuts are popular, but when fed freely like that, they just get stolen by the bluejays, who just go and stash them for later, so you get no pleasure from watching them actually eat. There are 3 things you can feed that will bring in 99% of feeder birds; black oil sunflower, white proso millet, and cracked corn. Most all birds will eat one or more of those, and obviously the useful bonus foods are niger seed, suet, and nuts.

So, personally, I buy the 3 main staples in bulk seperately, and mix my own seed. I also buy bulk out of shell peanuts, and feed them in a peanut feeder. I also feed suet and niger. I have various feeders of different types, and feed different seeds or mixes in each, depending what birds prefer to eat in that feeder. I actually attract more birds this way then when I used to buy the special mixes, not to mention I have no food being picked through or wasted.

Joe

Thanks for all this good information, Joe |:d|

I'm going to start thinking about mixing my own blend or start feeding individual seeds at individual feeders like you mention. In fact I like that idea a lot so I can better see who's eating what!

I try to run an egalitarian garden for the most part and I love to watch whatever comes to visit. I must admit that I do still occasionally get slightly annoyed when lots of woodpigeons descend on the place and scare away everything else but usually I do like to see them... plus it's a good opportunity to look at them really close up, something not usually that easy to do out in the countryside. Had half a dozen in the garden yesterday, an immature-looking bird amongst them was getting a hard time from one of the others, poor little guy.

I think it's very easy to get into a frame of mind where some birds become a 'pest' species, the big or brash birds that scare off the little ones or appear to take all the food. In specific circumstances it might be justified, perhaps if you were putting out food specifically to attract a rarity that is suffering a decline in your local area and a common or introduced bird was snaffling everything and chasing the rare bird away I could understand it would be a concern, but in general I think that if you provide a variety of feeders and foods the birds will sort it out amongst themselves.

The Sparrows, Starlings, doves and pigeons in my garden tend to scare away my resident Robin that has a damaged foot, he's a very timid chap and easily forced away from the food just by the presence of others. I don't get annoyed at the other birds though, I usually tell him to grow a backbone and get in there.

I get slightly irritated when a large number of wood pigeons, rooks and jackdaws descend and hoover up all the food, as it means the little birds don't get a look in. However, I simply replenish the stocks. I wouldn't think of frightening them away.

For the little birds you could always do the cage thing that keeps big birds out. I personally have so many feeders in a variety of locations, so basically everyone gets their fair share in my yard. Remember that though, some birds like to hang and eat, like chickadees, finches, and nuthatches, while birds like cardinals, blue jays, and red-bellied woodpeckers like to eat from a tray. Others, such as juncos, sparrows, and doves, prefer to pick at the seeds that fall on the ground. Some are so picky, like the juncos, that I have yet to ever see one eat anywhere BUT the ground. So, with that said, feeding individual seed types works well, but you must remember to feed it in the target feeding zones for your birds.

Oh, and a word of warning, if you opt to feed white millet, only put it into a tray feeder. For one, the birds that like it prefer tray feeders, and two, the seed is small, round, and slippery, so the slightest movement makes it spill out from anything other then tray feeders.

It's 11 days since I last reported on Limper's progress. I've seen him 5 or 6 times during that period, briefly, but today he was obviously keen to renew our acquaintance, if only out of cupboard love. His limp was more pronounced ("L-I-M-P") so his movements were more cumbersome than heretofore, but he's still out there, alive and kicking, just about. The usual diversion (a handful of peanuts) distracted the hoovering-host long enough to allow Limper to gulp down five brazil nuts, plus twice as many peanuts, deftly thrown to land within his defensible space, thereby hopefully sustaining him for another cold day, and even colder night. Where do birds go to keep 'warm' this bitter weather? Even when they find a sheltered roost, the temperature can still be below freezing. It's a miracle they survive at all. We wouldn't last one night. This time next week it'll be coming up to Christmas Eve, so I'm doing my damnedest to help Limper reach that target, and beyond.

'Pests' are like 'Weeds'.

Weeds of course being flowers 'in the wrong place'. Some human decides it's in the wrong place ...duh!

It's people who are the real pests


(eg introducing birds to the wrong countries, breeding everywhere, chopping all the trees down, growing crops with pesticides all over the place etc etc ...)