Can anyone help with getting rid of house sparrow at my feeders. (1 Viewer)

[Redhummer]

Hello everyone,

I’ve started feeding woodpeckers recently and now all my feeders are cover with house sparrows. I’ve tried the halo idea on the feeders which semi works and I’ve now taken my seed tray feeders in. But they are still around. Doesn’t anyone have any ideas how to get rid of them or to keep them of the feeders. Would much appreciate it.

Many thanks!

 

[Helsinki Birder]

Hello everyone,

I’ve started feeding woodpeckers recently and now all my feeders are cover with house sparrows. I’ve tried the halo idea on the feeders which semi works and I’ve now taken my seed tray feeders in. But they are still around. Doesn’t anyone have any ideas how to get rid of them or to keep them of the feeders. Would much appreciate it.

Many thanks!

Sparrows are primarily ground feeders. If you scatter enough oats around, away from your suet feeders, they will concentrate there (though they will come for fat periodically).

I would also put up some fatball feeders away from your woodpecker suet feeders, as in my experience sparrows prefer these.


This is working for me quite well. Suet log for the woodpeckers, fatballs elsewhere and oats for the sparrows (50+ Tree Sparrow and 2 House Sparrow). My suet feeder this morning below.


Don't use trays or anything else of that sort for your oats/seed. This concentrates the food in a small area, therefore limiting the number of birds which can feed at the same time. Hence, some will go to your suet. Just scatter the grain over a wide area on the ground. Give birds room to spread out, forage and feed.

You should embrace them. Sparrows are noisy by nature. They will attract other species to investigate.

Owen

 

[Montereyman]

I use shelled peanuts and sunflower seeds for my feeders and the sparrow and finchs will not touch these seeds.

 

[Helsinki Birder]

Hello everyone,

I’ve started feeding woodpeckers recently and now all my feeders are cover with house sparrows. I’ve tried the halo idea on the feeders which semi works and I’ve now taken my seed tray feeders in. But they are still around. Doesn’t anyone have any ideas how to get rid of them or to keep them of the feeders. Would much appreciate it.

Many thanks!

Out if curiosity, what kind of habitat are you based in? Urban, suburban, countryside? Farmland or woodland or coastal/shoreline?

What species of Woodpecker would you expect in your area?

Owen

 

[FrankMiami]

I got a wire coat hanger, bent it into a paddle shape, and attached it just above the feeder. Cur about 10 strands of semi- thick twisty silver wire, about 12 inches long. Fastened them evenly spaced on the coat hanger, strands diffusely surrounding the feeder. In just over one month, not a single house sparrow has broke through. At first they hovered around it, eventually giving up. About 2-3 still come around to eat on the ground below.
A week before, suddenly 30 or more of the sparrows mobbed the feeder. I have 7-9 painted buntings in the yard.They were constantly being attacked. One female sparrow would sit on the feeder for long periods, lunging at any that landed. Extremely frustrating. The solution was instant. The sparrows hardly come, they will not be in the yard if there's no seed, but quickly increase when the feeder is stocked. Obnoxious, aggressive things. The only type of bird I've ever disliked.
All the other feeder birds- 3 cardinals and a flock of blue jays, and occasional red-bellied and a few times downy woodpecker and bronzed cowbird, have no problem with the wires, and come right in. Amount of seed in less than one day lasts more than one week, and almost no wasted seed sprouting on the ground! Hope it works for you.
Miami, FL

 

[Redhummer]

Sparrows are primarily ground feeders. If you scatter enough oats around, away from your suet feeders, they will concentrate there (though they will come for fat periodically).

I would also put up some fatball feeders away from your woodpecker suet feeders, as in my experience sparrows prefer these.
View attachment 1612056

This is working for me quite well. Suet log for the woodpeckers, fatballs elsewhere and oats for the sparrows (50+ Tree Sparrow and 2 House Sparrow). My suet feeder this morning below.
View attachment 1612057

Don't use trays or anything else of that sort for your oats/seed. This concentrates the food in a small area, therefore limiting the number of birds which can feed at the same time. Hence, some will go to your suet. Just scatter the grain over a wide area on the ground. Give birds room to spread out, forage and feed.

You should embrace them. Sparrows are noisy by nature. They will attract other species to investigate.

Owen

Thanks for all the information and pictures. I will not be using tray feeders from now on. And I think I may try feeding in a different location on the ground for the sparrows. And hopefully they will lay off the suet logs I have up thanks

 

[Redhummer]

Sparrows are primarily ground feeders. If you scatter enough oats around, away from your suet feeders, they will concentrate there (though they will come for fat periodically).

I would also put up some fatball feeders away from your woodpecker suet feeders, as in my experience sparrows prefer these.
View attachment 1612056

This is working for me quite well. Suet log for the woodpeckers, fatballs elsewhere and oats for the sparrows (50+ Tree Sparrow and 2 House Sparrow). My suet feeder this morning below.
View attachment 1612057

Don't use trays or anything else of that sort for your oats/seed. This concentrates the food in a small area, therefore limiting the number of birds which can feed at the same time. Hence, some will go to your suet. Just scatter the grain over a wide area on the ground. Give birds room to spread out, forage and feed.

You should embrace them. Sparrows are noisy by nature. They will attract other species to investigate.

Owen

Sparrows are primarily ground feeders. If you scatter enough oats around, away from your suet feeders, they will concentrate there (though they will come for fat periodically).

I would also put up some fatball feeders away from your woodpecker suet feeders, as in my experience sparrows prefer these.
View attachment 1612056

This is working for me quite well. Suet log for the woodpeckers, fatballs elsewhere and oats for the sparrows (50+ Tree Sparrow and 2 House Sparrow). My suet feeder this morning below.
View attachment 1612057

Don't use trays or anything else of that sort for your oats/seed. This concentrates the food in a small area, therefore limiting the number of birds which can feed at the same time. Hence, some will go to your suet. Just scatter the grain over a wide area on the ground. Give birds room to spread out, forage and feed.

You should embrace them. Sparrows are noisy by nature. They will attract other species to investigate.

Owen

 

[Redhummer]

Out if curiosity, what kind of habitat are you based in? Urban, suburban, countryside? Farmland or woodland or coastal/shoreline?

What species of Woodpecker would you expect in your area?

Owen

I’m suburban with woodlands around. And there are 7 species of woodpeckers here in CT downy, hairy, Pileated, red head, red bellied 2 kinds of flickers.

 

[Helsinki Birder]

I’m suburban with woodlands around. And there are 7 species of woodpeckers here in CT downy, hairy, Pileated, red head, red bellied 2 kinds of flickers.

For larger woodpeckers, one tactic I have seen used is a chicken wire suet feeder.
Basically, you wrap a length of chicken wire around a reasonably mature tree, fixed with some cable/wire at the top and bottom, with suet inside, pressing against the trunk.

Larger woodpeckers seem to prefer being on a tree to feed, rather than hanging off a dangling feeder.

Worth a try if you have some trees.

Owen