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Crows and Magpies!!!

Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800
in Wildlife gardening
Up until recently I couldn't get birds in my garden, then my neighbour moved along with all his feeders and they have started to come to me for food, so very happy me. BUT......I am fed up with crows scaring off the little birds (wrens, tits and robins). Is there anything I can do (without harming them obviously) to scare off the crows and magpies without scaring off the smaller birds? Thanks.
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,124

    HI Tracey5 image

    These http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/ground-protector-wide-mesh.html help keep the bigger birds away from any food on the ground.

    The magpies used to come after the suet blocks we hung up, so we had to find other feeders to hold suet for the birds that like it.  

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • Secret SquirrelSecret Squirrel Posts: 533

    Hi Tracey5

    Its kinda know your birds, the woodpigeons and crows in my garden like an easy life, and are quite happy to take food from my ground feeders. The Robin likes coming close to the house, so he/she gets mealworms in a dish outside the back door. The tits and house sparrows like getting in among the honeysuckle so I put the feeders in there for them. Being doing this for two years now and everyone seems happy,

  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800
    I would love the robins to come near the house but with 2 beagles is highly unlikely ???? Good advice though, I will give it a try. At the moment the pigeons are happy on the floor and they are fine, the crows are eating the fat balls hanging in the tree and the magpies......well they just dive into the tree and scare everything off!!!



    Will try some adjustments, but can't do ground feeders. Thank you.
  • higgy50higgy50 Posts: 184

    My advice would be to try and enjoy all that visits, however I know some birds can be bullies so I would feed the larger birds like the crows and magpies in another part of the garden if you can. This will leave the seed feeders to the smaller birds?

    I would also ask what you are feeding that's so attractive to the bigger birds? Let us know??

    Generally sunflower hearts in a hanging feeder would only be attractive to your smaller visitors. If you are feeding bigger food on the bird table or ground then this may be causing your problem?

    Higgy

     

  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800
    I have a nut hanger, a seed sunflower hanger and 2 fat ball hangers (each holds 3 fat balls), all in the same tree. I have a bird table and keep putting food on it but they aren't interested. Nothing special, just normal stuff and the big birds like the fat balls except the pigeons who like just picking up the seed scraps off the floor, which I actually like ????
  • AWBAWB Posts: 421

    Shoot the magpies there are too many of them

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,124

    http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/magpie/legal_control_methods.aspx

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,124

    It's illegal to discharge a firearm within 50ft of the centre of a public highway so not a good idea in most gardens. 

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • Orchid LadyOrchid Lady Posts: 5,800
    I must have missed those last few comments, but wouldn't dream of shooting a bird or any other living creature......I was simply asking for humane ways of deterring them from scaring the small birds (as it says in my OP) image. It upsets me that people automatically think to shoot a living creature sons and when it suits them image
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,948

    Tracey - I made a 'cage' on the ground with an old wire hanging basket. I have a fat feeder inside it as well, and it means small birds can get in to access the  food and bigger birds like magpies and pigeons can't. (I put food out in the open for them)  The dunnocks and robins love it, and I attach an apple to the front as well so that the blackbirds come in, and they can reach some of the food nearest the edges.

    I'll try and get a pic tomorrow if I get a chance image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


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