skip to main content

Perch cutting on a bird feeder

15 years ago

I have this tube bird feeder with perches:

http://shop.wbu.com/products/productdetail/WBU%20EcoClean%26%238482%3B%20Super%20Tube%20Feeder/part_number=3494/567.0.1.1.25206.25754.0.0.0?pp=12&;

The only problem is, I'm getting a lot of black birds, red wings and House sparrows on it.

What should I do to modify the perches so that only birds like goldfinches and chickadees can feed on it?

What tools should I use to cut and what length should the perches be? Should I remove the perch all together?

Featured Answer

HU-243961283

4 years ago

5/8" is sufficient to exclude house sparrows, but allow American goldfinches, lesser goldfinches, house finches, pines siskins, and other small birds. 1/2" excludes house finches, but allows very small birds like lesser goldfinches. I'm not sure if American goldfinches would be able to fit on these perches since they are larger. We don't have them in my area. I use a Dremmel with a 409 cut-off wheel to trim metal perches. I have found this to be an extremely effective way to exclude larger birds from eating all my Nyjer!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Konrad___far_north
15 years ago
Make sure your feeder can swing, house sparrows don't like swinging feeders, not sure about black birds I don't have them. I would think
Goldfinches & Chickadees could use a sock, thistle sock.
I have a upside down feeder and goldfinches and chickadees have been
feeding on it. I wouldn't cut the perches off totally, perhaps half the length, use a fine saw, like a hack saw, support the perch with something first, perhaps a pruner will cut it also if it's plastic, try on the very end first.
bandjzmom
15 years ago
Jiminy Crickets Jay! That is a really nice and really pricey feeder. You sure you want to cut it?? :o) Maybe you could just change what you are putting inside it? I'd make sure that there is no millet or milo whatsoever, and you could even try straight Safflower for awhile if need be. HTH ~~Angie
Related Discussions
Is there a SAFE way to deal with droppings from bird feeder?
Q
Comments (7)
Thanks so much for the response, kimmsr. I know so little about the make up of droppings that I have no idea how safe or dangerous they may be. I do know that they eat right in to the paint on my deck, so at the very least, I want to contain the damage. It's a wood deck with slots, so hosing things down just washes the mess onto my neighbor's space. I don't think that's a good idea, especially since I don't (yet) know how dangerous the poop is. I'm still thinking the best way to go is to put a bunch of potted plants underneath and let them catch the droppings and break them down as fertilizer. Unfortunately, one of the Ceanothus bushes I planted that's right underneath isn't doing very well. I'm wondering if the acid or something else in the droppings is causing problems. I'm really in need of someone with expert knowledge of the properties of bird droppings. I'm not sure if I've come to the right place or not. I'd be grateful for any help people here can provide. Thanks again!
...See More
Birds wasting the milo in my bird feeders
Q
Comments (17)
I have found 9-pound bags of a mix of mostly millet with some sunflower seed and, I think, safflower seed, at a dollar-type store here called Big Lots. $7 per bag. Birds gobble it up in winter, but in the winter they'll eat anything; in the spring they are picky, kicking out the milo for the pigeons and doves, so I stop feeding them and concentrate on hummingbirds and, this year, suet for Ladderback and Downy woodpeckers. Also I have nyger thistle feeders (both metal mesh feeder and sock feeder) out for our sweet, tiny lesser goldfinches. To complete my first post in this forum, I spotted and got pictures of a male Northern Cardinal this morning, a rare sighting for our area (Albuquerque). A similar male bird (the same one??) was reported a few miles further north back in February. I also photographed a rare Vermillion Flycatcher in April. Maybe more birds are moving into my state -- and I'll have figure out how to feed them if they visit my apartment complex :)
...See More
New bird at my feeder
Q
Comments (3)
Yup, I moved to the desert. It's ok if this bubbles back up to the top - at least it will eventually bubble back down, LOL! I have too many house sparrows at my feeder. They are scaring the hummingbirds away! But I can't find the Magic Halo ANYWHERE. Did they stop making it???
...See More
The birds totally made my day - my feeders have all been found!!!
Q
Comments (3)
black oil sunflower seeds probably attract more birds than any other feed. you can use a tube feeder or a mesh wire feeder or even a hopper feeder. Suet is a great treat in winter but some birds eat it year around. you can use a suet cage and buy suet cakes or make your own suet mix. there are lots of old posts on here making suet. if you like doves and juncos and other ground feeders the seed mixes with cracked corn ot millet do good but they also attract blackbirds and starlings and cowbirds which lots of people don't want around. the summer song birds such as tanagers and orioles and grosbeaks like fruit or berrys or drink from necter feeders. or plants with berrys or blooms and blossoms. the woodpeckers i get here love nuts and suet and cracked corn and millet. robins and bluebirds like mealworms or grubs or earthworms the tits and chickadees and nuthatches like suet or hulled sunflowers or boss or nuts.
...See More
donald lucius
15 years ago
mine are the walmart tube feeders with olastic perches. i used a hacksaw
and cut them to 3/4 inch long and it helped so i cut them t 1/2 inch and it stopped the starlings and red wings
donald lucius
15 years ago
i went into town today and stopped by home depot. not trying to push them except they had plastic tube feeders today on sale with ports you flip up for regular seeds and flip down for thistle seed. but the good part they were only $4 dollars so i got a couple i won't mind at all sawing on them at that price!
Nona Treutel
4 years ago
You should prepare foods such as sunflower seeds, which can attract many types of birds. You can also retrofit birdbaths, plant some shrubs to attract more birds.

Related Stories

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Bring on the Birds: Natural Habitat Ideas for Gardens of All Sizes

Provide nesting, watering and perching spots inspired by the Costa Rican jungle and watch the birds flock on over

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: Those Nutty Nuthatches

By Habitat Network

The North American songbirds, which often perch upside down, make themselves known in the winter landscape

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: 20 Ways to Play Garden Host to Birds and Bees

By Dear Designer's Blog

Perch some of these houses and feeders around your garden, and watch pollinators and feathered friends flock in

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD My Houzz: A Peaceful Retreat Perched in the Wilderness

By Intense Photography

A couple of chocolatiers find a secluded sanctuary in New Zealand to build the home of their dreams

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Design Details: Outdoor Decor for the Birds

By Lily Gahagan

Feeders, Houses and Baths for Our Feathered Friends

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES A Quick-Start Guide to Bird-Watching for Fun and Learning

By Alison Hodgson

Set out some seed and grab your field guide. Bird-watching is an easy, entertaining and educational activity for the whole family

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: How to Care for American Goldfinches

By Habitat Network

The American goldfinch is a bright-in-the-summer visitor and one of the only vegetarian songbirds. Here's how to give them a healthy habitat

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Invite Entertaining Hummingbirds Into Your Garden

By Habitat Network

Hummingbirds — unique to the Americas — zip through open landscapes seasonally or year-round. Here’s how to attract them

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Wild Birds Transform a Woman’s Garden and Life

By Mary Jo Bowling

How Sharon Sorenson created a wildlife haven and became the Bird Lady of Southern Indiana

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Orioles Return After Spending Winter in the Tropics

By Habitat Network

These colorful songbirds prefer woodlands and forest edges, but they’ll visit yards with fruit-producing trees and shrubs

Sponsored

17 Reviews

The Leading Interior Design Studio in Franklin County

More Discussions

ID OWL IN S.E. MICHIGAN z5b

0