Unfortunately, the HOSP will still be around in Sept. We've been in this house for 4 yrs, and for 4 yrs I've struggled with them. I simply don't feed from a feeder anymore. I have plants with seeds and berries and the HOSP don't touch those.

Thank you for saying that. I am in the process of trying to make our property into a habitat, and the two books I have really emphasize what you said - plants that provide food, in all seasons, as the ideal thing.
I was so bummed when I put those feeders away, because I have in the last two weeks seen birds I hadn't ever seen before, it was so exciting.
Do you see a lot of different birds without feeders?

They're easier to see if they come to the feeder. I have lots of birds in my yard but also lots of things for them to eat so they stay mostly in the trees and bushes. I'm going to have to get better at identifying by sound.

I see some birds that I hadn't seen in this house before. As with anything, it all takes time. They weren't used to anything being here before but a mass of turf, and now they have a whole smorgasbord! So the plants have to grow and produce and the birds have to find me.

At our last house, I never saw a HOSP. So I bought even more bird feeders. Yet here, I can't use them. HOSP and EUST eat shelled peanuts even. They eat everything. I've been lucky and have kept the EUST at bay for a couple years now.

Thank you Rachel and other followup posters. I guess living just outside Boston I should have realized there might be a lot of birds I wasn't counting on to visit my yard.

My husband and I are going to concentrate now on building a great habitat on our property by adding shrubs (I've already ordered some highbush cranberry), planting perennials and taking care of the water opportunities for whoever visits. This should keep us busy here and take care of my need for a "bird fix."

Also, Rachel, you and others who have posted here have inspired us to hit the road in search of birds away from home.

Is your finch feeder the tube kind with a narrow opening? I've never seen a HOSP eat Nyger from a finch sock or the screen type of feeder. So maybe just change feeder types.

Trying feeding safflower most of my undesireables don't like but the song birds like it. I get a few HOSP checking it out on the platform feeder, but very little numbers and not enough to create a problem.

HOSPs don't migrate and seem to find any desireable food I put out in a day or two. The problem doesn't go away. I actually think they get worse in the winter and food is limited. I started to actively manage them last winter because it was so bad. Removing them, totally changes the dynamics of the feeders for the better. They go from being bullies with numbers to approaching the feeders with great intrepidation. Their numbers have rebounded this summer, so I will resume managing them shortly.

Yes, my finch feeder is the kind with the narrow openings.
I did move the perches so that half of them were only 1/4"long; that caused a panic and the sparrows fought. I did have a finch sock but someone (I wonder who) tore a whole in it.

Our songbirds like the safflower seed, but the sparrows here eat that too. That's why for now I am sticking with fruit and nectar.

Thanks for your thoughts. Looking ahead to winter, I am planning, for now, on habitat improvement (more plantings, maybe a couple of roost boxes) and limited food offerings.

I switched from boss to safflower in my feeder a couple weeks ago and the starlings, grackles, and hosps have disappeared. I mostly see house finches on the feeder now along with an occasional cardinal. Hosps still swarm the nyjer sock in the back corner of the yard, but I hang another sock up by the patio and our goldfinches usually get to use that one in peace. I also keep the socks only partially filled so only a couple hosps can feed at once. I am still filling the trays on my oriole feeder with jelly. The orioles are all gone(until south migration) and a couple weeks ago my catbirds pretty much vanished, but in the last week they have returned with a vengeance. I frequently see the catbirds flying off with a beakful of jelly. A couple house finches and hosps also eat the jelly, but not a lot.

I did see a cedar waxwing visit one of the serviceberry trees this morning(berry trees are a great way to attract good birds), but the robins already cleaned out the trees so it flew off. During the first half of June the robins really went to town on those trees. They all brought their juvies to the trees as well.

Wow, you guys are all lucky! It doesn't matter what I put out, the HOSP eat it. Safflower, peanuts, nyjer in the sock or in the wire mesh cage...jelly...I just had to finally throw in the towel. I was hoping most would disappear and they do if I don't feed. They're never far away though. With the safflower, they'll take their beak on a hop feeder and push all the food off. In a tube feeder, they simply take up space so no other birds can land. I do put out peanuts in the shell for the Bluejays. The Grackles take them once in awhile, but mostly only the jays take them.

There's a lot of good threads probably in the Attracting Wildlife forum and the Native plant forum on plants to attract birds.

Earlier, on your "Caging a Feeder" thread, you said that you had ordered two 'magic halos'. Did you ever give them a try? I've made a kind of 'magic halo' with vertical stiff wires instead of fish line (no chance of tangling), and I've found that it not only deters HOSP, but starlings and grackles also. My nyger feeders are in a different part of the yard, out of sight of the BOSS feeders, and I get mostly goldfinches, house finches, and pine siskins. The "upside-down" nyger feeders (perch above hole) are another option.

The birds like the coneflowers in my yard, but the coneflowers are not in a good position for me to watch the birds eating them (petals and seeds).

I had indeed ordered 2 magic halos but cancelled the order when I thought of the chickenwire idea, which did work for a few days. The magic halo idea does bear considering again, since nothing else has worked.

James Clark, if I might ask, what kind of wire did you use to make your version? Maybe I could give it a try; and if not, renew my order.

I would still have reservations, though, the sparrows here are really stubborn and really smart.

Thanks for your advice - and also for mentioning the coneflowers.

Hi folks,
Since I took my seed feeders were down we've had hardly any HOSPs.

Once the lovely thunderstorms have passed in Massachusetts, I'm going to try a homemade oval with hobby wires hanging down, around my feeder with safflower in it and wires tied through the ports to discourage sparrows feeding.

If this doesn't work I will wait until winter to put the feeders out.

Well thank you James Clark, I followed your lead and made an oval of chickenwire, and added five jewelry wires (I design jewelry) with crimped beads on the bottom to it.
I put this over my tube feeder, and put safflower seed in that.

It worked! The wires are not that far apart, and that seems to be why the sparrows won't go in. We have had finches using the feeder all afternoon, but the sparrows attempt to go in and stop at the last minute, and fly off.

I really had missed seeing our songbirds so if this continues to keep a few mannerly birds visiting I will be thrilled.

Thanks James!

chickadeemelrose,

I bought wire about as thick as shirt-hanger wire, maybe a little thinner. I experimented with a number of my own designs. At first, I used weighted fishing line hanging from the 'halo', but it tended to tangle. I switched to 'verticals' made with the same kind of wire. Each vertical is made in two pieces, so there is some flexing, but mostly it is stiff, and there's no tangling. You don't want them to snag a bird. See my photo gallery, which shows the first two versions:

Jim

chickadeemelrose,

I didn't see your last post when I posted last. I guess you are 'at home' working with wire, one of my favorite construction materials. If your jewelry wire isn't stiff or heavy enough to prevent tangling, you can switch to heavier wire.

My theory is that the HOSPs are accustomed to flying together with other HOSPs when feeding, so when there is a 'startle' (a possible-predator alert), they expect to fly in unison straight outward, in 'parallel', which doesn't allow for ducking around obstacles. So the halo verticals make them feel caged and vulnerable. I think this explains why the halos don't deter HOSPs from nestboxes, because there they act as individuals. The other species act as individuals, not mobs, when feeding.

The halos, especially when made with visible, stiff verticals properly spaced, will also deter starlings and grackles because birds with longer wingspans find it awkward to fly between the verticals. Unfortunately, this includes bluejays and cardinals. My guess is that it is less a problem for more agile fliers such as woodpeckers,which are accustomed to flying upside down and sideways (briefly) when needed.

If the verticals are removable, it would provide an option to removing the entire halo when you want to do this. My feeders are so high that I need a small ladder to add or remove a halo, (but not for taking down a feeder). Also, I make the halo so that I can take down the feeder for refilling without moving the halo.

Yes,Jim,I think you are right about the sparrows being different in their flight and landing patterns, making a halo effective.
The chickadees and finches don't seem bothered by it at all, they hop in and out. I am bothered by jays and cardinals not visiting the feeder, but I will try taking the halo off at some point and see what happens.Or maybe a couple of the verticals removed might make a difference.

Thanks for your support!

Donna