Expert Advice

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER-

dealing with unwelcome guests

As we enjoy the birds that are singing and coming to our feeders, we also may notice some birds that we would prefer not to have in any great number.  The Wild Bird Center has a variety of feeders, suggestions for placements, and seed  selections to encourage or discourage birds to visit your yard.

Pigeons, grackles, starlings and squirrels are often subjects of  discussion in the store. If you have or are anticipating a problem, please consult with us.  Our staff has experience in solving these problems and can often help if you need to discuss these issues with your HOA.

Pigeons have become much more prevalent in the Denver Metro area as a result of the T-Rex project which displaced hundreds of pigeons and sent them to our urban areas. Arranging your feeding stations to accommodate who you want may take some discussion and thought. Often minor adjustments can accomplish the goal. Once you decide on the types of birds you want to attract, you can select the seed that will bring them in, and the feeders that will accommodate them.  

Just a few ideas regarding pigeons:

Pigeons are especially attracted by debris they see on the ground.  They are natural ground feeders, and if they do not initially find something on the ground or surface to investigate, they will move on. When pigeons become habituated to a feeding sight because of perceived food availability (shells or other debris around a feeding area) they may learn to fly up to feeders that will accommodate them. Because of their size and body type, landing on tube-type feeders is difficult, but not impossible if there is enough motivation.

Keeping pigeons away will depend on several things.

a.   If you have an existing pigeon problem, there are foods, feeders, accessories and placements you can change to discourage them.

b.    If you do not have a pigeon problem, prevent an occurrence by first changing the seed you serve to shell-less, non-mix.  If pigeons do show up, there are a number of measures that can be taken to discourage them.

c.   If you are new to bird feeding, starting with the right feeders and food will keep from attracting them to your area.

Feeding the songbirds we like to enjoy can be accomplished successfully without pigeon intervention if the following principles are observed:

1.   Use only seed products with no shells.  Songbirds remove the shell from seed and discard it on the ground without regard to the mess it causes.  These shells look like a possible food source to the natural ground feeding pigeons. (Doves and pigeons consume the whole seed, and their digestive system takes care of the indigestible shell portion of the seed)

2.    Do not use an acrylic or metal  tray with the feeder. It provides a landing platform for pigeons that may have discovered a new food source at your feeder. The exception is a seed catcher described below or a caged feeder.

3.    Use a feeder that is unfriendly to pigeons, i.e., one that they will not be able to easily perch on.

4.   If you suspect you may have pigeons in the area, or have them at your feeding stations now, do not use a seed mix, even a shell-less one, in any of your tube style feeders.  Use a single type of food in each feeder. Birds have food preferences just like we humans do. Most seed mixes include seeds that some birds do not like, others do. Those seeds a bird does not like will simply be scooped out of the feeder and thrown on the ground as the bird sorts through the mix for the seed he prefers.

If you use mixes in a hopper style feeder (looks like a little house, with Plexiglas sides and long perches on each side) larger birds will “beak swipe” to find the seed they want. That is, they will push seed out in big bunches to get to the preferred seed.  Hopper feeders are also very easily accessed by pigeons.

The idea is to keep seed or seed shells off the ground or patio or railing where you feed

Feeders that are unattractive to pigeons are

Small feeders designed for clinging birds like chickadees, house finches (little birds with red breasts), sparrows, nuthatches;

Platform type feeders with adjustable domes that prevent larger birds from accessing the feeder;

Large tube feeders with acrylic “baffles” located directly above the perches that prevent larger bird access;

Small tube feeders with short perches;

Caged feeders

Weight-sensitive feeders

The following are some of the manufacturers and types of feeders that discourage pigeons:

• Duncraft “Satellite, Beck’s chickadee,  Songbird Essentials “Clingers only”
  • (these are for small birds only)
• Droll Yankees’” X-1”, Aspect’s” Vista”, Droll Yankee “Cardinal feeder”
  • (these are small acrylic baskets with overhead adjustable domes)

• Nature Products” Classic hanging feeder, large and smaller size. Both hold 3 pounds of seed and more and the “bafffle” can be adjusted to omit larger birds and squirrels.
• Some Droll Yankee and Aspect tube feeders allow you to insert a shorter perch that prevents a large bird from landing.

• Droll Yankee, Duncraft, Songbird Essentials, the Nuttery,  Woodlink, and Varicraft make a variety of sizes and shaped caged  feeders that admit finches, chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows , downy woodpeckers, and flickers, but do not allow pigeons, grackles, or squirrels. Caution: some caged feeders do not allow sufficient space between cage and feeder, some have built in trays. These combinations can admit pigeons or squirrels.
• Brome’s “Buster” and its sister products, and Droll Yankee large Flipper and Dipper are effective against squirrels and pigeons, not so much against grackles.

• TRAYS:  The Seed Saucer, attaches to most tube and caged feeders, and freatures a “catcher” with a grid that does not allow access to pigeons.
• the Seed Hoop,  is  a new seed catcher that can be used on most of the weight-sensitive squirrel proof feeders. I’ve been testing it on my Buster at home with great success at keeping seed from dropping to the ground.  If pigeons are accustomed to your feeding station, this tray will work best with the caged feeder.

Please do not depend on a clerk at a box store or garden center to offer the solution unless you are sure of its validity.  Bird Feeding professionals will be honest in their assessment of your situation and what can work.  Sometimes trial and error is involved and we are always willing to work with anyone. The pleasure of inviting birds to your environment is worth the effort