Rob and others,

For a very simple feeder, drive up into the forest and get yourself a
section of large branch or log. Cut it into 18 inche pieces. Screw in a
hook on the side just below the top edge of the log so that it hangs at an
angle instead of straight up and down - but not completely upside down. On
the downward facing side, Drill some one inch holes about one inch deep.
Pour your suet into the holes, let it harden and then hang outside.

For a bit more effort, you might attach a suet cage to the downward side of
the log. But the log must be large enough that the basket does not extend
out from the sides and provide a landing platform for the starlings. The
basket must also be at least 4 inches from the top of the log.

Woodpeckers use their tails for support when climbing, feeding and drilling
vertically. So, for large woodpeckers, you want the suet basket at least a
bit vertical instead of completely upside down as with some of the feeders.
This is particularly important for large woodpeckers. At an angle, the
starlings cannot hang on yet woodpeckers can.

Starlings are an introduced exotic species that parasite the nests of native
birds. They kill the mother's eggs by removing them from the nest and then
they lay their own leaving the native bird to raise them.

I am not advocating this, but... some folks enjoy using a BB gun to reduce
starling populations and advocate it to others under the premise that if
enough folks started shooting them, they could be controlled (humans have
the ability to hunt species until they become 'locally' extinct). They say
to make sure you have a safe backstop (wall of a garage, shed or large
fence) to stop the BB's and to hang the suet feeder within 10 feet or so of
a window. There have been suggestions of placing a garbage can below the
feeder with a plastic bag liiner. Others find it distasteful. All I know, as
a former range and wildlife ecologist, is that they disrupt the native
ecology something terrible. They are also very aggressive and drive the
other birds away from one's feeders. You will have more woodpeckers,
chickadees, nuthatches and such if there were someway to control the
starling populations. But, I am just sharing info here and I am not
advocating the use of BB guns. But I found it rather entertaining to find a
website dedicated to just this.

If you need some mealworm suet cakes for those flickers, give me a hollar. I
sell the nuggets and the cakes at a reasonable rate as I run a small
business out of my home here in Ellesnburg, WA. Woodpeckers are
insectivores. So the mealworms in suet work nicely for them. I also sell
nuggets that fit in all the baskets and avoid rancidity in the summer
(smaller quantities instead of a whole block at a time in the summer).

Free samples of the nuggest by request through my website.

I also sell log feeders (various designs). One (that is NOT advertised on my
website) has a long narrow basket running down the slanted side. You cannot
use cakes, but you can use nuggets to fill that basket. You will not find
these diagonal hanging log feeders anywhere else. It is a custom design by
yours truly - former wildlife ecologist who has gone to the birds.

-Ken
ken at wildlanders.com
There's no pork about it!
100% Beef Kidney Suet Products
Wildlanders.com (holistic wilderness and ecology)
http://www.wildlanders.com/wildlanders/aaaasp/birding/nuggets.asp
(free samples by request)






>From: Rob Blomquist <rob.blomquist at verizon.net>
>Reply-To: rob.blomquist at verizon.net
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Nest boxes for Flickers, and homemade suet feeders that block
>starlings?
>Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 21:15:19 -0800
>
>I am wanting to build some nest boxes for flickers, as at my suburban home,
>I
....
>And do you all know of any patterns to build homemade suet feeders that
>keep
>starlings out of them? We have a serious starling problem in our backyard
>if
>I use the suet feeders much, and its the suet that really draws the
>flickers
>in.
>--
>
>Mountlake Terrace, Washington

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