On Thursday 11 March 2004 8:23 pm, Lydia Bishop pondered and enlightened us
with:
> Advice needed here..
>
>
>
> I would love to set up feeders around my house, but I do NOT want to
> encourage starlings and other junk birds.

I went into my local bird shop, and I asked the same thing, and they showed me
some pricey solutions: 2 were suet feeders that were guarded against bigger
birds from feeding with 1x1? mesh about 3" from the suet, it keeps squirrels,
starlings, and crows from the suet, while letting in the tribe of birds we
all know and love.

Another idea was insect suet, a 4.95 a block, it was a bit rich, but it was
said that Starlings and squirrels don't have a taste for it.

My thoughts on the subject, as I have been battling them, too:
I live on a triangular cul-de-sac lot, with a small front yard, and a bigger
back yard. And the house, which we just bought, is 13 years old.

My back yard, with all its wide open spaces has a serious starling problem. I
can get 40 or 50 of the pesky birds out there, but they really like to eat
the suet, and if I withhold the suet, they leave. I also found that feeding
trays are a bad attractant for them.

In my narrow front yard, I have confers on my north border, and a japanese
maple up against the house. In this tight corner, I have 2 feeders in the
conifers, and one suet feeder in the maple, and no starling problem. I do get
them, but they don't hang around like the back yard.

Rob

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Mountlake Terrace, Washington