How to keep large birds off bird feeder

No guarantee in the procedure of feeding smaller birds versus larger species, thus its still possible to feed small birds while large birds are kept at a distance.

How to keep large birds off bird feeders is to shroud bird food in a squirrel proof bird feeder, while covering over ground feeders in a cage. Keep the ground under feeders food-free while utilizing small feeders which large birds struggle to use. Never feed large birds on the ground or in open platform bird feeders.

Large birds don't stand a chance of getting inside of a cage surrounded squirrel proof bird feeder, if selecting the what type carefully.

Squirrels can on occasions slip in-between the cage gaps so therefore large birds would get on the inside once in a while.

What you must do is utilize a squirrel proof bird feeder of any kind that uses super small gaps - in which will only allows Finches, Warblers or others to hop in.

Similarly, where you can go wrong with the squirrel proof cage-type feeders is if the bird feeder set at the center of the cage - is simply too close to the outer cage, thus large birds remain in reach of the bird feeder food.

Keep the ground under bird feeders mess free in the meantime as you could be inadvertently be attracting unwanted birds like Pigeons or Crows with spilled bird food exposed on the ground.

You can keep large birds off bird feeders like Crows, Pigeons and Doves if you like, but keeping large birds like Blue Jays away from bird feeders can be difficult - as the size difference will categorize Jays as small birds when keeping large birds away.

It is possible to still use normal bird feeders if they are small, compact, yet hung in a way larger birds can't reach it, let alone come into contact with the feeder.

Mess can be made under bird feeders but it will be made worse as larger birds bump the feeders which will cause seeds to spill on the ground.

In the end, you could just feed larger birds who insist on coming to your bird feeders, in a spot someway at a distance to your bird feeders, which could do the trick.

No access to squirrel proof bird feeders

Want to keep large birds off bird feeders with great success, then turn to no other than specialist squirrel proof bird feeders.

Of the kinds of squirrel proof bird feeders to utilize in your efforts to keep nuisance larger birds off feeders - turn your attention to what are seed, suet or peanut feeders plus open dishes which are shrouded in soft plastic coated steel wire cage.

Large birds don't stand a chance of squeezing past the small gaps in the wire, whereby any bird feeder will be positioned out of reach in the center.

In the meantime your small common birds are happy to pass between the cage gaps to eat the bird food stored in the feeders as normal.

Many kinds of squirrel proof bird feeders on the market, with my mind set on any bird feeder surrounding in a cage being the better choice.

Certainly other squirrel proof bird feeder options to consider, and among them can be:

• Squirrel Buster - are made for suet, seeds or nuts which will shut off port holes if a heavy squirrel, or in this case a large heavy bird perches to feed
• Droll Yankee - motor operated squirrel proof bird feeder will kick squirrels off if it gets to heavy, thus can work if the large bird equals the weight of a squirrel

• Perky-Pet - Squirrel-Be-Gone series will shut off feeding ports if squirrels climb on board; no guarantee it will close if larger birds perch.
• Audubon - Absolute Hopper can cut bird feeder food off even if larger birds land to feed, as you can adjust the weight sensitivity feature

No guarantee any of these squirrel proof feeders will operate correctly to keep Starlings off bird feeders for example, but is sure to work with Pigeons and maybe Blue Jays.

Certainly more kinds of unique squirrel proof bird feeders on the market, but in the end the best squirrel proof bird feeders are those surrounded in a metal cage.

Cover ground bird feeder in cage

Whilst its possible to utilize all kinds of unique or simple squirrel proof bird feeders on the market, they mostly relate to hanging bird feeders only.

Larger birds are only seen to be ground feeding birds by nature, while any attempt to feed at bird feeders is difficult as it is; let alone when you keep large birds off by covering bird feeders in a cage.

While large nuisance birds are all but exclusive ground eaters birds, unfortunately so to are birds you wish to feed at feeders - like American Robins or Bluebirds who haven't quite adapted to bird feeders so well.

It can also be Northern Cardinals to Catbirds - plus Blue Jays of all the large birds you'd want to attract - so we must feed them on the lawn while at the same time restricting large birds movement.

How to stop large birds eating bird food you've thrown over the lawn would be to first keep it organized by placing bird food within the confines of a ground bird feeder. Only then can this ground feeder by protected in a cage.

Its also possible to feed small birds without use of the bird feeder, if the bird food is put on the ground or say on a garden table - whereby you can cover the ground bird feeder in a squirrel proof cage.

Idea behind this technique is to allow smaller birds to pass between the cage gaps as normal, while the too big birds are too fat... or should I say large.

Ground bird feeders can be secured under a cage with pegs impaled into the ground to prevent clever birds pushing the cage out of the way.

Whereby its possible to buy a ground bird feeder cage plus feeder mounted to the underside - in an effort to keep bird food off the ground where it can rapidly spoil.

Keep ground under feeders bird food-free

Whilst I have provided you ways to keep large birds off bird feeders by making use of quite effective squirrel proof bird feeders or cages, its imperative you still keep the area under bird feeders clean.

Why that is because an unkempt area under bird feeders is only going to attract mostly nuisance large birds to it - while they can then be seen to go on to attempt to access bird feeder food.

Keep all bird food off the ground so larger birds are restricted to feeding within bird feeders - in which I hope you have large bird proofed it via squirrel proof cages.

Certainly spilled bird food under bird feeders is unavoidable as birds do throw bird feed in the process of feeding.

Whilst its also possible to allow some large birds but mostly small exclusive ground feeding birds to forage on the ground to eat up spilled feed.

Bird food can be caught before it lands on the ground if utilizing a squirrel proof - and now large proof feeder - that uses a spill tray attached to the feeder base.

Similarly, you could use a tray or a tarpaulin beneath the feeders so you can go outside once in a while to scoop it all up, before it attracts the larger birds you want to avoid.

Never use open top bird feeders

It is never possible to feed small common backyard birds like Finches or Warblers in the open without attracting the very biggest common large birds, including Crows.

I therefore suggest you never utilize what are very successful open top platform bird feeders - but instead you must store any type of bird food in the small, compact hanging style bird feeders only.

Want to stop pigeons on bird feeders, then allowing these nuisance birds free-reign over a bird food table isn't going to be the answer.

To reduce the number of birds raiding your bird feeders you must at least do your very best to reduce their numbers within your yard.

We must then focus on cutting off all bird food sources, even if it means pulling down bird feeders temporary to force large birds to go elsewhere.

Open top platform bird feeders can be on a pole, be on the ground or be made to hang.

I don't think its easy to squirrel proof an open top bird feeder other than one that is on the ground; because previously talked about, any ground bird feeder can be protected within a squirrel proof cage.

Similarly, never use wire mesh bird dishes mounted to a bird feeder pole, nor should you feed smaller birds in a dish or out in the open on a garden table or deck railing.

Use common sense, never continue to feed small birds without safeguards in place as this could be the cause of attracting large nuisance birds in the first place.

Isolate bird feeders to prevent support

Whilst I believe your bird food secured within a squirrel proof bird feeder is safe and out of the way - regular bird feeders can still be an option.

It is possible to use a thistle seed bird feeder for example but only if the only option for birds to feed, requires small birds to cling on the wire in an awkward angle - as its unlikely larger birds can follow suite.

Where else you can't go wrong is to offer wild bird seeds in its corresponding clear tube seed feeder.

Seed feeders must be the long, narrow kind with multiple perches possible; although they must be super short with no bird seed tray attached to the base.

I don't believe its possible to use any other kind of bird feeder, and therefore any other kind of bird food - which you wouldn't prevent large birds accessing.

With these seed feeders then you'd want to isolate them on a bird feeder pole as to first attract birds to if they can be seen - whereby to hang bird feeders on a branch can be possible with one issue to avoid.

Never hang bird feeders off a pole or branch in such a way, the large birds can perch on a close by bracket or tree branch as leverage.

Idea behind isolating bird feeders, or indeed keeping them at least a foot apart is to stop birds perching opposite - to only then peck at the bird feeder food without needing to tackle a complicated, too small feeder.

Dispense food in small bird feeders

Making use of bird food stored away in small compact bird feeder isn't going to allow the most common large birds to feed at all.

In fact you'd be hard pressed seeing the usual Pigeons or Crows feeding out of small bird feeders; whereby you are only likely to witness them perch on top of feeders as they ponder over their options.

Dispense bird food in small feeders whereby your Finch or Warbler must poke their bills in to grab seeds.

Exposed nuts or suet pellets in a wire bird feeder can be made available to all size birds, thus you may have to depend on a small seed feeders only.

Where to place bird feeders of the smaller kind can still be on a pole or pole bracket; yet no additional feeders or object must be made available for larger birds to perch on. As I've said previously an adjacent perch can only assist in larger birds accessing small bird feeder food.

Small bird feeders are the answer to keep large birds off bird feeders, but so can squirrel proof bird feeders.

But I still ask you to always keep bird feeders out of reach of larger birds if you can, as a disturbed seed feeder is only going to spill as heavy birds attempt to access it.

Conclusion

What is essentially the only way to keep large birds off bird feeders, is to make sure the bird feeder in use is the squirrel proof kind.

No squirrel issue, no problem... you only utilize squirrel proof bird feeders because they can be useful for avoiding large birds at feeders.

Mechanized squirrel bird feeders can be used to cut off feeding ports as the heavy squirrel - or now the heavy large bird - lands on the feeder in an attempt to feed.

Whereby, the must successful squirrel proof bird feeders to use are those that are surrounded in a soft plastic coated cage.

Cages can keep large birds on the outside as smaller birds pop between the gaps set at a distance to only allow small common birds to enter.

It can go wrong if you utilize a squirrel proof bird feeder cage that uses too big gaps between the wire - or indeed if the bird feeder which is set at the center of the cage, isn't quite far enough, thus larger birds can lean in to access food.

Similar to squirrel proof bird feeders that hang, is a squirrel proof bird feeder cage which can be placed over any ground bird feeder in use.

Never use open top platform bird feeders, nor should you offer bird food in the open as it could be what is attracting birds you wish to avoid.

You can still use what is an exclusive small compact seed feeder which large birds can still find hard to tackle.

Dispense bird food in a super small bird feeders if you like but do utilize a perch-less, no dish or tray feature that larger birds use to perch on.

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