Yet another person has had the same problem as I’ve had. Lynda says
I have lots of pigeons feeding on my table, but no small birds, the pigeons scare them off,
I want to feed the birds but not attract a gang of pigeons and I have even had a pair of magpies who I think have been looking for water. would a ground feeding cage be better?
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There are a few ways to keep large birds off bird food. One way is not to use a bird table but to use a caged hanging bird feeder. Below is a photo of my caged peanut feeder when it was brand new.
It has lasted a long time. It has been great to see a lot of smaller birds feeding safely inside the cage as it hangs in the garden.
Squirrels and large birds were the reason I bought this caged nut feeder a while ago. CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS FEEDER
You can also get CAGED SEED FEEDERS
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Putting bird food into any hanging feeder seems to keep off larger birds.
Here is a budget SEED FEEDER AND TRAY FOR £12.99 plus postage
I have found the ground feeder useful and it’s been fun watching the birds. It has lasted me ages. Mine has a wire seed tray and a green meshed cover, which allows only small birds in.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A CAGE COVER THAT YOU CAN BUY
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A REALLY GOOD WAY TO KEEP PIGEONS OFF BIRDTABLES
The problem with the above methods is that THEY KEEP OUT BLACKBIRDS AND THRUSHES. I was recently told of a brilliant way to keep pigeons out but lets blackbirds and thrushes in – as well as the smaller garden birds.
It’s great! I’m getting loads of garden birds on the birdtable now and all the pigeons, rooks and crows have given up.
Thurshes and blackbirds spend ages on the birdtable since I have started to use this method.
What you do is – You put garden canes round the bird table. This has been the best way for me to keep large birds off bird tables. As I said blackbirds and thrushes as well as the smaller garden birds can get onto the bird table when the canes are surrounding it – and believe me I get lots of birds feeding on the bird table now. . It may look a bit odd but it works
THIS METHOD IS THE ONLY WAY I HAVE FOUND THAT KEEPS PIGEONS AND ROOKS AWAY BUT LETS THRUSHES AND BLACKBIRDS ONTO THE BIRDTABLE TO FEED AS WELL AS SMALLER GARDEN BIRDS
.TO WATCH A VIDEO OF A THRUSH ON THE BIRDTABLE CLICK HERE
To read more click the link
http://birdtablenews.com/2009/07/keeping-pigeons-away-from-bird-tables/
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USING A HANGING BASKET TO KEEP LARGE BIRDS OFF BIRD TABLES!
A reader told me yesterday (13.8.09) that she got an old, large, empty hanging basket. She turned it upside down and has put this on her open top birdtable. It has become a barrier to stop the pigeons and rooks eating the bird food and keeping away the small garden birds.
She said it’s lovely to see the small birds inside it eating merrily and contentedly away.
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[ad#125x125square]I’m sorry you’re having trouble with large birds, but glad that I’m not on my own. I’ve given some ordinary and some unusual suggestions for keeping pigeons off bird tables. Hope it helps.
I have to wage a bird feeding war on rooks, crows, pigeons, pheasants and even farm hens that seem to think the food is there just for them to eat in one minute!
Will have a look back at other methods I’ve learnt to keep large birds away.
I wouldn’t recommend you do what I did last summer. I spent ages trying to make my bird table safe for smaller birds –
Trying to keep large birds off the bird table
This worked for a few days, but the pigeons and other birds just got through the wire in the end! It was worth a try.
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Hope readers will send me any photos you have and any notes on how you keep pigeons off bird tables.