How to Keep Grackles, Starlings and Other Problem Birds Out of Your Feeders

[@gilligallou]

I think we're being misunderstood here, Our mission is enhance our customers back yard birding experience with quality products ,resources and services, part of those services is solving our customers problems, they ask we do everything we can to provide the solution. No one here is discriminating toward any bird species, we're proving a service. You can check our website www.gilligalloubird.com we have many years of solutions and resource's there. Have a merry Christmas, Bob

[@lanahundley8625]

Thank you for this valuable information.

[@glaucouswingedgull]

What's all this about discriminating, as if it was a bad thing. It you think discriminating is bad, try giving your paycheck to your neighbors wife instead of your wife, and see how that works out for you. You discriminate every day of your life, organic eggs or none organic eggs, red apples or yellow apples, good vs. bad. You are constantly discriminating, making value judgements and then acting on them. Starlings are an invasive, none native species that are out competing and killing native birds plus causing millions of damage .

[@brianbassett4379]

Hysterical! Your "mission" is to make money in any way that you can... including begging online.

[@gilligallou]

@@brianbassett4379 hey , thank you, appreciate your comments , enjoy your day. 😊

[@lynnhoffmann247]

@@gilligallou When will the cage be back in stock? Says sold out on your website.

[@GC-pq6vm]

Thanks, been spending months enjoying cardinals, blue jays, robins, and finches. The grackles discovered my feeders last night and today my backyard looked like a wall mart parking lot.

[@gilligallou]

Lol indeed, get some cages or take the food down, 😊👌

[@GC-pq6vm]

@@gilligallou yes, it helped. I don’t mind feeding them but my neighbors are going to think I’m shooting an Alford Hitchcock movie the way they descended.

[@gilligallou]

@@GC-pq6vm lol that’s funny, better play the sound track over a speaker out side ?? Lol 😂

[@Freedomchild85]

Not a Walmart parking lot ! 🤣😂🤣😂

[@21darkster]

That’s awesome

[@tommisueahmann433]

I have a feeder right out my kitchen window, I got tired of the blackbirds eating all my food so I put a big wire cage around it so it was a real chore for the blackbirds to get in and out. Then I scare them every chance I get. Eventually they pretty much give up coming to my feeder. The funny thing is that the little birds seem to know that they can stay.

[@whitetailpoet4243]

Hi from Minnesota. The tip on removing bird feeders for a week to get rid of the ravenous blackbirds really worked for us. It did take another 10 days for the songbirds to come back in the afternoons, but we are noticing them now and it helped to toss a little food on the ground during the day under where the feeder sits. Thanks for the info and keep up the good work.

[@riverboatgambler5285]

I don't post a lot of comments. Mainly because this account is primarily used to advertise/promote my mobile app "Riverboat Gambler"...BUT, this video was great! I truly appreciate that you posted it! I've several bird feeders in my backyard and they were "discovered" by Blackbirds and Grackles. Personally, I think they are beautiful birds, but, my goodness, they swarm in flocks! I literally felt like I was auditioning for the reboot of Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds". I could fill my feeders and, in a single day, 100+ of those little bastards would eat everything!. The "little birds" (my beautiful cardinals and chickadees and others) never stood a chance. After watching this video yesterday, I received my first order of Safflower seeds. As you indicated, the Blackbirds and Grackles want nothing (absolutely "nothing") to do with that food. I"m sitting here watching my cardinals eat from one of the feeders while the Grackles eat what's left over on the ground from where I emptied that feeder of the previous seed. Now, I have a strategy to segment the yard to ensure that everyone has a chance to eat and no single "demo" can bully the rest of my friends. Next? Hummingbirds which are, apparently/unfortunately, seasonal in South Florida. Thank you again!

[@gilligallou]

@@riverboatgambler5285 thank you for watching, much appreciated. Solving customer problems is part of our mission, happy we could help. Enjoy. Bob ,

[@denac4708]

Thank you for your video and for your explanation that you're not discriminating against, but offering solutions. I love feeding my wild critters, especially smaller birds. I have noticed many starlings and grakles latley, and they're scaring away the wild woodpeckers, so I'm just happy for the information. Thank you.

[@gilligallou]

Thank you, much appreciated. Enjoy nature. 😊👌

[@peterjohnson617]

Thank you for your help.Backyard birding is just a wonderful way to enjoy and learn about nature ,in my case from my kitchen chair where I keep binoculars on the table The joy that it has given me over the years is well worth the price of the seed

[@gilligallou]

Good morning, thank you for following along. I always say birding is for the soul, it reconnects us to nature as we are nature and nature is us. Have a great day. Bob

[@giuliom7428]

Nothing against starlings, but my God, they are extemely tribal... Once one spots the food, 100 of them arrive within a minute

[@chrisgrube8529]

Hate them ,they hang on mysuet feeder ,meant for woodpeckers

[@SugarMollyHazel]

@@chrisgrube8529 I'm having that problem now. I even bought a upside down suet feeder and they still can get to the food. I watch one hang under it and ate. I don't know what to do it pisses me the heck off.

[@marceloustaylor9751]

​@SugarMollyHazel I bought a caged suet feeder. Problem instantly solved. The suet actually lasts!

[@21kidsanddogs]

@@marceloustaylor9751 i have caged suet feeders and i left the plastic on the outside and they can hang on it = i have a wood upside down one and they dont seem to be able to use it

[@lightgiver7311]

I have those cages you showed around the majority of my feeders. The feeder with safflower is the only one not bothered by the nasty nuisance birds to I didn't need to cage it. I highly recommend people try these. My little Hairy woodpeckers and nuthatches have no problem with the cages nor do the goldfinch, chickadee etc. .

[@gilligallou]

Thank you, we do find them to be very effective, I appreciate your comments . 😊👌

[@shar4056]

Mine eat safflower to😢 eat everything and they DO NOT leave they even hang off perchless metal tube feeders

[@bethrokus5766]

What is the name of those cages and where to buy them

[@SARbeaver1]

During cold winters, many birds need to start feeding early in the morning to generate enough body heat to make it through the day. Taking the feeder away until the afternoon may not always be a good option.

[@bobdobalina838]

Two magpies showed up today underneath my feeder. had never seen them before, so I named them heckle and jeckle. 😆 actually didn't mind them being around for a while they were quite polite, heckle and jeckle.

[@gilligallou]

Lol awesome

[@terryallen7356]

I liked all your tips but we LOVE crows and it's hard to feed crows and not have Starlings. I love the way Starlings communicate and many other things about them, but there are getting to be way too many of them. The only thing I can think to do is only feed peanuts in a shell but then I'd miss the Juncos, and all the other little birds that don't eat at feeders. ahhh what a nice problem though. Now that we're retired watching the birds for hours is a joy.

[@jamesschuh8568]

I agree 👍 watching birds at the feeder is very relaxing & entertaining 😃 I love my family of 8 blue Jay's at my feeder.

[@MollDoll174]

Im happy to read others love crows too. I love them. I get peanuts in the shell and usually wait until my crows caw for me in the morning to put it out (otherwise the squirrels will take it all.) We get the blue Jay's this way too. I'm new to bird watching and just recently have seen dark eyed juncos for the first time. They are cute. I have a regular seed mix on the ground for the juncos with no starlings yet. A few grackles.. but I am not sure how to deter those ones.

[@mr.majestic8713]

Crows are scavengers that eat the eggs and young of other scarcer songbirds. Got no use for them.

[@billwilson2160]

I HATE CROWS

[@21kidsanddogs]

the starling crows and grackles here love the shelled peanuts and have basically run my bluejays off

[@WVgrl59]

I live in a bird sanctuary and I love our Blue Herons, Finches, Bluebirds, and our state bird, the Cardinal. I also love Hummingbirds, but you have to have the time to keep hummingbirds' feeders clean, and I am finally a new grandma. ❤

[@gilligallou]

Awesome, congratulations grandma , fun times ahead. Enjoy your birds. 😎👌, Bob

[@thilgu]

I live in urban Holland with a "wild" garden. It attracts many small birds during this winter but now since a week or so a large group of crows chases the small ones away. Thanks for this video.

[@LightYagami-xl1wz]

I love crows though, they’re my favorite birds and they’re so beautiful and intelligent :)

[@thomastuorto9929]

Thanks for the vid. I have no problems keeping the squirrels off. But would still like to see the Northern Cardinals, Bluejays, & larger woodpeckers around. Also, so many sparrows around. Wouldn't mind evening out the numbers variety wise if possible.

[@HayK47]

We put out black oil sunflower seeds and get Grackels, Starlings, Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Dark Eyed Juncos, House Sparrows and Finches, and occasionally a Red Winged Blackbird and a Black Capped Chicakadee. We also keep plenty of food out for the squirrels. Everyone seems to get along fine.

[@ChildofGod71]

I noticed by feeding grackles they chase away pooping pidgins and doves! Well done!As long as one is not bird watching !Thank you!

[@PlanetC64]

I was just looking for a way to tell grackles & starlings apart…stayed for your Knowledge & Sense of Humor! 👍🏼

[@gilligallou]

Thank you so much, Bob 👌

[@themermaidstale5008]

We have a marsh bordering our backyard and the Redwing blackbirds came and stayed because we encouraged them by offering food they loved. We spent a lot of money on bird food. We decided we won’t be doing that this summer because their large presence chased all other birds away.

[@oh_k8]

Red wing black birds are beautiful and have a lovely song. They are persecuted by farmers. They are not a problem bird. Are you sure they're chasing other birds away and it's not the large flocks of black birds attracting hawks?

[@themermaidstale5008]

@@oh_k8 We occasionally get hawks in the yard; once I saw one catch a snake. But the bluebirds and woodpeckers and smaller birds don’t stay long when there are large numbers of RW Blackbirds at the feeders.

[@oh_k8]

@@themermaidstale5008 I'm not talking about those kinds of hawks, I'm talking about hawks that only hunt other birds, like Cooper's hawk and Sharp Shin hawks. They stalk large groups of blackbirds and pigeons and they are likely the reason the other birds are scattering and not due to the RW blackbirds.

[@lindajohnson2252]

What an awesome upbeat positive person you are and oh how helpful! Thank you! I learned a lot today from you. Great video.

[@gilligallou]

Thank you so very much, 😊👌 BV

[@annerector8765]

He's a nothing. All that he has said is common knowledge.

[@jamesjacocks6221]

Not an issue. I am pleased to be visited by birds of any stripe.

[@gilligallou]

Morning 😊 , thank you, enjoy.

[@rosiethurman7900]

It’s winter here now and I have a ton of grackles and I just put out 4 lbs of feed last evening and this morning it was gone! So I think I’ll try your method of taking the platform feeders away in the mornings. Thank you for this it’s just what I needed!

[@jillsimmons5089]

Thank you for all your tips.

[@gilligallou]

@@jillsimmons5089 hi there, thank you so much for watching, reach out anytime, Bob

[@noreendunne431]

Thank you, very happy with that info! Starlings gobble up a lot of the feed I put out for our little song birds, it doesn't l last very long! That cage to stop them looks very good, I'll see can I get one here in Ireland 👍😉

[@gilligallou]

Hello in Ireland , 😊 enjoy! Thank you , Bob , 🇨🇦

[@JayP-kd5rc]

Starlings don' t eat black oil sunflower seed, but most of the good birds that you like do like it. Try using that. Even the small finches and such can and will eat it. They like it.

[@MerkinMuffly]

In most of the US if you plan on just putting food out and not monitoring it, you'll mostly end up with grackles, mourning doves, starlings and house sparrows.(SEE CORNELL LIVE FEEDER) I put feeders close to the the house hanging some of them right under the gutter, in front of my windows. When I see any of the pest birds I run them off by tapping on the window, or go outside to run them off, if they go to a nearby tree or line I'll harass them until they are completely off my property. You have to do this multiple times and be vigilant. I have no problems with them eventually. My birds are now cardinals, blue jays, house finches, gold finch, downy and red bellied woodpecker, cat bird, mockingbird, carolina wren, titmouse, chickadees. I also don't put the good food out until I'm around to watch over it. Just getting safflower seeds doesn't work, the pest birds will eat that as well and I don't have the money to buy expensive weighted and barred feeders designed to let in only light weight small birds. I have no problems with squirrels because our neighbors cat harasses them when they get close to the feeder, unfortunately she goes after my birds as well.

[@dianeNoneYa1157]

I remember my grandma chasing the cats away from the bird feeder. She would stand on the back porch and holler at them. Sometimes she would just take their food out to the shed and lock them up until dark. Then back out she'd go so they could spend the night prowling around. Next morning it would all start over again,lol

[@y2ksurvivor]

Do you ever have any issues with the song birds hitting the windows?

[@xxDEERFARTSxx]

That’s mean the doves sparrows and grackles need to eat to why not let them eat at my bird feeder I let them eat all the time

[@Artbug]

Its really not that bad if you afjust you feex and feeders. Ive luckily only ever had one house sparrow show up where i am in the woodlands. But when I was infested with starlings, I took away the mealworms I was feeding to try and attract bluebirds and now I'm down to just one nesting pair that comes by. I use a hanging suet feeder which makes it inconvenient for most non clinging birds so only woodpeckers, nuthatches and other little guys can get it. I also feed very specific kinds of seed... nothing that gets flicked out and collects on the ground to attract unruly masses of blackbirds, just an occasional migratory flock. I also feed this way to keep squirrels and raccoons to a bare minimum

[@jant2470]

I sit there for hours chasing blackbirds away. They still keep coming.

[@billmoore6688]

Good video. I’ll try your suggestions. Where did you get the bird sounds. Love those sounds.

[@gilligallou]

Hi there, thank you, mostly from KZbin, I just search different birds, like the Cardinal, tons on there. 😊👌

[@Unlockingparadoxes]

Never give up on your dreams and aspirations and remember to be kind and uplifting to each other and open minded and genuine.

[@akbychoice]

I built pvc hanging feeders on a large T post. Tin on the lower part keeps squirrels from climbing the post. The perches on the feeders are zip ties. Enough to hold small birds but not larger birds. For larger birds I have wire mesh feeders.

[@HarpyNeal]

Love this because squirrles and piggy birds as I call them are eating my feed up every day I have to fill it every moring it cost lot to buy feed 20 bucks and up I was going through 2 20 pound bags a week.. At first a 20 pound bag last almost a month till the piggys starting hitting it.. Thank you going to go to store get this stuff..

[@blossomfrey13]

I feed them all. I don't hate any of them. I love my squirrels. I love my wild doves. They are so sweet.

[@paulabrown5243]

So, some types literally kill the Eastern Bluebird which at one time were declining rapidly. The Cowbird and other agressives will lay their eggs in other birds nests and the hatchlings will kill or knock the babies out of the nest. That defeats one of the main purposes of birding. I promote the well being of our native birds and species that need more help to thrive. I discourage the agressive species.

[@ellietobe]

What about suet? Is there any suet feeder that Grackles and Starlings cannot get into?

[@Linda-qq5mg]

Thank you for sharing your suggestions.

[@DEBIGALANTI77]

It worked! I was bleeding money in birdseed because the grackles, starlings & blackbirds gobbled the food by the time it was 10 am & wasn't allowing any of the smaller birds to even land. I used to open the door just to scare them so the other birds had a chance but they stopped caring 😂 after your suggestion, I put the feeders in a tote, replaced with a tube feeder & viola! I plan to put the other ones back up later in the afternoon so the Cardinals , Bluejays & Woodpeckers get some treats. I was scared I had to get cages & spend more money but it looks like this works. Thank you!

[@gilligallou]

Awesome, glad to help, enjoy, thank you

[@OutlawMonstersPerson]

I put out food for any feathered friend that comes to eat. Got a few blue birds, finches and crows hanging around my haunted mansion... I let them all eat by spreading out the feeding places. It's a big yard! Room for more.

[@denac4708]

Love your comment. I also have many birds and other critters that come along with the birds i.e. squirrels and mice and even rats, I happily share with them all. However, I am seeking solutions for my woodpeckers to get the fats they need, but it instantly attracts the bigger birds. I make most of my own feeders, homemade suet, and mix up my seed varites with peanuts, meal worms, crickets, eggshells, and dried fruits. I love all the wild creatures and want them all around. I'm just seeking ideas for the smaller birds to still feed while the bigger ones are enjoying their feed as well. It's nice to hear another nature lover who understands everything that comes with the territory of feeding "birds" is naturally going to attract other so-called pests.

[@uveepoppy]

I am so happy i came across your video on youtube. You told my story to a T. I live in the woods in coastal Lake Michigan and have an awesome array of species. Red finch, goldfinch, Cardinals, Orioles, 4 or 5 different woodpeckers including the Pileated and for the first time a Red-headed woodpecker, chickadees, nuthatches, Northeastern Bluebird, tanager and on the rare occasion an Indigo Bunting and of course robins and Bluejays and last but not least the Grosbeak who also have a pretty song. I always get a few Red-winged blackbirds in the late spring and they stay a short while then leave but not this year and along with them, for the first time are Grackles and not just a few, I'm talking 40-50 birds between the two My neighbors hate me because the birds rain poop on their vehicles. My husband is not thrilled with me spending 75 dollars a week on sunflower seed and suet That's 100 lbs of seed and an 18 ct case of suet. I have 7 hanging (large) feeders, 2 suet holders, 2 hummingbird feeders, and 1 more for just plain water for them. Also, I forgot to mention I started throwing cracked corn on the ground for the doves and turkeys and thinking maybe it would keep the unwanted birds off the feeders which was a good idea for the doves and turkeys but also enjoyable for the undesirables. Alas, what was said in your video helped me to make the decision to take down the feeders at night and put them out later in the day It's late June, and right now the hens are bringing in their chicks to feed them, showing them where and how to feed them so I hate to limit them hour wise by not having the feeders out there all day but that's kind of a moot point because they can't get near the feeders anyway and the bad birds can be intimidating and aggressive towards my precious ones. Fortunately, the much bigger birds leave around 7 pm and the little ones that have been watching from the trees all day get a chance to eat as it doesn't get really get dark here till around 930 pm and my cardinals will be the last ones to roost. I also put2 suet cakes out every nite for the woodpeckers. Thanks for the good advice. PS not all Redwing blackbirds migrate, some are residents AND the Audobon calls them ground feeders, Ha-Ha!

[@gilligallou]

Good morning, thank you 🙏 enjoy

[@ProctorsGamble]

That redheaded woodpecker is most likely a redbellied woodpecker of all things.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

@@ProctorsGamble Not necessarily, I live in Michigan also and we have both Red Bellied and Red Headed Woodpeckers. I've only seen the Red Headed a couple times, but they are around. 😀 I actually have footage of one on my channel. We see Red Bellied almost daily.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

uveepoppy I live in Michigan and have all of the birds you listed too... it's a wonderful variety! It's obvious you love birds, but feeding SO much may be too much of a good thing. I bet if you decrease the number of feeders way down, eventually those big flocks will get the hint and move on. Also, not putting food on the ground helps a lot. Happy birding!

[@CynthiaMunroe-ed3jc]

Omg im so glad i FOUND U...im poor and the gracles stole all the birdseed today o. Them 😢😢😢ty vm i now know how to keep my sparrows amd their babies from getting killed while icry...

[@pamelawood7200]

Thank you for the info. Love your happy spirit. Ignore the naysayers.. they prob don’t have feeders and don’t understand the struggle

[@gilligallou]

Thank you so much , 😊 have a wonderful day.

[@smokejumper7045]

A lone grackle isnt so bad but they usually group up in bunches of 50 to 80 and that wipes out a feeder in a few hrs.

[@deborahkruse6161]

Hello from Kansas city, Missouri! Thank you for your feeding method info, no problem with any bird species BUT I HATE the Starlings! They eat all the feed in a day. So will be trying your method. THANKS!

[@beebop9808]

Starlings I see sometimes. Red Wings I don't mind but they come and go. I did have a couple hundred males show up this past winter which was kind of wild and welcomed. They got their fill and moved on though. I had never seen them in their winter colors. They looked pretty cool I thought! Funny all my birds have learned apparently they're safe here and when I get noisy chasing off starlings they don't react hardly if at all but the starlings tend to stay away for a while after I get on their case 2 or 3 times. You're absolutely right though, if you don't get on them early, you'll get mobbed!

[@Urem0801]

Your problem birds are my favorite. Grackles are a joy to watch. The juveniles are hilarious, learning the pairs. They are so shy, yet playful. The second they see me, they're flying away. 😂

[@MarshallConnolly]

Great video! I was wondering- will the 18” tube feeder cage impede cardinals from feeding? Im at my wits end with these black birds. They descend en mass- like 40-50 and none of the cardinals or smaller birds get a crumb.

[@gilligallou]

Morning, we have many clients that have successfully kept their Cardinal coming to the feeder through the cage, I do find that it might take them time to get comfortable with it. We have a video on our website with the product. www.gilligalloubird.com 😊 , Bob

[@kyeddiepop547]

Hi thanks for all the tips! We call grackles crows or rooks over here in the 🇬🇧 sending best wishes x,kimi

[@robinrummel1359]

I think the grackles and blackbirds overwinter in my area because they come in the fall and don't leave till spring! I will be using your method of feeding in the afternoon and I'm also going to look for the feeder cage. I have used safflower seeds but always mixed with other seeds so that may be something else I try. Thanks for the tips!

[@gilligallou]

Hi there, you can get the cage on our website www.gilligalloubird.com we ship all over North America, thank you , Bob

[@douglasimel1192]

4/12/2023. The Cardinals only like the platform. If I quit feeding to get rid of the Starlings won't that get rid of the Cardinals too even if I start feeding again in the afternoons after a couple of weeks? I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.

[@cleolateeple1997]

Blue jays hog all my bird feed.

[@nancykuykendall1341]

I read that the grackles eat the bugs you don't want in your yard or garden, so if you don't mind sharing the food with them they can be beneficial in your garden. Doesn't mean I don't want to get rid of them at times. I did notice if I didn't put the food out they didn't hang around as much.

[@oh_k8]

Starlings, grackles, every type of blackbirds are ferocious hunters of negative insects.

[@atis9061]

@@oh_k8they should move to Florida for the summer then

[@alexwelsh6251]

Hi there. watching form Scotland where the starlings have been raiding my bird feeders.They are incredibly successful at getting through the guardian cage I bought sadly. Smart ibirds! However I thought you gave some good advice here. Thank you.

[@gilligallou]

Thank you Alex, much appreciated. Hopefully you are able to slow them done some. Bob

[@Starly98297]

I love starlings so much, i would want them at my feeders. They are such amazing creatures

[@atis9061]

They are invasive and kill and maim other more vulnerable birds

[@rebeccam9737]

I have a round, covered bird feeder…both top and bottom are close to the same size…bottom is a bit smaller. I have found that if I lower the top to a few inches, the Grackles have a really hard time getting the jelly or oranges I put in the bottom, but the Orioles and Finches can easily access the food. I’m not sure if it’s their size, that they can’t duck down far enough, or they’re not agile enough, but it really helps keep them from devouring all the food.

[@gilligallou]

Awesome, I do a similar thing with my squirrel buster plus and the optional weather guard, their flight dexterity is different and they find it very difficult to get under to access the food. All of our products are Ava on www.gilligalloubird.com , thank you 😊

[@kippertoo]

I’m in central Wisconsin and the Eastern Starlings were terrible! I started filling all my feeders with just safflower seed and it not only stops the Starlings from devouring everything, squirrels don’t like it either. However, with it being so cold (-37 windchill as of this posting) the squirrels will eat it if the seed is not doused with Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce.

[@DavidA-uk9bm]

Great video, the grackles at my house are going through a whole cake of suet in one day! The momma is feeding it to her 3 fledglings. I guess the answer is to remove the suet for a couple of days and hopefully they will go away?

[@gilligallou]

It’s good for her young, she will find other food sources, thank you, Bob

[@MeekaMoo100]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@gilligallou]

You’re most welcome, thank you for watching. 😊 Bob

[@feliciasmith2920]

Good morning.... So I purchased the safflower seed. Very few birds are eating it. In fact, I put a cup full in the feeder and most of it remains in the tray. Maybe its the brand (bought it at Walmart) but its not being ate. I suppose its time to cover my feeder with the cage unit which would be a big expense since I have many feeders. The tip you shared about finch attraction is working!

[@gilligallou]

@@feliciasmith2920 morning, for sure be careful where you buy your seed, quality varies drastically. That said when we change up like that it sometimes takes a while for our birds to get comfortable with the new offerings. I would take all feeders down except ones in a cage to slow down the Grackles, removing access to the food is the only way to deter. Enjoy, thank you for reaching out, Bob

[@feliciasmith2920]

Thank you for the sincere communication and guidance. 🐦

[@gilligallou]

@@feliciasmith2920 a pleasure, 😊 feel free to reach out anytime, thank you. Bob

[@fern1416]

I have Jackdaws having no issues eating through a gaurdian feeder and also hanging onto a pole to empty the seed out of my squirrel buster. Might try the putting feeders out from 3pm-11pm. They are in a community garden nearby. No shed for the pole

[@edithb.4053]

I like the cage you showed and was wondering if cardinals will fit through the holes.

[@gilligallou]

hi there, Yes ,we do have many customers that have cardinals going into the cage, yes. Some take a while to get comfortable with it, Bob

[@edithb.4053]

Thank you.

[@gilligallou]

@@edithb.4053 you can find them on our website, www.gilligalloubird.com

[@JustMe-vk4fn]

Augh. Everything is hungry. I put out feed and just enjoy the show.

[@MYfriendsknow]

That's what my family does too.

[@vivalasvegas2826]

Awe they like to eat too and they are very social

[@johnnyc613]

Thank you .... the Sterling’s here in The NYC area are ridiculous!!!! They mob everything and then fight and yell !! Really a pain is when I set up perches/props for photography and they’re so many of them that land that the birds I want to actually photograph can NOT get in .. the only 2 birds that I’ve seen that will fight back and born of up with them are red belly woodpeckers & mockingbirds ... thanks for the video!

[@atis9061]

As bad as the house sparrows I’m so tired of them

[@Unlockingparadoxes]

Much love and respect to you and your channel. I hope that all is well for you and your family and friends.

[@wendylm4770]

I love the Great Tailed Grackles! All the different sounds they make are so fun!

[@gilligallou]

Indeed, I particularly like their tail when they fly, it turns sideways , and twist and turns as they fly. So cool, 😎😊👌

[@eagle4246]

Thank you I’ll try taking food away grackles are expert at getting on even squirrel buster feeders

[@castlerock7423]

Thank you for the info, I will try the afternoon thing.

[@CypressVintage]

I feed them all. Never had issues. Happy feeding.

[@jbonkerz]

I was wondering why my seed was going so fast outside! I will take this advice to get the grackles to move on from my yard.

[@lezliiolson]

Q

[@1wholovestrees]

Thank you for this! I can see where the first cage device might also keep out squirrels. I have blue jays that teach the chickadees to remove the seed to get at the sunflower seeds that are in with the regular seed. I have a dense, about 6” thick “carpet” of seed under my feeder because of this. I think the only remedy would be to buy sunflower seeds by themselves and have a special feeder for them. Unfortunately, my area has bird seed that has them mixed, so I’m still faced with the problem. I now feed the birds twice a week, as I’m getting some expensive “grass” under the feeder. Would you have any other solution?

[@mortonbortell3755]

I never use mixes anymore. Too much waste. I don't think the Blue Jays are teaching the chickadees. Given a choice the birds seem to focus on and pick their favorite and get the others out of the way. Dedicated feeder for one seed type has worked the best for me. Black seeded sunflower is just the best all around so I use that in my feeders of different types and straight millet at ground level on the soli or little platforms. I put out cracked corn too. That gives just about everyone enough, including the squirrels and rabbits. Squirrels are a love/hate thing. I don't hate them. I tried safflower but was surprised it wasn't much eaten - the black sunflower was still the favorite and it's a whole lot cheaper. That being said, 6 inches of seed under your feeder is not preferable. Are these mostly unopened seed? That would be way too much waste. Are you sure a bear isn't coming by?

[@lefauxpas]

Thanks for the info!

[@gilligallou]

😊👌 thanks for watching

[@MYfriendsknow]

We have them here in southern Texas too. Grackles bathe in our backyard birdbath. They nested in one of our trees and had brand new babies this past month. I don't mind them - but they seemed to have pushed out the squirrels and other birds that were here while they were nesting. Now I just started to see the sparrows start to return. Hope to see more of a variety again soon.

[@ccdogpark]

When you say squirrels are you referring to "grey squirrels". I have to use a Havahart model 1083 EZ-Set trap to deter grey squirrels. 430+ in about 5 years.

[@SolKonstrukt]

Thank you./. Great advice

[@shar4056]

Did you notice other birds like cardinals etc stopped coming when you didnt have it available in the morning? My grackles ate safflower as well. Very annoying but i dont want to loose other birds by not having food out all day for them.

[@gilligallou]

Good morning, there is a bit of a trade off for sure, that said birds are natural food seekers, they’ll be back and take advantage of the food when it’s available. Give it a try, it works well. Thanks for watching, Bob 😊

[@paintbrush42]

Thanks so much. I learned a lot and it will help one of my friends, too.

[@gilligallou]

awesome, thank you,

[@davelowell3008]

I have zero problem with squirrels, mounted all my feeders on 5 or 6 inch schedule 40 pipe. Squirrels can not climb up . Works for me.

[@ccdogpark]

2" diameter PVC is all you really need to deter grey squirrels. Occasionally one will defeat my pole, so I put some vaseline on it. The cost of PVC increases dramatically for larger size pipe especially for a 5 or 6' length. Regards WRZ Delaware County, PA

[@ccdogpark]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3qXqWCQe8iBatU kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHXPZ3WLl6eUoaM The Havahart # 1083 is the best trap for grey squirrels by a very wide margin. The only problem with these "live traps" is that in the hot summer months, people working normal jobs would probably put the trap out in the early AM and return to check the trap 8 hours later (depending on whether the animal being trapped is nocturnal or not). Doing that would cause the grey squirrel to suffer a slow torturous death. I am retired and I make sure to check my traps at the very least, every 2 hours, which is easy since they are at the base of my bird feeders and I can see them from our screened-in porch. Grey squirrels are only active during the day and when it is extremely hot, they tend to stay in their nests; so I take my squirrel traps back to the garage when it is over 80 degrees out. Thus most of June, July and August they are only set from about 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and I still caught 23 grey squirrels in June 2020 with 2 Havahart model 1083 EZ-set traps. You can set this trap in less than 10 seconds. WRZ 2021-08-04 Delaware County, PA USA suburban Philadelphia

[@sweetmary9326]

I just put the food for who is hungry not matter who you are. All birds are beautiful for me and I love yo see them eating and coming to my yard I'm thankful for that. Enjoy the beautiful of God.

[@auana3]

I leave near water, so of course I had grackles, Red winged black birds and cowbirds on my birdfeeder. At first I was ok, but after awhile I see that they dominate the birdfeeder and the little guys have no chance to get there. They also drop tons of food on the ground. And not to mention they poop all over my deck and that was not making me happy. I wanted them to go but I didn’t know what to do. Recently I had to travel for two weeks, and consequently the food had to ended for all birds since I had nobody to come and feed them for me. The real problem was that the feeder needed to be removed every night because of the bears. When I returned, I put the feeder out again, and to my surprise, and like you said, I have no black birds anymore. I’m loving that. The little guys are returning slowly and enjoying the food again. But honestly I worry that one day the blackbirds will discover the food and come back in mass again. My birdfeeder has a dish at the bottom where the food falls. I think that’s my problem number one. I need to change it for one without a dish, right? It’s the dish at the bottom that allows them to stay and eat.

[@gilligallou]

Morning, As summer progresses you should have less troubles with them, that said the dish on the bottom creates a feeding, landing platform for sure. If they are attracted to your feeder again repeat the process of removing the feeder, either daily or for 2-3 days in a row. Enjoy, Bob 😊

[@auana3]

@@gilligallou Thank you! I think next Spring I will know better what to do. And you’re were right, Summer made them stopped coming.

[@CynthiaMunroe-ed3jc]

I still love that pictures

[@saraw8503]

I love our redwings. But the grackles are a pain. They come en masse and devour everything.

[@gilligallou]

They do indeed, they have adapted very well to feeders, our cage system works well.

[@rosemaryastheimer4661]

Thanks for the tips! I’m afraid I will loose my red-bellied woodpecker if I use the cage. Back to safflower but I’ve never tryied takings the feeders down at night.

[@woxineaucrows7355]

I LOVE them ALL mate and feed then seed 365 days and the Blue Jays,Cardinals, chickies, Ducks,Gees man I love all~I even get about 40-60 pigeons quit often and yes it is exp but Im retired and a nerd I guess so ty man for your info~

[@gilligallou]

Woxineau Crows awesome, we have no biases, 😊 glad to hear you enjoy our feathered friends. 👍 thank you 🙏, Bob

[@ThatOneguy-br3uf]

I love pigeons

[@shimmyhinnah]

Me too.

[@sheilaberrigan9736]

very helpful....thankyou so much for that

[@gilligallou]

Thank you, reach out anytime, Bob

[@saraht4973]

Thank you ❤

[@gilligallou]

You’re most welcome

[@eleanorschneider5104]

Do squirrels like sat flower seed? Thanks. I had humming birds for weeks and now nothing I am in southern NJ in June

[@gilligallou]

hi there, do you mean Safflower? they don't enjoy safflower as much it does deter them somewhat

[@annanitschke6727]

I used to shop at your store in Almonte but won't any longer. I love my Starlings and even live with one for the past 4 years and provide food for her extended family over winter which happens to be small sized cat kibble since they cannot process seeds like other birds. Grackles show up in the spring and I'm always happy to have them. They're beautiful and appreciative of the hanging suet and sunflower seeds I provide. I have all kinds of finches and Jays and grosbeaks, warblers and hummingbirds. Everyone gets along.

[@gilligallou]

That’s fantastic to have all those birds, as mentioned in our pined post , we have no biases, we providing services and solutions to our customers requests and problems. Thank you, Bob ,enjoy your birds !

[@Dreamworld986]

I just saw this video and I like your idea of removing the food till later in the day. I'm not to bothered anymore by any of the "black" bird species. My feeder pole, which has 4 hooks for feeders is about 12 feet from my kitchen window. Several years ago I started rapping on the window if I was in the kitchen and saw them so they don't come around much anymore. But the house sparrows! What to do about them. I stopped putting out loose seed and used the different round or block shaped seed packs which helped but not enough. Now I have a silo feeder with loose seed and a homemade silo type for sunflower. My neighbor, who I don't know well, has a 12 compartment birdhouse which is filled with these sparrows and they breed all summer and then bring their brats into my yard. How do you deter sparrows? They eat everything all day long. The cage you showed I think is great for larger birds but the house sparrows would go right through that. Any suggestions.

[@gilligallou]

Morning, thank you. Truly , removing the seed is the best option for the short term, take everything down for a few weeks and then reintroduce slowly late in the day and repeat everyday for a few weeks. If they start swarming again take the feeders in. We have to break their habit. Sounds like your neighbour has a purple Martin nesting box that they let the sparrow take over, they’re a invasive species, not native to here, if possible have your neighbour plug the holes to irradiate them. All the best, thanks , Bob

[@yolandagomez9255]

I love this cage unfortunately I put it next to my fence so now the squirrels chewed up the hinges that locks the cage so now I have to improvise lol. Anyway, the cage still works, I’m only getting the birds that can fit in a cage, but I do have a question can Blue Jays , red wind black birds and the red gooseneck fit in this cage because I like to feed the them as well, unfortunately my Cardinals won’t go in a cage because they only like safflower

[@gilligallou]

We have a lot of people that has Cardinals going in the cage. Glad you like it, thank you for the note. Enjoy.

[@SolKonstrukt]

I'm In Fort Lauderdale.. I started Bird watching.. since my yard attracts the Blue Jays and Baltimore Oriels And the Cardinals.. seen a few Woodpeckers , I have yet to catch them on Video..

[@mstamgagirl]

Thank you for your solutions. Nothing against the pesky birds but I don't want to be feeding them! They literally run the smaller birds off and take over.

[@gilligallou]

Thank you, much appreciated. 😎

[@alward9901]

Hi enjoyed your tips. I noticed the Grackles up here in south Ontario Canada show up around March or April . And disappear about August just wondering where do they migrate to. It’s like OK we got our baby’s let’s go . 🐣🐥🦆🦅

[@gilligallou]

They have a very short migrational pattern , only going as far south as the weather pushes them , if it’s a open winter not so far, if it’s colder and snow a little further. Thanks for watching, Bob

[@ekwilliams9811]

Really helpful video... my big problem is the grackles. They are beautiful to look at, but they are chasing away all the other birds, that I do want to have. I've noticed the few cardinals that I did have never came back. I stopped buying sunflower seeds and just purchased thistle seed, safflower and the tiny budgie seed, which the finches seem to like. But those grackles eat it all anyway. Apparently Atlantic Canadian Grackles aren't fussy, lol. Taking in the feeders is an idea, however my mum is 90 and has severe dementia , so the bird feeders are something for her to watch and not having them out in the morning would be disappointing to her. We do have chipmunks eating the seeds which is fine mum loves watching them. Anyone have any suggestions ? Thanks 🙂

[@kingexplosionmurderfuckoff9376]

Check reddit, you may find some tips.

[@ProctorsGamble]

Imagine someone with a handle like that being a birdwatcher 😳

[@LisaB_12204]

What do you recommend to deal with crows? I had to take down my flat feeder because the crows found it. The Crackles are cleaning out the feeders too. I like th cage thing. I'll go to my local bird store to see if they have that available. Thank you.

[@gilligallou]

You did the best thing for this time of year, taking down you tray feeder, leave it dow for a few weeks and then slowly reintroduce it back in late in the afternoon for a few hours each day, taking it down after and repeat agin over and over until you feel comfortable that they have moved on. We ship all over North America, here a link. gilligalloubird.com/collections/all-birding-supplies/products/hanging-cage?variant=42170919893

[@boostjunkieMike]

Informative video, thanks for sharing. I'd love to have less of them visit and more of the nicer birds. They are bullies. I'm going to start catering to the smaller birds, and buy more caged feeders.

[@dadscavaliers642]

In heavy winter weather all birds are welcome at my place so they can all see another spring.

[@TheNaturesNook]

I’ve noticed ever since getting bluejays regularly they chase away the common crackle

[@kathleenfranklin6928]

How far away in INCHES should the cage be to the feeder opening when a cage is attached. Thanks

[@gilligallou]

@@kathleenfranklin6928 our cage is approximately 12 in diameter, so depending on the feeder it would 4,5”

[@tracyscott9832]

My starlings have figured out how to wiggle through the cage to get to my food. Guess I'll have to remove my food for about a week as suggested.

[@gilligallou]

wrap it in chicken wire for a bit ? does it seem to be the same spot each time ?

[@feliciasmith2920]

Part 2 message...lol. Finches ceased to feed from the nyler seed times I have. Its fresh seed and there's been no rainy weather to blemish the feed. 🤔

[@gilligallou]

They will switch and hit the black oil sunflower , both are protein based seeds, they’re just having some verity. That said see if the Nyjer has any mouldy odour, depending on how and where it was packaged it sometimes can be bad out of the bag. , thanks , Bob

[@feliciasmith2920]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@gilligallou]

@@feliciasmith2920 you’re most welcome 😊

[@lovepossums9661]

Can Cardinals fit through the cage system?

[@gilligallou]

Hi there, yes we have several customers that have cardinals going in their cage, check the cage on our website , there is a video there. gilligalloubird.com

[@SugarMollyHazel]

I would love to buy that cage for my feeders. But after buying plus shipping its almost $100 and I wanted two so that even more. So I'm gonna have to look for cheaper ones too bad because that looks nice.

[@gilligallou]

Good morning, shipping is a thing for sure, if you sign up for our newsletter on line you can get 10% off your first purchase, that may help. Thank you .

[@kevinbass1529]

Genuine question. Why would you not want to feed all birds? Just getting into bird feeders and I'm just happy when anything shows up.

[@gilligallou]

Hi Kevin, thank you, I agree, it’s that we try and provide as many solutions for our customers as possible, personally a birds a bird , thanks

[@jacquelinechurch6282]

The grackles are bullies, beautiful birds, but they are not content to let the finches have the finch feeder while they empty the house feeder. They chase away every little bird then dominate the house feeder. They can't use the finch feeder, so eventually, the finches return. I brought the house feeder inside to see if the grackles might go discover some other feeder. I do love them all but I don't want the finches continually scared away. They do fight with the sparrows who are also bullies. It's all entertaining anyway.

[@jennk3058]

Starlings are a vile invasive species that isn't even supposed to be in the states. They kill other birds, they'll kill babies in a nest, they'll destroy feeders. We don't want them on the continent, let alone our feeders.

[@lynnodham7066]

Grackles I think are beautiful birds. A few showed up a couple months ago and it wasn’t a problem. But after about 2 weeks they started showing up in the 20s to 40s. Totally overwhelming my yard. All the other birds are disappearing. I hardly see a little bird anymore. I have the flat feeders which larger birds love. I’m going to use his advice to try to get them to leave. I hate not providing them with food especially since they used to me putting it out regularly but they eat it all. They are killing the grass and pooping on everything on my back porch. Can’t even sit on the furniture.

[@livinglife8333]

I don’t mind feeding starlings, or even morning doves but these bloody grackles can literally eat the large hot pepper compressed seed log in a cpl days. They are expensive and the silo feeders are literally empty in a day.

[@romuloromero2268]

Grackles are beautiful!

[@gilligallou]

They are indeed

[@atis9061]

They menace other birds

[@ralphnabozny8494]

you must of had a good job in life. You are ready for Bear!

[@garyjohnson2022]

Thanks for the info. I will order one of the cages you have demonstrated hoping the distance between the wire and feeder will be greater because unfortunately my problem is the darned Blue Jays and the cage system I bought at my local feed store does not work on them as they just hang on the wire then poke their head through the wire and empty the silo feeder onto the ground which then attracts more of them and all their many many other friends.

[@gilligallou]

Gary Johnson hi Gary , ours do work well, some of the more persistent birds shake , rattle and roll some on the ground , lol currently out of stock, partly do to demand and supply chain problems do to covid , hopefully back in stock soon, check our website often as it will be live there once we are back in stock, thank you. Bob

[@garyjohnson2022]

@@gilligallou Thanks for the reply. I measured my caged feeders and yours are about 2 inches wider so I will keep an eye out for the "back in stock". I am also going to try the safflowers instead of the sunflower seeds in the hope I will be able to hang a feeder for the grosbeaks which appear each spring but then because of the pressure from the Blue Jays they move on. Thanks again

[@moragbrown7765]

Can you buy those cages anywhere in the UK? I live in Scotland and have a problem with Wood pigeons keeping the wee birds away and stomping all my new plants grr they just sit waiting all day and crap everywhere x thanks great video