An onslaught of starlings and grackles can be very discouraging to the backyard bird feeding enthusiast. They eat us out of house and home and then, to make matters worse, they bully the smaller songbirds to keep them away from our feeders. This time of year we get lots of questions about starlings at Duncraft. Here are a few products to help you discourage those pesky starlings.
Starlings and grackles love suet, but they don’t like to eat upside down. A feeder like our durable Eco-Strong Upside Down Suet feeder (shown here) or our nifty Touch-Free Suet Feeder will keep the starlings out of the suet. And the woodpeckers and other small clinging birds will enjoy eating in a position that is very natural and comfortable for them.
We have several seed feeders that discourage the starlings, too. Our Cling-A-Wing attracts goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and their friends but the starlings (and pigeons) aren’t able to eat from them comfortably. The starlings will become downright despondent when you fill the Squirrel Buster Plus with black oil sunflower seeds. You can set the weight mechanism so that the smaller birds can dine peacefully as the starlings watch on in despair.
If you’re looking for a super safe birdhouse, check out our Duncraft Eco-Songbird Roosting Box and the cozy Eco Chalet House (shown here). They make a great home for bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, wrens and nuthatches, but the high entry hole, predator guard, and squirrel locks help discourage starlings and other predators from getting in. You can also add on the Screw Mount Birdhouse Guardian to your existing birdhouses to keep precious nestlings safe from starlings and other predators.
When you’re faced with a starling problem, try one or two of these products to see if that can resolve the issue. If the starlings and grackles continue to be a problem, the best thing to do is just remove your feeders for a few weeks. The greedy interlopers will give up and move on, but your friendly neighborhood birds will soon be flocking back to your feeders.
Remember – it’s better to discourage unwanted pests than to be discouraged by them!
Make every day a happy bird day!
