Addendum to a Post (Bird Feeder Protector)
by
TheLastLeafGardener
(IC: blogger)
In a prior post here on HT (September 20th 2013 @ http://www.hometalk.com/diy/outdoor/garden/catching-crumbs-that-fall-to-the-floor-followup-3-to-8-22-s-post-2243447), I discussed the solution for modifying my WBU-SS Feeder (Shine Feeder), and I included pictures as well as info on the product (modification for that feeder) within that entry.
Today I am providing an addendum to the aforementioned post, as the solution which was recommended to me did not completely resolve my bird-feeder issue and I want to inform you of what did work, as well as changes that I have had to make in hopes of completely resolving my issues. I am doing this in case anyone out in the HT community is grappling with similar issues re feeding birds in an urban garden.
As you may recall (or will see if you refer to my prior post on this subject), I was advised by an expert (Susan Grimstead)* to put a mesh cage around my shine feeder. This was recommended as a method to deter pigeons from invading my feeders. The cage-like structure allows smaller song birds (house finches, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, dark eyed juncoes, tufted titmouses) that had been visiting me at the time of my query for feeder solutions to enter and exit the feeder with ease, but the small openings are not usually feasible for pigeons.
The shine feeder in its mesh cage can be seen in image one of this entry and it is the same picture that I included in my 9-20-13 entry here on HT.
One of my concerns re the mesh cage was that the smaller song birds and cardinals would be deterred from dining, but, as you may recall from that 9-20-13 entry, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the smaller song birds noshed from the "protected" shine feeder.
These birds included the ones seen in pictures two and three which I've included here for easy reference, even though they were seen in the 9-20-13 posting.
Moreover, Cam, my female cardinal, who never (to my knowledge) has perched at any of my feeders (and I have written about a number of feeders in several posts here on HT) availed herself of food from my enclosed shine feeder!
Cam seemed to be doing this because her son, Vincenzo (who I wrote about on a couple of occasions here on HT) had noshed from my enclosed feeder, for as it is written, "A little child shall lead them."
Vincenzo can be seen at the enclosed feeder in images four and five of this entry while images of Cam at this feeder are numbered six and seven. The two of them at the feeder can be seen in image eight and Cam hanging out with other birds at the feeder is featured in pictures nine as well as ten.
Even a lone blue-jay availed him/herself of this new arrangement, as evidenced in images eleven through fourteen.
BUT it wasn't long before pigeons figured out a work-around to avail themselves of food from the feeder as you can surmise from images fifteen and sixteen. Initially I was amused and impressed by the tenacity and innovativeness of the pigeons as evidenced by the reflections I included on TLLG's FB Page with the aforementioned pictures.
However, since lawsuits have been brought against folks who feed pigeons (see link to article at the end of this posting**), I could not risk anything and I sent a couple of pictures (seventeen and eighteen) to Susan Grimstead (who I referred to earlier in this entry) to see if she could come up with Plan B.
Susan pointed out to me that the pigeon was not eating from the feeder itself, rather he/she was sticking his head into the slots of the cage to reach for the seeds which fell to the attached tray! (As the widow in scripture pointed out :"Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall to the floor!")
Ms. Grimstead referred me to her naturalist and Plan B was put into action: I procured a new cage so I'd have a "double tray effect" which you can see in photo-op nineteen.
BUT once again my pigeons outsmarted me and found ways to stick their heads through the cage and nosh from the feeder as evidenced in picture twenty.
Once again, Susan had a suggestion which was to replace the seeds in the feeder with only striped sunflower seeds. And indeed this had (for now) kept the pigeons away from the feeder but I still have a number of them in my garden!
Please stay tuned AND if you have any solutions to deter pigeons, please feel free to leave me a comment!
* Susan Grimstead is from WBU-NJ @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Birds-Unlimited-of-Paramus/183838758359721
** Article on lawsuit brought against someone who had pigeons at their feeders is @ http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/li-man-accused-of-harboring-wild-pigeons-goes-to-appellate-court-1.6432699
Today I am providing an addendum to the aforementioned post, as the solution which was recommended to me did not completely resolve my bird-feeder issue and I want to inform you of what did work, as well as changes that I have had to make in hopes of completely resolving my issues. I am doing this in case anyone out in the HT community is grappling with similar issues re feeding birds in an urban garden.
As you may recall (or will see if you refer to my prior post on this subject), I was advised by an expert (Susan Grimstead)* to put a mesh cage around my shine feeder. This was recommended as a method to deter pigeons from invading my feeders. The cage-like structure allows smaller song birds (house finches, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, dark eyed juncoes, tufted titmouses) that had been visiting me at the time of my query for feeder solutions to enter and exit the feeder with ease, but the small openings are not usually feasible for pigeons.
The shine feeder in its mesh cage can be seen in image one of this entry and it is the same picture that I included in my 9-20-13 entry here on HT.
One of my concerns re the mesh cage was that the smaller song birds and cardinals would be deterred from dining, but, as you may recall from that 9-20-13 entry, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the smaller song birds noshed from the "protected" shine feeder.
These birds included the ones seen in pictures two and three which I've included here for easy reference, even though they were seen in the 9-20-13 posting.
Moreover, Cam, my female cardinal, who never (to my knowledge) has perched at any of my feeders (and I have written about a number of feeders in several posts here on HT) availed herself of food from my enclosed shine feeder!
Cam seemed to be doing this because her son, Vincenzo (who I wrote about on a couple of occasions here on HT) had noshed from my enclosed feeder, for as it is written, "A little child shall lead them."
Vincenzo can be seen at the enclosed feeder in images four and five of this entry while images of Cam at this feeder are numbered six and seven. The two of them at the feeder can be seen in image eight and Cam hanging out with other birds at the feeder is featured in pictures nine as well as ten.
Even a lone blue-jay availed him/herself of this new arrangement, as evidenced in images eleven through fourteen.
BUT it wasn't long before pigeons figured out a work-around to avail themselves of food from the feeder as you can surmise from images fifteen and sixteen. Initially I was amused and impressed by the tenacity and innovativeness of the pigeons as evidenced by the reflections I included on TLLG's FB Page with the aforementioned pictures.
However, since lawsuits have been brought against folks who feed pigeons (see link to article at the end of this posting**), I could not risk anything and I sent a couple of pictures (seventeen and eighteen) to Susan Grimstead (who I referred to earlier in this entry) to see if she could come up with Plan B.
Susan pointed out to me that the pigeon was not eating from the feeder itself, rather he/she was sticking his head into the slots of the cage to reach for the seeds which fell to the attached tray! (As the widow in scripture pointed out :"Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall to the floor!")
Ms. Grimstead referred me to her naturalist and Plan B was put into action: I procured a new cage so I'd have a "double tray effect" which you can see in photo-op nineteen.
BUT once again my pigeons outsmarted me and found ways to stick their heads through the cage and nosh from the feeder as evidenced in picture twenty.
Once again, Susan had a suggestion which was to replace the seeds in the feeder with only striped sunflower seeds. And indeed this had (for now) kept the pigeons away from the feeder but I still have a number of them in my garden!
Please stay tuned AND if you have any solutions to deter pigeons, please feel free to leave me a comment!
* Susan Grimstead is from WBU-NJ @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Birds-Unlimited-of-Paramus/183838758359721
** Article on lawsuit brought against someone who had pigeons at their feeders is @ http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/li-man-accused-of-harboring-wild-pigeons-goes-to-appellate-court-1.6432699
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Published November 18th, 2013 7:13 AM
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