If there is ever a bird species that you would not want to get near your bird feeder, or within your property in general, it is the blackbird. These birds are invasive, and when they make your yard their territory, they will drive away other birds, and in the worst-case scenario, they might even attack you the moment you step into your yard.
Even though blackbirds are among the most annoying birds in nature, it does not mean that you should just poison them. If you want to keep these invasive birds from taking over your bird feeder, here are a couple of solutions on how to keep blackbirds away from bird feeders in the most humane way possible.
Step-by-Step Guide
Contents
Method 01: Using a Smaller Bird Feeder
The average blackbird measures around 10 inches long, so one way to drive them away is to use bird feeders that are too small for them to use. Use the blackbirds’ size against them.
What to prepare:
- Bird feeders for smaller birds
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Choose your bird feeder. As mentioned earlier, blackbirds are kind of large. They can grow up to 12 inches in length. This means you need to choose a bird feeder meant for smaller birds. Here are some of the features that you need to keep an eye out for:
- Small feed ports – The feeding ports should be small enough that blackbirds cannot fit their beaks through them.
- Small and narrow perches – Blackbirds are primarily ground feeders because of their size, so choose a feeder that has small perches. This will allow smaller birds like finches, cardinals, and chickadees to perch and access the feeding ports but larger birds like blackbirds will find it almost impossible to find a grip.
Step 2: Replace your old feeder. After choosing your new, smaller bird feeder, empty out the old one. Fill the new feeder with birdseed and hang it up in the usual place. The blackbirds will still be coming to try eating from the new feeder. However, after a while, the pesky birds will get discouraged and move on to another feeding location.
Method 02: Use a Caged Bird Feeder
The problem with using smaller bird feeders is that you are limited to using small birdseed as well, which will limit the kinds of birds that your feeder will attract. Another option when trying to learn how to get rid of blackbirds from bird feeder is to use a caged bird feeder.
What to prepare:
- A caged bird feeder
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Choose the right caged bird feeder. A caged feeder, as the name suggests, is a bird feeder surrounded by a wire cage. The purpose of the cage is to prevent larger birds from getting close to the feeder. To discourage blackbirds, you need to get a feeder that is at least 10 inches in diameter so that blackbirds won’t be able to stick their heads inside the cage and reach the food.
Step 2: Replace the old feeder with the new one. You can wait for the old feeder to get emptied. Just transfer the contents into the new caged feeder. Top up the new caged feeder and hang it up in place of the old one.
For a couple of days, the blackbirds will still be visiting the feeder but once they find that it’s extremely difficult to reach the birdseed, they will just decide that it is not worth the trouble and just go somewhere else to feed.
Other Ways to Keep Blackbirds Out of Your Yard
Aside from keeping the blackbirds away from your bird feeder, you would want them completely out of your yard altogether. These birds are noisy, destructive, and highly territorial and will attack anything that gets too close to their nests. Aside from changing your bird feeder, here are a couple of other things that you can do.
- Remove potential food sources – If you have fruit-bearing trees and bushes then you need to harvest the fruits as soon as they ripen. Also, make sure that your trash bins are properly covered so that the blackbirds won’t be able to get inside.
- Use bird netting – If you have a vegetable garden you will need to use bird netting across your yard to keep blackbirds away. This will prevent the pesky birds from destroying the plants and eating the vegetables before you get a chance to harvest.
Conclusion
Regardless of how destructive and annoying blackbirds are, you still need to be humane when you are keeping them out of your property. Fortunately, there are many ways how to keep blackbirds away from bird feeders and your property altogether, and you’ve just finished learning about some of the most effective ones.
Now you can keep these pesky blackbirds from claiming your bird feeder and entire yard as their own while still attracting other beautiful birds to visit.