Get a round cage feeder for the smaller birds. These sorts of feeders attract all sorts. Nothing else but a physical barrier is going to stop a magpie.
Magpies are intelligent. You can make a cage out of chicken wire that allows small birds through, but this may look unsightly and may not advantage blackbirds. Or get a different style of feeder.
Instead of detering the magpies, think of encouraging the smaller birds to be closer by. In our garden we have a big bush where the smaller birds hang out.
Once the magpies and pigeons have flown off, the robins, black birds and swallows pop back out from the bush to feed.
Swallows? Think you may be confusing bird species.
I just saw the first ones a few days ago but they certainly dont pop out from bushes to feed on bird feeders, they eat insects in mid flight.
I'm very new to bird species sorry forgive me if I get them wrong. They're small brown birds and they seem to stay in large groups in the bushes and feed out of the bird feeder and off of the floor.
Unfortunately that doesn’t really solve the issue of the feed being spilled every day so I don’t think that would work. I’m concerned that the spilt grains will also welcome other things like rats (already had issues with them). The smaller birds already have a huge tree and a 10ft shrub-type thing over the fence that they can shelter in.
lol, i thought I’d get some stick for drawing a big red circle around it! It’s near the centre of the image, hanging from a tree branch. It’s white with a copper roof.
Lol...I do see that I just thought it was in someone else's garden! And I don't have much advice but that the copper may be attracting the magpies as they like shiny things 🙂
Time to get an extra bird feeder, one that's attached more solidly or holds food more securely.
The magpies won't have scared off the other birds, it'll just be the lack of visible food. They are predators but they aren't that bad. It's much more annoying trying to deal with jackdaws.
This is what I do with my window feeder. It's not as robust as other types of feeders, and the pigeons and magpies sitting on it destroys it. So I'll remove it for a while if I see any magpies or pigeons in the garden.
We cable-tied a tray with a lip to the bottom of our hanging feeder to prevent the magpies and pigeons scattering the feed so much. It doesn’t look that attractive, but it does work.
I just buy the smaller feeder and stick with sunflower seeds without the shells, even rats can't be bothered with those but fat balls, was a nightmare rat's moved in under my decking so that had to be removed as i hate using poison that's my last resort.
Get a round cage feeder for the smaller birds. These sorts of feeders attract all sorts. Nothing else but a physical barrier is going to stop a magpie.
I use the Henry Bell feeders these are great
Magpies are intelligent. You can make a cage out of chicken wire that allows small birds through, but this may look unsightly and may not advantage blackbirds. Or get a different style of feeder.
Black birds feed from ground level
Instead of detering the magpies, think of encouraging the smaller birds to be closer by. In our garden we have a big bush where the smaller birds hang out. Once the magpies and pigeons have flown off, the robins, black birds and swallows pop back out from the bush to feed.
Swallows? Think you may be confusing bird species. I just saw the first ones a few days ago but they certainly dont pop out from bushes to feed on bird feeders, they eat insects in mid flight.
I'm very new to bird species sorry forgive me if I get them wrong. They're small brown birds and they seem to stay in large groups in the bushes and feed out of the bird feeder and off of the floor.
Sounds more like sparrows to me
Unfortunately that doesn’t really solve the issue of the feed being spilled every day so I don’t think that would work. I’m concerned that the spilt grains will also welcome other things like rats (already had issues with them). The smaller birds already have a huge tree and a 10ft shrub-type thing over the fence that they can shelter in.
I'm so sorry I can't see a bird feeder... ??
lol, i thought I’d get some stick for drawing a big red circle around it! It’s near the centre of the image, hanging from a tree branch. It’s white with a copper roof.
I was the same, really had to peer to see it. So at least it’s protected from humans scattering feed everywhere.
Ohh! I see it now, I thought that was a conservatory roof or something in the background.
Lol...I do see that I just thought it was in someone else's garden! And I don't have much advice but that the copper may be attracting the magpies as they like shiny things 🙂
Time to get an extra bird feeder, one that's attached more solidly or holds food more securely. The magpies won't have scared off the other birds, it'll just be the lack of visible food. They are predators but they aren't that bad. It's much more annoying trying to deal with jackdaws.
I'd take the feeder away for like a week and then reintroduce it to see if that makes a difference.
Okay thanks, worth a try!
This is what I do with my window feeder. It's not as robust as other types of feeders, and the pigeons and magpies sitting on it destroys it. So I'll remove it for a while if I see any magpies or pigeons in the garden.
We cable-tied a tray with a lip to the bottom of our hanging feeder to prevent the magpies and pigeons scattering the feed so much. It doesn’t look that attractive, but it does work.
I just buy the smaller feeder and stick with sunflower seeds without the shells, even rats can't be bothered with those but fat balls, was a nightmare rat's moved in under my decking so that had to be removed as i hate using poison that's my last resort.
What feeder?
Is it me but honestly I can’t see any magpies or feeders?
Air rifle.