They have been dominating my feeders ever since they discovered them last week. I hang two feeders from a double Shepard’s hook just off the patio. One is a squirrel-proof tube feeder I filled with a no-mess mix, and the other was a rather large no-melt suet cylinder open to all and sundry. They made short work of the suet before moving on the the tube feeder, (the Squirrel Buster Mini) which has a mesh housing they use to support themselves as they feed, bypassing the perches that close the feeding ports under the weight of large birds. Thankfully though, squirrels haven’t been a problem at either feeder.
I thought I might have outsmarted them when I filled the tube feeder with safflower seeds, which grackles and starlings tend to disdain, and bought a suet cake feeder that requires birds to hang upside down in order to access it. These were designed for dainty little suet lovers like titmice and chickadees. But the grackles have shown themselves more than capable of clinging to the cage from underneath and gorging themselves on the cake that’s been there less than 24 hours.
I’m thinking about trying a large cage feeder that harbors the suet inside yet another cage in the center of the feeder. But, I hesitate because I’m afraid they may be able to crane their necks and stick their bills through both cages and still get at the suet. This feeder will cost between 70 and 80 bucks, so…
They are leaving the safflower seeds to the cardinals, finches and chickadees, though.
Does anyone have experience with thwarting grackles? These birds are so numerous and domineering that even the blue jays are staying away. I wouldn’t mind feeding blue jays, as they are beautiful and intelligent birds, but grackles are not welcome! Has anyone tried the cage feeders whose bars are too small to allow larger birds to go inside? I’m new to backyard birding, so I’m relying on the wisdom of seasoned birders, some of whom I hope frequent the parents cafe.
Are you sure the grackles are not smarter than the bluejays?
Seriously, I can hear that these are not what you were looking for, but I’m a grackle fan (they are my H’s favorite bird by far) so I can’t help. I love their iridescent feathers and their positive attitude–they strut. Their agents need to get them a better name though.
I usually take down my suet feeder for the spring. It seems like the grackles are mostly pesty during nesting season and then seem to move off. I hope this is true and I am not remembering wrong. They may be iridescent but they are piggy. I am always yelling out the door at them.
I can’t get rid of my squirrel problem! They fling themselves from the trees to my shepherd hooks and hang upside down at the bird feeders. They chewed through the metal mesh sunflower suet feeder I bought two years ago.
I don’t mind the grackles but can see why you would.
Get a feeder with a cage that only the small birds can pass through. That should work with a Shepard’s hook. I had to hang my feeder from a tree and the raccoons would break the branches to bring down the feeder.
Now I just have a small window feeder that I fill with sunflower chips mixed with hot sauce. No mess from hulls. The largest bird that can eat from it is a hairy woodpecker. I also make homemade hot bark butter that I only put near smaller branches inside a pine.
I had no luck with safflower seed. The birds that didn’t like it emptied the feeder and threw the seed on the ground. I did not want to attract rodents.
I hate grackle season. There were so many around here, covering the store parking lots and power lines, that they remind me of the movie “The Birds”. Earlier this year, a few found my back yard and began eating the cat food. I think the cat was afraid of them and just let them have it. The doves and blue jays can live peacefully but the grackles needed to move on.
I can live with the grackles because our “grackle season” is short - usually a week or two.
This year I have a blue jay problem. We have a small birdhouse that sparrows usually inhabit - they raise some babies in it in the spring. I recently noticed some broken eggs outside of that birdhouse and thought it odd (as in, where did those eggs come from and why are they outside the house?)
Yesterday I heard a huge bird ruckus near the bird house. Turns out there was a blue jay sitting on the perch, trying to get at something inside the birdhouse (more eggs?). There were sparrows inside and outside the birdhouse pitching a fit. I shooed the jay away but he was back in an hour or so.
I read where jays will raid nests and eat the eggs (or even the baby birds.) I know this is just the way nature rolls (the circle of life!), but I really hate this blue jay. I’ve been calling him the Bird of Death.
OMG, TQfromtheU that is scary! I had no idea so many could congregate in one place. We get flocks of starlings that will take over trees (or rooftops) in my neighborhood a few times a year, but they don’t tend to stay for more than a few minutes before flying off to another area by means of some unknown common signal.
I’ve only had six to eight grackles at a time dominating my suet feeder, but man can those buggers eat! I was somewhat amused by the seeming incredulity they demonstrated after the last morsel had been consumed. A few of them kept flying back to the empty suet cage and clinging as if more would somehow magically appear. After about an hour apparently, the word got out, and I haven’t seen another since.
I live in SouthEastern Va. is there a “grackle season” here? Should I have hope I can put out the suet feeder again without fear of their reappearance?
My brother and sister-in-law have them! I think they’re on year 5 (they supposedly move on after a few years, but it hasn’t happened). Their big issue is their pool. They can’t open it because of the mess the droppings make. We were visiting there last week and my brother-in-law has a solar powered fan rotating on a table on the pool cover, as well as pinwheels and a noise maker. Nothing seems to work.
They have a huge row of Arbor Vitaes on one side of their property, which the grackles love because they can hide in them.
Yuck–please don’t bring any here. We have enough pigeons and other birds. Don’t need any more competition with our native birds. Those look like they’re large & aggressive.
@showmom858 they are like crows but smaller (I had to google that to remember which was bigger). I’m currently on a minor mission to get rid of some crows in my area (they weren’t here until last year when a big batch kind of took over the neighborhood). They are so loud.
Has anyone tried a tube feeder called, “Eliminator”? They have them at my local Wild Birds Unlimited. It holds a LOT of seed, has an adjustable weight sensitive perch to deny feed to larger birds like grackles and starlings, and has no mesh outer housing. It’s a bit pricey, though. About $110.00. If it really does deter grackles, I’d seriously consider it, but I’d hate to buy it only to find I’ve once again rung the grackle dinner-bell.
If you have an eliminator, what’s been your experience?