I used to keep my birdfeeders up all year, but for the last two years I’ve taken them down in June to deter the chipmunks and squirrels from digging holes in my garden while my annuals are still getting established. I finally put them up again 3 weeks ago, and I was amazed at how quickly the birds returned. I barely made it back inside the house before the nuthatches and woodpeckers found the peanut feeder. It was exciting to see them again. In a few short months I’d forgotten how much I love birdwatching.
Unfortunately, the feeders may have to come down again. The grackles are wiping me out. They used to come for several days during spring and fall migration. All I had to do was cover the feeders with clear garbage bags for 2 days and they’d move on, but last year they stayed for the entire winter. I fear it’s going to happen again.
An even larger flock arrived about 3 weeks ago. They raided the feeders and made a mess in the birdbaths. If grackles would actually EAT the seed I could probably do battle with them, but while picking out the perfect morsel, they scatter the rest of the seed to the ground by the pound, and these days it’s like watching tiny dollar bills float to the ground. The squirrels and chipmunks get quite a kick out of it, but I don’t.
I emptied the feeders a few times and took in the smaller hanging feeders, but the grackles would just wait a few days and return to wreak havoc. They also decided that acorns would make a fine substitute for birdseed and spent quite a few days dropping them on our roof by the hundreds. Once they arrive in the yard, you can’t get rid of them. They sit high in the tree tops and cluck and squawk until one by one they come in for a landing. If you scare a crow from the feeder you may not see him again for a few hours. They are smart and know that someone is onto them. Grackles, on the other hand, are either dumb as a post, or feel protected enough in their huge flocks that they don’t care. I can wave my arms at them in the window and they scatter instantly, but the second I turn around they start landing again. I can’t get any work done because I’m constantly running to the windows to see if they’re back again.
I’m going to try safflower seed next. Despite the claims that squirrels won’t eat safflower seeds, my unruly gang never got that memo and wasn’t the slightest bit deterred by it. I wonder if the grackles will react the same way. Or maybe they’ll just hurl it all on the ground.
There’s only one way to find out.