How to Get Rid of Common Grackles
Grackles are large birds that travel in fairly large flocks. They can wreak havoc in your yard, covering your home, car and outdoor furniture with large amounts of waste. They can also monopolize bird feeders; leaving little to nothing for other birds. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- X-Acto knife
- Black-oil or hulled sunflowers seeds
- Finch feeder
- Additional new birdhouses
- Safflower seeds
Instructions
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Rethink your strategy for feeding birds in your yard. The best way to get rid of grackles is to limit the amount of food they can get. If they can't feed effectively in your yard, they will likely go elsewhere to eat. Start by eliminating feeders that are made with trays or platforms that the birds can land on.
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2
Use an X-Acto knife or small handsaw and remove or significantly shorten the perches on your feeders. On some feeders these tubes will slide from one side to the other and are very simple to remove, even without the use of a knife.
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3
Assemble and hang up a finch feeder. The openings and perches in finch feeders are far too small to accommodate grackles. They will, however, still allow many species of smaller birds to visit and feed.
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4
Attempt to eliminate extra feed on the lawn. Smaller grains often wind up falling from birds' beaks and scattering on the ground. This invites the grackles to a feast all their own. By filling feeders with black oil sunflower seeds or hulled sunflower seeds, the birds are less likely to drop any because they're more apt to take one seed at a time. This will help get rid of common grackles.
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5
Fill some or all of your feeders with safflower seeds. Common grackles don't like them.
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Tips & Warnings
Nothing is guaranteed to get rid of common grackles, but these steps will make your yard a far less friendly place for them to visit. Most birds will flock where the food is plentiful and the environment friendly.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Learner.org, HiltonPond.org
