The past few weeks, we’ve been writing about keeping your hummingbird feeders free from pesky ants and flying insects. One of our readers brought up another threat to hummingbird feeders, other birds.
Orioles are known for raiding hummingbird feeders, but they’re not the only ones. Woodpeckers, House Finches and other species tend to invade hummingbird feeders for a chance to drink the sweet nectar. And when these bigger birds eat the nectar, they usually scare away the hummingbirds, which defeats the whole purpose.
So here’s what you can do to protect your hummers from unwanted birds.
Get an oriole feeder, suet feeder and/or seed feeder
One of the best solutions is to simply get more feeders. If you mind having orioles coming to your hummingbird feeders, you can buy feeders especially for them. Oriole feeders are essentially the same as hummingbird feeders, but they can accommodate fruits and jelly as well as nectar. For woodpeckers, you can also put up suet feeders for them to get nutrition. You can do the same thing with other feeders, depending on the species hanging around your hummingbird feeders. Remember to make sure they’re always full, so the birds don’t have to turn to your other feeders for food.
Get a feeder with a bottle that hangs over the feeding area
Small, perchless feeders essentially keep out every bird except hummers because most birds need to perch while eating. A feeder like the Ruby Antique Bottle feeder is a beautiful addition to any yard and the slope of the bottle over the feeder keeps larger bird from landing. A larger bird like the woodpecker wouldn’t be able to mob the small feeder. You can also trim down the perches on your existing feeders.
Buy or make a bird baffle
Even if the feeder itself doesn’t have a perch, sometimes birds are able to perch on top of the feeder or grab onto the wire that holds it up. You can put a standard baffle or create your own makeshift one out of an old CD.
Separate the feeders
If you have separate feeders for orioles and woodpeckers, but they’re still going to the hummingbird feeders, try separating them. Putting them farther apart will make it less tempting for an oriole to move over and target the hummingbird feeder.
Please let us know any solutions you found.
127 Comments
Also live in FH and bought a feeder 3 weeks ago. Obviously can’t be outside all day chasing away the birds. Very disheartening. Thought I’d give the hummers a one-up as winter approaches (well AZ winter).
We have a covered porch and that discourages all the large or the bully birds. The crows and hawks will never approach it.
Even the Blue Jays arent brave enough to come under the roof. Once in a while our Yellow Lab will bark at the larger birds if they land in the yard within her sight, if she is on the sofa on our porch. They dont like her either.
I did hit a big hawk with a tennis ball, and he never returned, didn’t hurt him, just scared him. Took about 10 balls for a direct hit.
Try an umbrella, I bet that would keep the Egrets away, as they could not navigate under it.
I watched a Egret nab one of my hummers, i have a tall 4 plant holder with 8 feeders on it and an Egret laned on top and snatched it up. Anyone have a solution to keeping them away from the new found pleasure it seems to have. We live on a farm in SW Louisiana and they are always around because of the horses and cattle. Not just a couple there are tons of them. I want to enjoy my hummers with out worring about them being eaten. The holder is out side the family room windows about 10 ft from house. I was thinking maybe something like an umbrella but we have a lot of windy days. Any ideas welcomed, thank you.