Turkeys, Crows, and Gulls...
Once again, we've got several bird issues to address, so let's get right to it. First, there's a visit from the usual suspects... What a bunch of turkeys! Kidding aside, they're getting annoying. They're loud, brutish, and obviously don't know how to use a restroom, unless you call our entire backyard a loo. Hmmm...
Alright, it ain't pretty, but I guess we can live them guys. However, the chainsaw with wings below has become intolerable.
Any time we put food out for the crows on their tray, this beast and his brethren swarm, and chase away every living creature in their path. To make matters worse, once the seagulls find the food, they fight over it like Bumpus' dogs fight over a Christmas turkey. No, this horde needs to be discouraged. But how? Let's see, aside from their size, there's one glaring difference between the gulls and the crows - gulls have webbed feet (3 webbed toes forward and a very short toe pointing backward). I doubt that gulls can perch on a relatively thin smooth rod. So here's the plan... I modify the existing flat, open tray such that it is only accessible by small birds and birds who can perch like crows. Take a look at a rough drawing...
That's not a huge project and it's not an expensive one either... Things to think about...
See you by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding
Comments
Hi CCA,
I have great respect for the ingenuity of birds as well as all animal life. I also have great respect for those of us humans who take great care in resolving challenging problems with birds without including such remedies as "lethal-force".
Your proposed plan may resolve the issue. We won't know til you try it. I can see that the additional roof may prevent Gulls access to the food, but I wonder if they wouldn't find away to circumvent the roof's edge. At best, they could just perch on the roof til the other birds don't come back.
Secondly, the wire "perch" looks like a good idea, but the challenge will be to design the attachment to the platform so that it will support the weight of several birds without pivoting at the attachment.
I still think the better method of preventing problems is to find a "natural solution" such as finding a place and food type away from the other feeders that will attract only the Gulls.
Good luck on the project, and keep us posted.
Cheers,
Harry "Gipper" Morris
Posted by: Harry Morris | January 22, 2010 12:22 PM