Wood Pigeons Have Discovered The Tray Of Peanuts I'd Been Putting Out For Smaller Birds.

[sandyRoe]

I don't begrudge them a few but how to ensure the other birds get a share?

[Buenchico]

Some birds are better than others at hanging on to vertical surfaces. (It generally seems to be the smaller birds, such as tits, that are best at it, probably just because they weigh less). So putting your peanuts into a hanging holder might be a possible solution because the wood pigeons wouldn't be able to hang on.

Example here
http://www.birdsandbees.co.uk/birds-and-bees-peanut-feeder-pid7460.html
but they're widely sold in pet shops, hardware stores, garden centres and discount stores.

[SlackAlice]

Due to pigeons and squirrels, I have had to put my seeds and peanuts into something like these examples.

http://www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk/seed-feeders-and-trays/cages-and-feeder-guardians-8-31/

I got mine from places like B&Q, Homebase, Home and Range. Much cheaper if you look around.

[sandyRoe]

I'll have a look for a couple of those feeders when I'm in PetsRus tomorrow.

[theprof]

Hmm. Here's an idea that can be adapted with a bit of ingenuity.

Get hold of two plastic discs around 25cm in diameter (Wood discs would also do as long as they were treated with an environmentally friendly preservative and left to dry). Cut a hole in the centre of one disc to take a piece of fine mesh or a fine mesh bowl (made yourself if need be). The size should be about 10cm in diameter. the idea is that the bowl or mesh is saucer shaped and fits snugly in the centre of the disc.

The next step is to buy a bird feeder stand. They're freely available in garden centres, DIY stores etc for around a tenner. They basically consist of a two section metal pole that has hooks to take birdfeeders at the top. They also contain a mesh bowl of the size you're going to need.

Mount the mesh bearing disc or bowl on the centre of the pole by driling a hole through the mesh. It must be a tight fit on the pole. Slide the disc down the pole to a suitable height. Then take the other disc and drill a hole in the centre to allow you to push the disc down on the pole. Again, it should be a fairly tight fit.

Position the top disc about three inches above the bottom disc. This way you'll find that the device will allow the small birds to get in but exclude large birds like crows or wood pigeons. If you want to feed larger birds, just place the construction somewhere nearby.

[dannyk13]

Some advice here Sandy.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/14005/t/111599.aspx

[Old_Geezer]

You need to employ a maitre d' to ensure order.

[theprof]

I should have added that the idea is to place the bird food in the mesh bowl. The separation height between the discs is altered to allow you to feed different sized birds. Adjust them as you need to. About 4 inches should allow most small birds to get to the food while excluding crows etc.

[Chipchopper]

What I use, are column mesh feeders that hang/swing from a bracket attached to a pole.
below the brackets, I have fixed a squirrel baffle to the pole, which is about 5ft from ground level.
No probs in about 4 years.

[Prudie]

I have one of those big ball feeders, it's working very well. Only the little birds can get in and it's safe from cats and squirrels.