Caged Mealworm Feeders

[SCRUMPY]

|felt very pleased with myself when I bought a caged mealworm feeder (designed to keep the larger birds out), from Garden Bird Supplies, as it meant the robins could get in to feed without the starlings pinching them all.........they can fit an awful lot in their beaks in one go !

Having already bought a regular mealworm feeder and finding I was buying loads of worms and was almost having to keep guard so the starlings didn't get them all, I felt £18.25 was a lot to pay, but in the long run would be a saving as the mealworms would last longer.

Well, I think our starlings have been watching The Krypton Factor, as there seems to be one persistant little devil who has found that by hanging sideways it can reach in and grab the mealworms. This actually meant losing a few feathers in the process, so it then progressed to actually squeezing all the way through the small hole, filling up on mealworms and then squeezing out again.

We have had to put wire across each of the holes to reduce the size of the hole, but leaving it big enough for the robins to get through.

So far, it is working but our persistant little devil has been back and trying to
work out how he/she can get in to them.:)

It's annoying but you have to laugh at their cheek:D

[Jenny]

That's such so funny, Scrumpy! :) As you say, you have to admire their ingenuity!

I just got CJs basic meal worm feeder today and stuck it out with mealworms just 8 feet from my back door (stops the gulls and hoodies having a free meal!). Left back door open and within five minutes this alien intrusion was the centre of attention and 15 minutes later was utterly empty! The starlings were fighting over the bird seed cake mix on the bird table 40 feet away! Long may it stay that way though I've so few starlings perhaps I shouldn't be so uncharitable.