The European Starling (EUST) is a cavity nesting bird which competes with
Bluebirds and Woodpeckers, and usually drives both birds away. The feeder
was designed to exclude EUST by making the openings suitable for a smaller bird
such as the Eastern Bluebird. However, my friend Anne-Marie from Rhode
Island constructed the feeder and tested it. She found that some small
starlings were able to come inside the feeder and wipe out the mealworms.
I had noticed this on rare occasions with my feeders. Anne-Marie tested
slightly shorter entrances on the sides (she reduced the height of the openings
from 2" to 1.75",) and that essentially stopped all EUST from entering
the feeder! With that in mind, I have made a new design for the sides of
the feeder, using less parts, and taking into account the reduction in height.
First please view the
FEEDER PLANS and CONSTRUCTION
PICTURES. After you understand the details in these pages, the
modifications on this page become easy to understand. Essentially all the
construction is unchanged except for the two sides. Construction details
for the sides and a picture of the finished product appear in the two thumbnails
on this page,
click on each for a larger image.
