Home Bluebirds/Birds Pets/Animals Hobbies Favorites Other Stuff 

EUST Problems
 

Up

feeder2.JPG (28486 bytes)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.

feederside.gif (14094 bytes)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.

 

horizontal rule

Please feel free to send me, Fawzi Emad, any corrections, observations, comments or questions.  Thank you!  (The tail feather on the left is from Koko, our Blue-Front Amazon Parrot.)