On 28/11/2013 09:34, Broadback wrote:
I would like to exclude magpies from eating food I put out primarily for
my resident robin and the floor of my bird feeder which has a roof, the
type that imitates a house with no walls.
I thought if I fixed battens vertically between the roof and base at a
distance to allow robins access but not the larger magpies. Would it be
practical and how large should the gaps be between the battens?

I should think that your "resident" robin is long gone South and has
been replaced by Northerners that have moved in, same with the blackbirds.
Here for the last 2 or 3 weeks there has been a lot of squabbling as
they try to stake out their patches.
I've had magpies on the feeder all summer and autumn until about 4 weeks
ago then they moved off, likewise the Jays, I wonder if they are having
their fill of acorns.
You can put in bars or 2 inch netting but remember Magpies have long necks.
Some of my feeders are inside hanging baskets and the magpies still get
their sharer of the food
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...012/Feeder.jpg
David @ a sunless side of Swansea bay