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?

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?

You could put some 2" chicken-wire around it - and it might be an
easier solution.

--
Chris

In article b64e99pv4i9pcslroqr0v1ghkgo8t7gmq9@
4ax.com, lid says...

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:34:33 +0000, Broadback
wrote:


Use a bird feeder with a squirrel cage. We bought one. It has stopped jackdaws
eating the food provided fir small birds

But Robins do not feed in that way. They can not perch
and cling on like tit, chaffinches etc from my
observations.

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

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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been replaced by Northerners that have moved in, same with the blackbirds.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

Our robin perches on a feeder that has ring-shaped perches. But he prefers eating from a tray. So 2 inch chicken wire round the table is probably the best. I have a 2 inch mesh over my table - it stops the wood pigeons. The collared doves get inside it, but they're not such a problem.

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 16:32:06 -0000, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article b64e99pv4i9pcslroqr0v1ghkgo8t7gmq9@
4ax.com, lid says...

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:34:33 +0000, Broadback
wrote:


Use a bird feeder with a squirrel cage. We bought one. It has stopped jackdaws
eating the food provided fir small birds

But Robins do not feed in that way. They can not perch
and cling on like tit, chaffinches etc from my
observations.

The Robin I see in my garden every day has a good go at clinging on
the peanut and fat ball feeders. He then collects the bits that fall
off.

Steve

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