Whenever we have a snowstorm, the various blackbirds – redwings, starlings, and grackles – will flock to the feeders because they are unable to find their normal diet of bugs and grubs under the snow. As soon as the ground is clear, they fly off. While they are coming to the feeder they are absolute vultures, eating – or wasting – everything in sight.
As a rule, we don’t have them hanging around, but because the only snow worth mentioning came in mid-March, the blasted things have decided to stay. They can clear out a three pound feeder in less than two hours, and leave the cardinals looking utterly bewildered.
At least they are willing to eat the cheap stuff from the grocery store, and I am more than willing to let them. I’ve had to bring in the finch feeders, as the blackbirds will rummage in them, tossing the Niger seed on the ground and eating the tiny chips of sunflower seeds. The finches won’t eat off the ground, and nobody else seems to like thistle seed, so it is a wasteful and expensive situation. At this point I’ve just decided to pull all of the feeders and hope to starve them out.
thisendoftheswamp 