I love feeding and watching the birds at the feeders but nothing aggravates me more than the big birds (grackles) taking over and chasing the small birds away.They can empty a feeder in a day.Here's a simple solution.Home Depot and Lowes sells different sizes of thin plastic pot dishes for around $1.Just make a circle smaller than the tube on your feeder and cut it out.Make several radial cuts bigger than your tube feeder and it will slide down firmly to where you want it.You may have to remove the perches on your feeder to do this but that's not a big deal.The small birds can access the feeders in and out but the big ones can't. This is a charliezap public service and if one person does this then-"my work is done here" If you try this post some shots.I'd love to see them.---Happy birding-charliezap

[daacon]

Very cool Charlie - great first shot !

[wtlwdwgn]

Nice shooting Charlie and a great idea for protecting the little guys.

[charliezap]

Very cool Charlie - great first shot !

Thanks Dave.Now the big boys can't splurge at my expense.--charliezap

[mole]

Great idea and very well-documented.

(ps - wonder how long it will be before the grackles learn to bend or tear the plastic?)

[Sailor]

Nice pics, Capn - and a clever solution to the problem. We don't get many big birds down here in Lake Jackson - they're all up in the Kemah area "doing their business" on everyone's freshly washed boats.

Jer

[charliezap]

Nice shooting Charlie and a great idea for protecting the little guys.

Great idea and very well-documented.

(ps - wonder how long it will be before the grackles learn to bend or tear the plastic?)

Nice pics, Capn - and a clever solution to the problem. We don't get many big birds down here in Lake Jackson - they're all up in the Kemah area "doing their business" on everyone's freshly washed boats.

Jer

Thanks all.The only seeds that the big birds get now are the ones that the little birds knock to the ground.Everyone is content now.--charliezap