Protect your Bird Feeders from Common Grackles

You’ve likely had lots of Common Grackles visiting your feeders during spring and early summers. They cause a lot of frustration because they can be aggressive towards other feeder birds, they eat a lot, and they travel in flocks. Fortunately for your birdseed budget, we’ve nearly reached the end of “grackle season.” Although grackles live in the Susquehanna Valley all year, their impact on bird feeders is most noticeable during their nesting period between mid-March and mid-July. From later this month until late next winter, most of our grackles will gather in agricultural areas, often flocking with other species like Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and European Starlings.

In addition to annoying us backyard bird feeders, Common Grackles are also a major agricultural pest, causing tens of millions of dollars of damage each year, especially to corn. Grackle populations greatly increased across North America during the last couple centuries as vast tracts of land were cleared for agriculture. Today, the grackle population is actually in steep decline, probably due to efforts to control their numbers in agricultural areas.

Despite the headaches they cause for backyard bird watchers and farmers, Common Grackles are a fascinating native songbird. They are social birds, and about as clever and adaptable as Blue Jays. Take a few minutes this week and watch them interact with each other. There are a couple steps you can take to limit your grackles’ impacts on the other birds at your feeders.

• Use the Eliminator Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder. Its spring can be adjusted so that larger birds like grackles and starlings can’t easily access the bird seed.
• A cage can be added to some bird feeders. With cage openings of 1 1/2 inches, smaller birds like finches, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches can access the feeder. Squirrels and larger birds can’t get in.
• Offer food in a large tray feeder separated from your other feeders by at least 20 feet. Grackles are pretty large, so most will prefer the large tray and spend less time visiting your other feeders.
• Use safflower, a bird seed that most grackles, starlings, and squirrels don’t like. Safflower is a favorite of birds like Northern Cardinals, House Finches, Mourning Doves, and Tufted Titmice.