Blue jay feeder bully made me switch to platform feeders

I used to swear by those tube feeders for years. But last spring I watched a single blue jay hog my tube feeder for 3 straight hours while the chickadees and finches just sat in the bushes waiting. I counted maybe 40 other birds that got nothing that day. So I swapped to a cheap platform feeder I found at Ace Hardware for $15 and now everyone eats at once. The cardinals even bring their whole family. Has anyone else ditched tube feeders after dealing with bully birds?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sam6d ago

The platform feeder is the great equalizer for sure. I had the exact same problem with starlings taking over my tube feeder and scaring off everything else. Once I switched to a simple tray feeder it turned into a total bird party with everyone eating together. Even the doves and juncos that never touched the tubes started showing up. I honestly don't know why I tortured myself with tubes for so long when the platform is so much easier to clean and refill too.

diana_west276d ago

Oh come on, "tortured myself with tubes" like it was some kind of backyard bird feeding nightmare. I've got a tube feeder and a platform feeder sitting right next to each other and the starlings still find a way to bully everyone off the platform too. They're just jerks with wings, they'll take over anything if they want to bad enough.