Hmm, another issue is that Magpies Parakeets and Rooks have been waging war
around here as the street trees they used diminish due to people wanting
drive ways fitted.
Its like world war three near any tree left standing ith one lot throwing
the nexst materials out from one of the others etc. I guess since they have
been doing this for some months now, the chance of any offspring of any of
them is quite remote.....
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
wrote in message
...
On Friday, 24 February 2012 17:20:49 UTC, David Chapman wrote:
We regularly put out a hanging feeder containing peanuts for the blue
tits and others birds in our garden. Unfortunately they seldom get much
of a look in these days because as soon as the feeder is refilled with
nuts some green parakeets arrive and feast on them until they have eaten
nearly everything.

We also have one of those peanut feeders that has a wire cage around
it to deter squirrels and larger birds but the tits around here are not
at all keen on using it, so I'm looking for an alternative way to feed
the small birds but not the large ones.

I know that hot chilli powder on the peanuts will deter squirrels from
eating them but does anyone know of something similar which might deter
these wretched parakeets?

Parakeets may be pretty birds to look at occasionally but when you
regularly get LOTS of them sitting in the trees, squawking loudly, and
dropping 'droppings', as they do in this South East London area, ones
benevolent attitude towards an otherwise attractive bird definitely
starts to harden.

Does anyone know of any proven, and not outrageously expensive, bird
feeders that will allow us to feed our blue tits and NOT the parakeets?
I'm very willing to build a DIY device if anyone knows of a design that
actually does work.

In order to keep the RSPB off our backs, I guess I'll have to stop
JUST short of 'termination with extreme prejudice'. ;-)

TIA - Dave.

--
David C.Chapman - )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I now have a similar problem in Barnet North London, now made worse by the
fact they also have young. I found your post and all the replies on this
subject most interesting. I have six feeders four of which are supposed to
be squirrel proof from the RSPB. but the parakeets seem to be able to use
them as you may have found out. The Parakeets are driving our smaller native
Birds away. I read,- your problem with these was several years ago and do
hope you were able to solve this without externalization "Heh Heh".