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This started last winter, but it's worse this year. The blue jays are robbing the suet. They have emptied two suet cakes in 3 days. Normally, when feeding the small song birds and the woodpeckers in winter, the two cakes will last about 2 weeks. I don't want to deprive my cats of the pleasure of watching the birds at the suet, but I can't afford to be feeding blue jays who eat everything in 3 days.
Any ideas on how to discourage the blue jays. Will wrapping netting around the cake holders work? I don't want to deter the woodpeckers though, only the jays.
My suet "robbers" are sparrows and starlings. Starlings can demolish a cake in a couple of hours. But although I have jays as regular visitors to my yard, they tend to leave the suet alone and concentrate on peanuts and sunflower seeds.
At the risk of adding to your dollar outlay, you might consider broadening your buffet. If you offer seeds and a few nuts, you'll likely find the jays won't focus on the suet. As a bonus, you just might attract some new birds to the area for your cats' entertainment.
This started last winter, but it's worse this year. The blue jays are robbing the suet. They have emptied two suet cakes in 3 days. Normally, when feeding the small song birds and the woodpeckers in winter, the two cakes will last about 2 weeks. I don't want to deprive my cats of the pleasure of watching the birds at the suet, but I can't afford to be feeding blue jays who eat everything in 3 days.
Any ideas on how to discourage the blue jays. Will wrapping netting around the cake holders work? I don't want to deter the woodpeckers though, only the jays.
We had problems jays as well, and every summer they'd have 2 clutches of babies that would then grow up and we'd have even more of them. They ate all the bird food and our dogs food as well. They can really be a pain.
I feed the birds all of the time in the winter and the jays never touch the suet. They LOVE peanuts and they'll eat bread and black seed but the ones that touch the suet are wrens, woodpeckers, starlings, titmice and chickadees...and I think cardinals.
The starlings are a pain because they're heavier, yet still hang on the tray.
This started last winter, but it's worse this year. The blue jays are robbing the suet. They have emptied two suet cakes in 3 days. Normally, when feeding the small song birds and the woodpeckers in winter, the two cakes will last about 2 weeks. I don't want to deprive my cats of the pleasure of watching the birds at the suet, but I can't afford to be feeding blue jays who eat everything in 3 days.
Any ideas on how to discourage the blue jays. Will wrapping netting around the cake holders work? I don't want to deter the woodpeckers though, only the jays.
Are you buying the suet with seeds? I don't think of Blue Jays as simply suet eaters – maybe I'm wrong?
We have “squirrel proof” (not) bird feeders. We set the springs light and the Jays are too heavy. They can steal a seed, from time to time, but usually give up (too much trouble). I have no idea if they make a suet feeder like the squirrel proof seed feeders?
My wife hates the jays. She has been attacked two times by the Jays protecting their nest or young (my wife was not aware she was in their territory). Both times they left her with cuts on her scalp.
Whatever was doing away with most of the suet here did so at night. The birds would eat modest amounts during the day, but finally I figured out that some kind of night critter sometimes consumed as much as an entire suet cake in one night. Also they would take the suet holder down when they could. I got tired of that and now only put suet out in smaller pieces in the morning...no suet holder at all. The scrub jays around here like peanuts the most.
Whatever was doing away with most of the suet here did so at night. The birds would eat modest amounts during the day, but finally I figured out that some kind of night critter sometimes consumed as much as an entire suet cake in one night. Also they would take the suet holder down when they could. I got tired of that and now only put suet out in smaller pieces in the morning...no suet holder at all. The scrub jays around here like peanuts the most.
Your nighttime suet thieves are probably raccoons or (second choice) opossums. Bears will also hit the low suet feeders.
We had problems loosing bird seed (black oily sunflower seed) every night. We trained one of our security cameras on the bird feeder and found the culprits. It is amazing how much activity our bird feeders get at night. Skunks and foxes will check out the area under the feeders for lost seed. Raccoons just park themselves or their families on the feeders. Opossums are there sometimes – but usually very skittish. When the bears show up (after they leave) we bring in the feeders for weeks or months.
If you want to see some of the nighttime activity, that we had around the feeder; check out my wife's old blog: Marie's Raccoons Of course she played with many of the pictures. But; she has maybe a fifty or a hundred nighttime pictures that she captured because of the bird feeders.
Isn't that what it's set out for, any bird that's hungry?
No. It's out there to attract the small birds, songbirds, for mine and my cats' enjoyment. As an ONGOING enjoyment. The birds are wild animals, they do not need to rely on humans putting out feeders for their livelihood.
The jays empty a double suet feeder in a matter of hours. The suet cakes would normally last a week or two.
Thanks for everyone's replies. So far I have not put out any more suet. The jays come daily to check.
I am reluctant to try peanuts. I imagine they will gobble the peanuts, then turn to the suet. I know you guys have said they don't but.... I don't want to feed them.
I could put chicken wire around the feeders with holes large enough for the smaller birds, but too small for the jays, but then I wouldn't get the wood peckers either. The cats and I love the wood peckers, and they do not demolish the cakes. They take a few pecks, chirp chirp, and fly off, like the other birds.
I might try hanging the feeders up very close to the porch rafter, to see if that deters the jays, since they won't be able to fit.
^
That's your intention and wish. Nature has other ideas.
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