Blackbirds are ground/flat surface feeders so for the other birds have hanging feeders, filled with seeds and nuts. The blackbirds will use any flat surface.

Celyn

I did say they are ground/flat surface feeders, so will go to trays. We are inundated with blackbirds but they just feed off what is dropped from the bird feeders, by the other birds. peace and harmony reigns in our garden

The one thing the blackbirds will eat, is the tomatoes that I sometimes put out for my tortoises in the summer. Now that DOES annoy me.

Celyn

It's the damn pigeons that irritate the hell out of me and nick all the food I put out for the smaller birds. Anyone got a solution (other than a shotgun)? I use an RSPB cage on the floor which keeps them out but it only works for ground feeders obviously.

We had a flock of Long Tailed Tits in our garden today ... they love the fat balls

Just construct a mesh 'cage' around the bird table. You can get mesh in many sizes so choose one to suit the size bird that you wish to let onto the table. (But do put something out for the bigger birds as well!)

Today we had several Goldcrests, having a lovely time flitting between my winter Jasmine and a conifer. They have nested in the conifers in the last two years. I was delighted to see them back again.

celyn

That's nature for you bendigo. It's called balancing. You supply the food and keep your fingers crossed

Celyn

My problem is not the bird bullying, I,m afraid it is rats.
Since I increased the supply of bird food,during the cold weather,
nuts seeds and fat ball and coconuts, the rats have been running around my garden like they own the place.
They chase off larger birds, have already dispatched the squirrels, and I have lost control.
I have had to inform the council who have promised to bait them soon, but not on our property.

We have put rat poison in hidden places but they always come back and have even set up home in the compost bin.
I have a dog who just ignores them.
Any tips or advice please.?
I have been told to stop feeding the birds, but cant bring myself to do that after 15 years.
I get so many,and they nest in the garden.

I use chicken wire to discriminate between bird sizes, having found that blackbirds ate everything I put out before anything else got a look in. The blackbirds get plenty of food that other birds drop from the table and various feeders as well as apples and other fruit that I put out. I even have a female blackbird who taps on the patio doors every day until I go out and feed her sultanas - she takes them from my hand.

I simply fix chicken wire all round my tables, between floor and roof. Then I cut through a strand or two on each side and enlarge the holes enough for anything up to robin size but too small for blackbirds, pigeons, etc. It's easy to adjust the hole size if you don't get it quite right by re-bending the wire.

Most small birds are perfectly happy to use the table - tits, robins, dunnocks and more.

The easy way to fix the wire is with a staple gun, but you'll want to be able to get in there for cleaning. Chicken wire is springy enough to be pulled over nail heads. So fix one end with staples and wrap it round the table, hooking it onto nails top and bottom back at the start. In fact, you might want to hook it onto a pair of nails at each corner.

Actually, there is enough spring in the chicken wire for it to hold itself in place, the cut ends of wire gripping the floor and roof, if the table design is suitable and you cut the wire to just the right size. I do that on the final side, to make it easy to open it up and put food on the table, although simply throwing food through the wire generally works fine.

Sorry if that sounds complicated. It isn't! I'll try and take a couple of photos in the morning and post them.

Where to get chicken wire? It's difficult to buy it in small quantities, so ask a friend or neighbour who keeps chickens or post a 'Wanted' on Freecycle.