Deal with those pesky pests

A Song Sparrow parent struggles to feed cowbird chick

When it comes to pests in the yard, it can seem as if all you attract are the critters that you may not want. Many know the frustration of planting vegetable plants and finding them all eaten thanks to the local groundhog. Planting new perennials almost ensures the arrival of hungry rabbits.

Starlings and grackles are at the top of the list for birds not wanted. Starlings can eat a suet cake in about two days, depriving woodpeckers from eating. Upside-down feeders starlings down. Starlings cannot cling and eat upside down for very long but woodpeckers and nuthatches sure can. You also can try suet feeders in a cage which keep starlings at bay.

Grackles love shelled sunflower seeds and shelled peanuts. Feeders that have cages around them keep starlings and grackles from reaching the seeds but smaller birds dine in relative peace. Neither starlings nor grackles like safflower; try switching to just safflower.

As parasitic nesters, Brown-headed Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, alleviating themselves of any parental duties. This may result in the original birds' chicks either being kicked out of the nest or not getting enough food since cowbird chicks are bigger and aggressive. It can be very taxing for a small warbler or Chipping Sparrow to feed a chick that can grow two to three times bigger than the "parent." Eliminate white millet from ground or platform feeders to keep cowbirds away.

Keeping cats out of the backyard should be easy--keep them indoors! If you have roving cats taking out birds, try orange peels. I understand that if you grate or grind up orange peels, you can sprinkle them in the area you want cat-free. It does not take much and you need to do it a few times a year. You can store the grated peels in the freezer until needed.