Blue Jay problem

I buy a bird seed mix from the local feed store. The Blue Jays get on the feeder and with their beaks throw the seed to the ground. It’s almost like they are sorting to get the seed they want. The amount of seeds on the ground is amazing. Other birds do pick some off the ground but there seems to be a bunch of waste. This morning I’m going to screw a big plastic flower pot base to the bottom of the feeder to try and catch the seeds before they hit he ground.

Anybody else have this? Is it the mix / food i’m using? Any suggestions or idea’s?

all the time, everybody wants to eat, all the spills on the ground? squirrels, 5 rabbits, deer, and more, nothing goes to waste. I agree they are messy, but entertaing.

Blue Jays are my favorite bird…. but they do some heavy sorting at the feeder for sure. I just refill and enjoy it. Pretty common to check the feeder as I walk by at 2am or so, and a rabbit is gladly cleaning up after them.

After many years of not having any rabbits or squirrels I had some last year. This year, none. I think the Hawk I saw hanging around last fall handled that situation.

Does the mix have a lot of corn or sunflower seed? I’m going to guess it’s the sunflower content. You can add the catch tray or try a seed mix having more sunflower seed in bits and pieces no sunflower or none at all. Safflower makes a decent replacement for black oil sunflower.

Feeders with the wire cages help slow down blue jays but getting rid of what they are after works best. At the cabin we see tons of jays that come to both the sunflower and corn feeders. I mix sunflower and whole corn and place it in a trough feeder set way away from the feeders where the finches, chickadees, nuthatches and grosbeaks come to. Tray feeders set near to windows helps keep jays at bay too.

I built a tray out of treated plywood that sits under the feeder. The spillage lands on that, giving the birds another shot at it.

Steve Root wrote:

I built a tray out of treated plywood that sits under the feeder. The spillage lands on that, giving the birds another shot at it.

This and make the bottom screened or drain well. We lost the tree where we had our feeders and the HOA doesn’t appreciate feeders, so we through feed on the ground. I keep “discussing” with the wife and MIL that it is better to feed a smaller amount, but they don’t listen.

I have seen mourning doves go on a perch feeder and throw the seeds to the ground for his buddies and him to feed.

Last year I put one of those plastic kids swimming pools under the feeders. Worked great except I almost broke my neck because of fresh snow on plastic. Not a good combo.

Jays and other birds will sort through all the seeds and you’ll see preferences. Nuts and sunflowers are the first to go. Then usually corn and safflower seeds. Millet is the least desirable and is the last thing consumed. Many mixes are high in millet… its cheap and is essentially a filler. Most birds don’t prefer it though and its messy

Mourning Doves like millet.

Well I screwed the planter bases to the bottom of the feeders. Blue Jays didn’t know what to make of that at first It seems to be working as hoped, not as much seed flying everywhere.

youngfry wrote:

Jays and other birds will sort through all the seeds and you’ll see preferences. Nuts and sunflowers are the first to go. Then usually corn and safflower seeds. Millet is the least desirable and is the last thing consumed. Many mixes are high in millet… its cheap and is essentially a filler. Most birds don’t prefer it though and its messy

I too have found Bird seed mixes with a High millet content usually end up on the ground. all birds except common sparrow seem to sort it out