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Tried tube feeders vs hopper feeders for 3 months. One wins easy.

I put out both types in my yard back in April. The tube feeder with tiny perches kept getting taken by house sparrows and the finches barely touched it. The hopper feeder though, that thing got chickadees, nuthatches, and even a pair of cardinals showing up every morning. The difference was the tray on the bottom gives bigger birds a spot to land. Has anyone else noticed certain feeders just attract totally different birds?
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ellis.leo
ellis.leo12d ago
Have you tried keeping the tube feeder full of just nyjer seed? I read somewhere that house sparrows don't really go for it, only finches do.
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blair_martin
Nailed it with that nyjer tip. House sparrows usually ignore it, they want the sunflower and millet mixes. Finches go crazy for the stuff though, especially goldfinches. It's the only way I can keep my tube feeder from getting mobbed by sparrow gangs. You ever try the upside down tube feeders too?
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