For a while, there was a big problem with a lot of pigeons and starlings just eating all the bird food as soon as it was put out, and not leaving any for smaller birds. Then I read somewhere that starlings are not agile enough to navigate among dense tree branches, and it gave me an idea.
There are a lot of very tightly knit branches on the old apple tree, which also has a natural ‘bowl’ shape at the top of the trunk. So I tried putting some bird food in there to see what would happen.
Almost immediately the smaller birds, and even the blackbirds, found it. The starlings didn’t even seem to notice it was there. Once I stopped putting food onto the bird table they never returned. A resident wood pigeon knows it’s there but can’t reach it! It’s especially well hidden during the summer months when the apple tree has leaves.
Organic Apples
There have been no chemicals used in the garden for over 16 years, which is important to protect the insect population in general, and pollinators in particular. This means the apples are organic. They are slightly sour, a bit like a cross between a baking apple and an eating apple, but they are edible. They have even been used in apple pie on the menu in a local pub!
A Note On Cage Feeders
I’d heard stories about baby squirrels and baby birds getting caught in cage feeders, but the ongoing issue with starlings and pigeons was getting out of hand, so I felt it was worth giving them a try under supervision.
I introduced two cage feeders to the garden: one filled with bird seed, and the other holds fat balls.
They’ve been in place for over 12 months now (spring 2026)and haven’t had a single issue with a baby bird or a squirrel getting caught in them – but I do monitor them morning, noon, and night. I would take them down if I was going away. They have been very beneficial for smaller birds but do require supervision.
Increased Numbers of Small Birds
Without a doubt the combined effect of the secret stash and the cage feeders has resulted in a huge increase in smaller garden birds. Starlings are now a rare sight in the wildlife garden, which is home to sparrows, robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, great tits, blue tits, coal tits, a wood pigeon and even a nuthatch!
Frequent visitors are long tail tits and a sparrowhawk. Occasionally we see chaffinches, goldfinches, and bullfinches, and even a woodpecker. The rarest visitors were a pair of goldcrests that were passing through!
I have seen an occasional squirrel running along the fence, but they don’t hang around long and I haven’t seen any on the bird feeders. (things may change when the Hazel trees get more established and they come for the nuts! But that’s not an issue yet!)
So overall the ‘secret stash’ for small birds is a huge success!
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