Blackbirds

[rbar66]

Why can't blackbirds feed from a hanging bird feeder? thanks

[Jennykenny]

I have a couple of 'tame' thrushes who come to my garden every day for a handful of raisins. I have to throw them on the ground as it's the only way they will eat them.
They are quite amazing in their persistence. If they spot me through the kitchen window doing the washing-up they will wait on the wall till I unlock the back door and throw out a handful.

[woofgang]

blackbirds can learn to use hanging feeders, if you google, there are pictures. I think they are natural ground feeders and therefore aren’t used to hanging upside down.

[viv41]

Jenny, I envy you, I've never attracted thrushes and I love them. I once had a blackbird who used to visit me for grapes. She'd perch on the fence looking in at the window and I'd go out and throw a grape along the ground which she'd chase after and devour, or sometimes fly off with one. We called her Mrs Grape. I was heartbroken the first spring she stopped coming and I never saw her again.

[Chipchopper]

I would say its because they are essentially woodland birds that have evolved to be specialized for ground feeding, looking for insects or worms among the leaf litter or perhaps woodland fruits like blackberries.

Thrushes are similar, related ground feeders that have found a niche in feeding on snails, bashing the shells on pebbles to get whats within.

[Chipchopper]

I think, the most dexterous of all garden visitors that use the hanging bird feeders is the Nuthatch.
perfectly able to cling upside down, while keeping a regular lookout for predators, between chipping away at the peanuts.

[Jennykenny]

Probably too late to add anything, but in the last year or so I have found loads of empty snail shells in the garden, so I think the thrushes are doing their bit.
I just need a couple of hedgehogs for the few rampant slugs and I'm set.

[TTG]

Agree with the comment about the niger seed feeders. I have two for a flock of 5-7 Goldfinches that arrive once a day. Lovely to see them but the feeders should have a "catch tray". I might try and make one. I have noticed that some other birds (bluetits etc) have a preference for a particular feeder. Some like the bird table, some use the coconut (seeds inside), some like the feeder with outlet trays and some like to cling onto the wire mesh ones.