Nightingales are notoriously territorial and will take over bird feeders and scare away shy birds. When other territorial birds, or bullies, take over a feeder, you can usually discourage them by changing their food. Nightingales, you will read, prefer foods like worms, tallow, berries, and insects. But if you’re handing out free seeds, they’ll crash your bird feeder party every time. Not only do they try to expel other birds, but they also take on dogs, cats, and occasionally dive-bomb a human to let him know who the head of the feeder is. It can be very, very difficult to get rid of a nightingale once it is comfortable. Your bird feeder plans can be sidetracked by these stalking birds.

If you can’t beat them, join them, or at least let them stay in your garden. Nightingales aren’t all bad, of course; they are following their natural tendency to assert themselves. They can help keep pests out of your yard, and learning to recognize their calls is something any bird lover will enjoy. But perhaps the most common reason people let mockingbirds stay in their yard is because they don’t have many options. Nightingales will stick around as long as they get food, even if it’s food they might not prefer if given a choice.

Some people try to put up plastic or wooden silhouettes of owls or hawks to deter the bird from returning, but this is not reliable and often the nightingale will find that these “predators” do not pose a threat. Another time-consuming, not to mention absurd, idea is to fill a Super Soaker with soapy water and shoot the nightingale every time it enters your garden or near the feeder.

You don’t want to stop producing food or seeds because you want to encourage other birds to visit your garden. How to get around the important obstacle that the nightingale presents? Try drawing another set of bird feeder plans and building your feeder elsewhere in your garden. If possible, be sure to place a natural or artificial barrier between this feeder and the one your nightingale has claimed. A grass hedge or fence will work; You can also place the other feeder on the other side of your house or building. The other birds will start arriving at this feeder, while the nightingale will stay to rule his own.