how to get rid of cowbirds,grackles and starlings

We have lots of birds, but now these cowbirds are taking over and they scare away the cardinals and other birds.I don't see the other birds but how could i get rid of them

I used to have a lot of starlings, until I stopped feeding sunflower seeds. I started feeding safflower seeds, and they didn't eat them, so they stopped comming around.

I tried safflower but I didn't have any birds that seem to like it. Did you have luck attracting cardinals and other birds to the safflower?

I really need to know the answer to this question also, I have blackbirds and they drive me nuts, along w/ crows, not sure what the grackles or starlings are but if they are all black and bully the fenches I have those too.

I use feeders designed for the smaller birds. Tube type with very small perches. The cow birds, grackles and starlings can not get to the seed and the finches and other small birds are fine. Nothing scares my Doves away. I do not have the cardinals so I do not have a large bird feeder. I use mix feed in the winter and put it on the ground. When the cowbirds, grackles and starlings come back in the spring I quit with the ground feeding and they leave.

I take my feeders down one by one as the it gets warmer and just leave one hanging platorm up, most of them go away by summer. Everything seems to eat the safflower in my yard and it's to expensive so I quit that.

The birdfeeders that close when squirrels or heavy birds get on them help to keep the bigger birds from getting the feed. The feeders that have a wire cage around the feeder that allows only the little song bird feed also help keep the bigger birds from stealing all the feed. These kind of feeders are more expensive but they do save your feed for the birds that it was intended for.

I had a lot of black birds and other nasty birds for a while when I put out the mixed kind of song bird seed. All the birds really loved it, especially the nast birds. I decided I had to quit tossing ANY bird seed on the grond even though I felt sorry for the doves and cardinals. I only fill the finch feeders now w/ the thistle nyger, and I have two other feeders that I fill w/ song bird seed and make POSITIVELY sure that the bird seed has no corn or nuts mixed in it. I think I must give up the suet, as well, as they really like the suet I put out for the woodpeckers. My next door neighbor has 3 bird feeders out so I don't feel that sorry for cutting back on the bird seed. Warmer weather is here now too adn the black birds are out checking out the fileds that are being ploughed and seeded now by the farmers (got lots of farmer neighbors, both Amish and non-Amish!

Use black oil sunflower seeds when starlings are around; they can not crack them open with their bill so will leave the feeders alone. I feed it plain, no other seed in with it. Starlings can eat all the other seeds if they are in the feeders. And, all the suet, too. Grackles will eat anything.....

I had alot of problems with all the black birds this year, esp the grackles. The only seed they don't like is nyger and safflower. The grackles love BOSS, but they don't prefer the larger striped sunflower since it's harder to crack open. They also love millet, nuts, suet, etc. Having a large 'hood' over your feeders can help. I read online that they don't like going 'beneathe' a large, deep cover like that. Another thing that worked for me was taking my feeders down for about a week (or even longer if need be). Since trying that, i still get a few, but not nearly as many as i did have.

Ok, me too! I have Starlings, Grackles,Blackbirds and Cowbirds. Loud, messy and empty the feeders in a day. I had a feeding platform and hooks above for feeders. I took all the bigger feeders and moved them out into the yard and enclosed them in chicken wire. Fill only one platform feeder with junk seed and put all the suet feeders in plastic bowls upside down. They're still trying but the population has diminished Dramatically!!!!![

Ultimate solution. 

Don, is that one of those pointed pellets? I have a bb/pellet gun but usually just use BB's for the HOSP and Starlings....

Yup, it is.  It is the most accurate pellet you can find.  I have tested many of them.  It is called the Predator Polymag.  .177 caliber.  I have nailed a starling at 40 yards with it.

Is it more accurate than a bb? I had pellets in my bb gun but kept missing, was much more accurate I found after switching to bb's. However I would love to try these, will have to look for some this weekend. We have tons of fledgling Starlings aound right now.