How do you keep black birds away from feeders in your yard and let the blue birds and cardinals eat?

Keep Blackbirds Away from Bird Feeders

• My friend who is a member of the police department swat team uses an air rifle.

• You could paint the feeders blue & red. This may not keep the black birds away, but it should draw more blue birds & cardinals. Bluebirds are very territorial and if you get enough of them, they might run the black birds off.
• Use safflower seeds in the feeder, instead of corn or sunflower seeds. Blackbirds and sparrows don't like them, but cardinals do.

After feeding birds for 15 years, I can tell you that there is no successful way to keep the blackbirds away from your feeders. The best you can (which is better than the two ways above) is to invest in the feeders that only allow the small birds to eat. Some have weighted ledges and are designed to keep squirrels out, but also make it difficult for the heavier big birds. And some have a cage like apparatus around the feeder that allows the little birds to enter to the feeder but keep the big birds out. However, even this is only partially successful, because there will still be ground feeders and blackbirds that will come and sit hoping to figure out a way to eat your seed.