is starting cool and slow, and a large group of Mourning Doves and Starlings has made my yard and feeders their home. This is kind of typical for the season but I am thinking about solutions to reduce their impact on my feeding budget and the variety of birds in the yard. The Starlings come for suet, mealworms and fruit, and access to that can be restricted, but the MoDos eat anything that is small enough to be swallowed. When they become overwhleming, I usually try to switch to grey-striped sunflower seed. But that is not liked by many other birds either. And I always feel bad for restricting access to food when the weather is bad. Birdwatcher problems! Pictured are a Bluebird lady, a Chickadee and a Goldfinch.