Leave 15-20
feet between a low feeder and shrubs so birds can see lurking
cats
Surround
the area immediately around the feeder with an 18" high chicken
wire barrier where birds feed on the ground
Cat owners
who are "environmentally aware" keep their cats indoors
- it's best for the birds and for the cats
If it’s
not your cat:
Talk to
the cat owner and ask for cooperation
Call your
city/county animal control officer, especially if your community
has a leash law for cats
Trap the
offending cat in a harmless live-trap, then return it to its owner,
local animal shelter or humane society (note: some communities
may not allow the use of traps for cats - check with city &
county officials)
Too many STARLINGS and HOUSE SPARROWS in your yard
Use selective
feeders such as tube feeders and shorten or remove perches and
small seed openings
Hang feeders
with string or wire so they twirl and sway
Use unhulled
sunflower seeds and avoid using seed mixes that contain millet.
Avoid table
scraps, bakery goods, and large amounts of bird seed
Avoid platform
feeders and ground feeding
Use suet
feeders where the only access to food is by hanging upside down
PIGEONS
Cover all
perch sites (especially under eaves), or make them unusable
Cover platform
feeders with a 1.5 inch wire mesh barrier
RATS and MICE
Provide only
as much seed to ground-feeding and platform-feeding birds as can
be eaten in one day
Clean up
all spilled and left over seed
Avoid using
seed mixtures (birds discard unwanted seeds)
Install barriers
(as described below) to prevent rats from accessing feeders
SQUIRRELS raiding your feeders
Hang several
pie pans, metal lids, or phonograph records horizontally up and
down the supporting wire of hanging feeder, spaced with short
sections of garden hose or plastic tubing; these will tip when
a squirrel steps on them
Suspend
hanging feeder from wire stretched between two trees; put plastic
tubing around wire on either side of feeder (tubing will rotate
around the wire when a squirrel steps on it)
For feeders
on poles, wrap a piece of rigid sheet metal, pie pan, or other
such material around the pole to form a cone at least 5 feet from
ground; grease the pole
Make sure
feeders atop poles are at least 5 feet above ground and 8 feet
from nearest tree (squirrels are great jumpers!)
Hang feeders
with wire that squirrels can’t chew through
Look for
special feeder designs in mail-order catalogues
HAWKS
Many birds concentrated
around a feeder may attract a small hawk especially in winter. During
the lean months hawks sometimes venture into urban areas in search
of a meal in order to survive. They too feel the sting of winter.
The occasional foray of a sharp-shinned or Cooper’s hawk into
your yard should be seen as a gift rather than a problem. A hawk
hunting in your yard indicates a healthy functioning system. Healthy
songbirds will take cover in surrounding trees and shrubs.
