I have a metal feeding station so was amazed to watch a rat climb the central pole to reach the bird food. I eventually bought a squirrel baffle, approx £15.00 and clipped that onto the post about 1 mtr up from ground level. After several attempts the rats have given up. However, they will clear up any food on the ground.
There was a rat on my bird table this morning which I managed to shoot. Hopefully it's the one that has been getting into my loft but it's the second one this year so I suspect there might be more. It's avoided the live trap and the snap traps so I was glad to get rid of it finally.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
i didn't know that. all the advice says that blackbirds are ground feeders and don't tell you that they will use a table, so thanks for that information. I'll have to have a think of where to site the table. thanks again, that's really helpful
I use a bird table to avoid the rat problem and also give the birds a chance to avoid my cats! The black birds are enthusiastic daily visitors along with many others. But do note the advice about rats jumping - and mice will jump too! I caught a little field mouse continually scampering up nearby bushes and managing to jump a 2ft gap and it would just leap straight off into the bushes if you went close. It vanished so I assume my cats got that one
Since having an allotment plot I've become aware of the vast array of wildlife that it attracts, pheasants, deer, snakes and rats to name a few. I used to have an adage regarding buying a home that never buy one near a bus stop, pub, alley, chip shop, I will now add to this an allotment, I suppose I should add council tip/incinerator but that would be just good sense.
Most of mine used to come from the farm up the road when they had chickens and ducks there but me feeding the wild birds is attracting them wherever they come from. I've put up trail cameras in various places in the countryside though and rats turn up everywhere I put them.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
thanks for all the advice/comments. Yes it's a fact that it doesn't matter where you live, rats will be in the vicinity even if you never see them. Can i ask, how high are the bird feeder poles that some of you are using ?? I bought one last winter (beginning of 2019) and it wasn't very tall (none of them were). Unfortunately, the base of the legs rotted away even though it was made of galvanized metal. I had to take it back for a refund and have been wary of buying another one since.
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