Starlings think they own my bird feeders - gangs of them swooping down, land, quick peck of food then start fighting amongst themselves flying up in the air squawking and flapping while more gangs swoop in while this is going on. When it quietens down the little birds fly in and clear up the mess.
I'm afraid I have upset all the birds which normally come to our feeders!! Our previously huge fig tree offered cover and convenient perching near the feeder pole - but it got hugely overgrown as I had been unwell and unable to prune it for a year or two. Now it is cut right back and the feeders are too exposed! The birds do pop in for a quick bite and are then gone, rather than lots of them sitting around happily - oh dear, I hope they will forgive me when the fig begins to grow again in the Spring.
The other feeders in an obelisk I have had to give up temporarily because of the squirrels. Doesn't matter what I do, from various 'squirrel proof ' feeder (which aren't) to prickles on the obelisk bars, to addition to the feed - nothing has helped - they can get through a good kilo of feed a day if I put it out. I am hoping to do something with chicken wire to cover it - I assume that any hole around the same size as a nest box hole will allow the little birds in, and possibly, though not probably, keep the squirrels out - we will see!
Starlings are the main culprits here too. They are costing a fortune as they can empty the feeders in an hour or two compared with a day or two for the smaller birds. This morning though everything in the bird world is lovely as the goldfinches have found the niger seed at last and there are seven yellowhammers pecking around.
Unfortunately over the last week the bossiest things around my bird feeders had been a couple of young rats. I've put down poison and traps (in the shed so not where anything else can reach them) but so far they've been ignored so yesterday I took in my bird feeders and guiltily watched my confused birds gradually give up coming to look. Even the greater spotted woodpecker came and sat on the bird table and glared at me balefully through the window.
I'm hoping that without any bird food to eat the rats will try the poison and/or the traps instead but any other suggestions would be very welcome.
Actually in some ways they are rather sweet and it was very amusing to watch one of them chase a magpie around the garden for several minutes. The magpie wasn't going to be chased away but clearly didn't want the rat to actually reach it so kept just fluttering away by a few feet.
It's a woodpigeon in my case. Well 2 actually! They live in a tree in an adjoining garden and as soon as they see me come into the garden in the morning, they swoop down to the feeders. During the day they roost up there and if they see a bird approach the feeders they often fly down to ward them off (even though the feeders are often empty by then).
I have feeders for the smaller birds as well so they DO get a look in, and as far as I'm concerned all birds are welcome to eat in my garden.
I could like rats too, but just too much trouble near a house. I've had a dose of leptospirosis in the past thanks to working in a pond contaminated with rat pee.
In all if we had a bigger garden I would probably just tolerate them but with our small garden I do control them. I find a .22 by far the most effective. I usually bait first which tends to alter the rats behaviour, they will want to drink a lot and will come out in the open in day time. I then dispatch them with the .22 before the worse effects of the bait come into play.
I have my bird table 44 feet from my back door and the rifle sights set for that range, so any dropped food acts as a focal point for rats. At that range I won't fail to take them out cleanly with one shot. Don't like doing it, but needs must.
That's OH's solution of choice too but so far I've not permitted him to do it. Might well resort to that if other means don't work though.
I do have a largeish garden and we've had rats around the compost bins this last year which hasn't bothered me but these two are right up by the house and bold as anything.
We never had a problem until last year but I daren't mention the reason why in present company!
Singing Gardener, can one assume it has something to do with a cat? That is another reason I dispatch rats quickly with the rifle. As much as I do not enjoy my neighbours cats living in my garden instead of theirs, I really wouldn't want one to take a baited rat and suffer because of it.
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Starlings think they own my bird feeders - gangs of them swooping down, land, quick peck of food then start fighting amongst themselves flying up in the air squawking and flapping while more gangs swoop in while this is going on. When it quietens down the little birds fly in and clear up the mess.
I'm afraid I have upset all the birds which normally come to our feeders!! Our previously huge fig tree offered cover and convenient perching near the feeder pole - but it got hugely overgrown as I had been unwell and unable to prune it for a year or two. Now it is cut right back and the feeders are too exposed! The birds do pop in for a quick bite and are then gone, rather than lots of them sitting around happily - oh dear, I hope they will forgive me when the fig begins to grow again in the Spring.
The other feeders in an obelisk I have had to give up temporarily because of the squirrels. Doesn't matter what I do, from various 'squirrel proof ' feeder (which aren't) to prickles on the obelisk bars, to addition to the feed - nothing has helped - they can get through a good kilo of feed a day if I put it out. I am hoping to do something with chicken wire to cover it - I assume that any hole around the same size as a nest box hole will allow the little birds in, and possibly, though not probably, keep the squirrels out - we will see!
Starlings are the main culprits here too
. They are costing a fortune as they can empty the feeders in an hour or two compared with a day or two for the smaller birds. This morning though everything in the bird world is lovely as the goldfinches have found the niger seed at last and there are seven yellowhammers pecking around
.
Good luck with the squirrel-proofing Bookertoo
Greenfinches here rule the feeders,they can't get enough of the sunflower seeds.
Had a few trying to be boss, then the real Boss turned up!
Unfortunately over the last week the bossiest things around my bird feeders had been a couple of young rats. I've put down poison and traps (in the shed so not where anything else can reach them) but so far they've been ignored so yesterday I took in my bird feeders and guiltily watched my confused birds gradually give up coming to look. Even the greater spotted woodpecker came and sat on the bird table and glared at me balefully through the window.
I'm hoping that without any bird food to eat the rats will try the poison and/or the traps instead but any other suggestions would be very welcome.
Actually in some ways they are rather sweet and it was very amusing to watch one of them chase a magpie around the garden for several minutes. The magpie wasn't going to be chased away but clearly didn't want the rat to actually reach it so kept just fluttering away by a few feet.
It's a woodpigeon in my case. Well 2 actually! They live in a tree in an adjoining garden and as soon as they see me come into the garden in the morning, they swoop down to the feeders. During the day they roost up there and if they see a bird approach the feeders they often fly down to ward them off (even though the feeders are often empty by then).
I have feeders for the smaller birds as well so they DO get a look in, and as far as I'm concerned all birds are welcome to eat in my garden.
I could like rats too, but just too much trouble near a house. I've had a dose of leptospirosis in the past thanks to working in a pond contaminated with rat pee.
In all if we had a bigger garden I would probably just tolerate them but with our small garden I do control them. I find a .22 by far the most effective. I usually bait first which tends to alter the rats behaviour, they will want to drink a lot and will come out in the open in day time. I then dispatch them with the .22 before the worse effects of the bait come into play.
I have my bird table 44 feet from my back door and the rifle sights set for that range, so any dropped food acts as a focal point for rats. At that range I won't fail to take them out cleanly with one shot. Don't like doing it, but needs must.
That's OH's solution of choice too but so far I've not permitted him to do it. Might well resort to that if other means don't work though.
I do have a largeish garden and we've had rats around the compost bins this last year which hasn't bothered me but these two are right up by the house and bold as anything.
We never had a problem until last year but I daren't mention the reason why in present company!
Singing Gardener, can one assume it has something to do with a cat? That is another reason I dispatch rats quickly with the rifle. As much as I do not enjoy my neighbours cats living in my garden instead of theirs, I really wouldn't want one to take a baited rat and suffer because of it.