Topic: Birds have abandoned my garden

[Garden Manager]

Now i try to do all i can for the local birds, by putting out plenty of food, not being too tidy in the borders, growing various bird friendly plants etc. Despite all of this they have apparently all but abandoned my garden this winter even in the recent cold spell.

Most winters I am used to seeing all sorts of birds in addition to the year around regulars (sparrows, collared doves, robins and blackbirds). It used to make winter a little more bearable, watching chaffinches, green finches and various members of the t*t family feeding in the garden. This year nothing and as I mentioned above, even the regulars are keeping away. The birds are about, i have watched them on next door's feeders but they seem to make a conscious effort not to cross the boundary and feed unless they really have to. I still put out plenty of food but this gets largely wasted.

I have a strong feeling cats are to blame. We have had a few new ones arrive in the are recently and they seem to be drawn to our garden for some reason. I think perhaps the birds no longer feel safe in our garden even though our feeders are in the same open sites they have always been, and the chances of one of the cats actualy catching one of our birds is quite slim.

Short of making the garden a cat free zone (virtually impossible to achieve), is there anything i can try to encourage the birds back (and discourage the cats!)? Is it worth moving any of the feeders/table to a diferent part of the garden? I dont particularly want to go down the route of having to buy things to keep the cats away (many are a waste of money as they dont seem to work well enough IMO). I havent really got time to 'stand guard' and shoo a cat off every time it appears!

Any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[rosebud]

 I wish i could help short of getting your own cat they are territorial, i do not know what to suggest ,
May i suggest you put this in the shed more peeps might see it & help. ;D

[mat]

I bought some battery cat repellents, the cats don't like the noise.  it helped for me.  i think they are better if they can be plugged into mains tho.  I used them as a cat "sort of came free with my garden" when i bought the house, as as much as i like cats and she was lovely, she killed at least one bird a day and presented it to me as a present... she seemed surprised that i didn't want them!!!  (I don't blame her, as apparently her "owners" never fed her... anyway, the repellents deterred her.  she had slept here for so long i admit they were not perfect.  ending was very sad, she was run over on the lane outside when I was away... however since the birds are generally here now in large numbers!!!

[Carol]

I was having a bit of bother with a Black Cat who I have been told is named Brenda!!  She seemed to take to my garden as well as neighbours gardens and managed to kill quite a few birds.  I found out where she came from and I am still hoping to trace the owners to see if they would put on a collar with bell to give the birds a chance.  Anyways what I did was to move the feeders to another tree so that she had no hiding place before pouncing on the birds.  I am also bothered by a Sparrowhawk who seems to patrol several times a day.  My ground feeder is more or less under a bush so that again the birds can make a quick exit when the Hawk turns up.  I suppose you have got to try and work out how to help the birds to save them from the predators. If that means moving feeders to another part of the garden then do so.   They have got to feel safe before they come to feed. 

[Mrs Ava]

Richard, I don't think there is any rhymn or reason to it.  My neighbour 2 gardens along feeds the birds and gets masses, all the beauts - finches, tits, sparrows, woodpeckers, collard doves - you name it, and her garden is used by all the neighbourhoods cats who all stalk the daft birds, but still the birds visit constantly.  My neighbour next door has 2 cats, she feeds the birdies and she also gets masses of lovely birds whilst her cats stalk them!  Me, I don't have any cats, I feed the birds and what do I get, Magpies, pigeons, starlings, jays and crows!!!!  Drives me mad.  I have decided that birds are fickle, and just because they are boycotting your garden this winter, there's nothing to say they won't be back with avengance next winter.

[Carol]

I agree with you EmmaJ.  I know for a fact that the folk across the road get different birds to me  i.e.  GS Woodpecker.  I have never had one!!!!  pah!!!  Definately,  Birds are fickle.

 :) :)

[asbean]

I found out where she came from and I am still hoping to trace the owners to see if they would put on a collar with bell to give the birds a chance. 

Please think carefully about fitting cats with collars, they can suffer horrendous injuries with them if they get caught up in them (one of my cats had problems with a collar twice, so I abandoned the practice).  The birds they catch are the weakest and would succumb to any predator.  Take a look at this from a branch of the cats protection league:

Concerns about injuries to cats caused by ill-fitting collars has prompted Cats Protection to remind cat owners about their potential dangers.Staff and volunteers at the charity's Branches and Shelters regularly see cats suffering from appalling injuries to their front paws and underneath their front legs - and even to their lower jaw - as a result of getting trapped by a collar. Worse still, treatment for collar injuries can involve repeated surgery which is very traumatic for a cat.Whilst Cats Protection does not support the tying of fixed devices round a cat's neck, it nevertheless recognises that some cat owners do put collars on their pets. In order to minimise risk of injury, the charity suggests the following:


    * Choose a "quick release" collar in preference to other types. However, bear in mind that "quick release" collars do not always live up to their name.
    * Check cat's collar regularly for fit. Ideally, you should be able to get two fingers underneath the collar.
    * If the collar is too loose, the cat is in increased danger of getting ensnared on a branch or other object - or even through grooming itself.
    * If the collar is too tight, the cat may try to get it off and also risks strangulation. Additionally, tight collars can rub away fur from around the neck, causing collar burns and a bald ring.
    * Cats can grow and put on weight. Collars fitted on kittens can quickly become too tight as the animal grows. Weight gain on an adult cat can also cause a collar to get too tight.
    * Cats can also damage themselves on collar bells and discs. If a bell is worn for wildlife protection purposes, the tinkle needs to be quite loud to be effective. Trapped claws can be avoided by using a bell which is tapered with a large groove.
    * A cat can develop an allergic reaction to collar material. Should a cat start to scratch or show any signs of skin irritation after a new collar is fitted, it should be removed immediately. Veterinary treatment may be required.
    * Remove collar when the cat is indoors to allow fur to grow and skin to air.
    * Flea collars can vary in their effectiveness to control fleas, depending on the active ingredients used. There are now a variety of flea treatments available including spot on liquids, injections and liquids which can be added to food. Additional flea control treatments should not be given when a flea collar is worn as this can result in illness.

Owners should also re-consider their reasons for fitting their cat with a collar to see if it is really necessary. For example, a trendy collar is a pointless fashion accessory that serves a cat no purpose.

If a cat owner wants to provide their pet with identification, microchipping your cat is the only safe and permanent method of identifying a cat, and this procedure is done to all our cats before they are re-homed. Fears about the cat's visibility particularly around traffic, can be partially allayed by keeping felines in during hours of darkness. If, however, the plan is to protect wildlife, then keeping the cat in at night and in the early morning can help reduce cat predation.

Anyone concerned about cat collar injuries, should consult their local vet.

What worries me is the masses of food put out to encourage the birds, it encourages rats - and, thanks to our neighbours who put out goodness knows what, a rat has decided that our loft is the perfect maternity ward.  Thank you bird lovers.

[Carol]

I disagree with you Asbean on Cats taking the weakest.  Brenda managed to kill loads and loads of chaffinches, now they couldn't have all been weak.  I also saw her walk past with a Robin in its mouth.  Nar. disagree sorry.  If I see the owners who are in the process of trying to sell their house (for 1 year now)  I will ask them nicely......  Cats are the biggest killers of wildbirds.

[asbean]

Not according to my vet, they're not.

[tonybloke]

I did some work in a local Cat Protection League members home. Guess what? their entire (large) back garden was caged, double door entry systems, their cats never went out!! that was the ONLY RESPONSIBLE CAT OWNER I've ever met!!
they have never had one run over, never had one sh*t in a neighbours garden, never had to put up a 'lost cat' poster.
If dog owners let their pets run loose there would be hell to pay, come on you cat owners, keep the bloody things in your own property!!
(rant over) ;)

[betula]

I love cats and birds.

I used to have a problem with a visiting cat,I used to turn the hose on him,Not full pressue as I had no wish to harm him,a gentle squirt of water is something they hate,

He never come back after a couple of visits. :)

I had nesting blue tits and did not want him around.

I do not think many people could afford to cage their whole garden Tony,some people  confine them to the house but I do not think it is very good for the cat.

[shirlton]

I send my Tony out when I see a cat. He can make the most terrible cat screetch I have ever heard. They soon scarper.

[tonybloke]

I send my Tony out when I see a cat. He can make the most terrible cat screetch I have ever heard. They soon scarper.

Can you record him screeching?  ;D ;D ;D
 If you could play that every time a cat came into the garden.....that would make a cat scarer!! ;D ;D

[Carol]

My OH has roared very loudly at Brenda and other visiting cats.  I also bought  water pistol but she still turns up.

I feel sorry for her really because apparently her owners have moved to W.Scotland leaving the cat behind.  The Husband stays at the house during the week and lets it out in a morning to fend for itself during the day.  I wish they could sell the house and move Brenda to the West.   ::)

[SamLouise]

I can't tell you the amount of potatoes and other vegetables that have flown down the back of my garden in trying to get rid of the cats after my birds!  In fact I can see a big fat white cat sitting up there now watching the great tits!  I wish I could help, Richard, but I have the same problem.  One morning we got up and there was four cats all happily perched on the fence at the end.  I have bought one of those frequency gadgets to stick out there but I haven't tried it yet.  Also, when OH does the back fence, he says he's going to put something along the top so they can't sit comfortably.  I wonder if letting my sister's dog pee around the borders and fences might deter them? 

[tonybloke]

flimsy trellis, badly attached, will keep cats off of the fence, and also deter burglars!!

[greenscrump]

Cats are the biggest killers of wildbirds.

For the record, moving vehicles are the biggest killers of wild birds in the UK

[Hyacinth]

Richard, I've read that birds are creatures of habit, and also expend a lot of precious energy returning to established feeders and to therefore in the winter not stop feeding them once you've started & they come to you (got all this from the RSPB free booklet).....

SO my thoughts are....don't take this personally! The birds are going, this winter, to the nearest known site(s) for food and water.

You seem to be doing all the right things, not only for the ground feeders but also for those who'll happily take from a suspended feeder.

It might be worth (I don't know cos I can't see your OP when I scroll down) moving the location of the feeders, that's up to you to decide - but if you did this you'd still have a time before they checked them out and felt safe that they're a regular source of food,  enough to visit and return. But once they'd done that, return they will - cats or no cats. I'm pretty sure of that.

Lishka

 

[norfolklass]

like EJ's neighbours, we have both cats AND birds in our garden, usually at the same time. quite often when you look out of the window the feeders are full of birds and directly under them trying to hide in the hedge is a cat, but the birds don't seem to be put off and the cats don't seem to try and catch them, they just watch. maybe because the hedge is thick hawthorn and the feeders are attached to branches, rather than suspended out in the open, the birds feel they have enough cover and just ignore the cats.

we get a huge variety of birds, and at least four different cats and, for the record, I've never seen a cat catch a bird in our garden, but I've seen a sparrowhawk catch a couple.

is it worth moving a feeder to a more sheltered position that has some cat-proof cover, rather than out in the open?

[Garden Manager]

Thanks for replies (just found them - so sorry for a slow response).

Don't get me wrong I generally like cats and we had our own until a few years ago. I would agree that having your own cat would deter others, even in her elderly years our last cat would try to keep intruder cats out of the garden. Having our own cat is not possible at the moment, hence the 'visitor' problem. I confess to not helping the situation by having a soft spot for one of the newer feline visitors, a young ginger named 'Custard', who regularly visits me while i am working in the garden. Fortunately he is taking more interest in my pond at the moment rather than the birds!

To be fair on all the visiting cats, i haven't actually seen one catch a bird (one does try though). I think this is enough to put the birds off.

I cant think the local birds go hungry, since our next door neighbours also put plenty of food out (mostly seed) and it is possible their feeders are in a more favorable position than ours (in a hazel bush in full sun and close to a hedge). Judging by the numbers that sit in the hazel bush waiting to feed, it is clearly a popular spot. In comparison our feeders, while close to the cover of a hedge are on a metal hanging pole with a more shaded aspect.

There is light at the end of the tunnel i think. i have noticed a few more coming to our feeders now and we have had one or two rarer visitors put in an appearance (coal t*ts and a GS woodpecker), which is encouraging. I guess i will have to be patient and see what happens.