Where have all our garden birds gone?

[teaky]

I once saw a test of cat deterents on TV.  The lion poo attracted domestic cats who were curious about the smell !  I imagine it is much the same as scent marking which causes cats to sniff around and add their own scent.

[teaky]

I haven't tried any commercial cat deterents but one thing I have found that stops cats using our garden as a latrine is to scatter thorny prunings (e.g. pyracantha, berberis etc.) on top of the borders.  The cats claw at them a little but soon give up and birds seem unaffected, presumably because they are smaller and lighter.  This isn't really a solution to cats passing through or to them scaring or killing birds though since paths and lawns are still clear.

 

Oh, and if you try the prunings approach you will have to do any future weeding with gloves on and/or buy a swear box.

[Mallard60022]

Ground pepper works a treat. OK you need quite a lot but it works. Don't need it on the grass except where some bas###d Tom will sh##e just for hell of it.

Try it, the birds don't notice it.

Phil

[PhilJ W]

I haven't tried any commercial cat deterents but one thing I have found that stops cats using our garden as a latrine is to scatter thorny prunings (e.g. pyracantha, berberis etc.) on top of the borders.  The cats claw at them a little but soon give up and birds seem unaffected, presumably because they are smaller and lighter.  This isn't really a solution to cats passing through or to them scaring or killing birds though since paths and lawns are still clear.

 

Oh, and if you try the prunings approach you will have to do any future weeding with gloves on and/or buy a swear box.

Berberis is my favourite, rose prunings are useless though.

 

Ground pepper works a treat. OK you need quite a lot but it works. Don't need it on the grass except where some bas###d Tom will sh##e just for hell of it.

Try it, the birds don't notice it.

Phil

I read somewhere that birds cannot taste or smell peppery substances.

[dhjgreen]

This is an extract from the RSPB web site

 

"There is a new garden plant, Coleus canina, on the market. It is marketed under the names Pee-off and Scaredy-cat. This plant has a pungent odour that is said to repel cats and other mammals from the garden. It should be available from a number of garden suppliers."

 

My wife planted one in a "former" latrine bed, it worked for her, they now walk on by.

[teaky]

This is an extract from the RSPB web site

 

"There is a new garden plant, Coleus canina, on the market. It is marketed under the names Pee-off and Scaredy-cat. This plant has a pungent odour that is said to repel cats and other mammals from the garden. It should be available from a number of garden suppliers."

 

My wife planted one in a "former" latrine bed, it worked for her, they now walk on by.

Useful to know but I'm happy to have other mammals (hedgehog, mouse, vole and occasional squirrel) in the garden.

 

Anyone have any suggestions of how to get rid of two legged vermin who leave small black bags of foul smelling stuff in the small patch of garden/hedgerow outside our garden wall but still our land and responsibilty and within a metre or so of the £100 fine sign?  (Perhaps we're back to dhjgreen's original discarded idea of the twelve bore?!)

[dhjgreen]

It just keeps the cats off the bed, our hedgehog is not put off. It only seems to work over a short range. Maybe a hedge of the stuff would deter all mammals!

[dhjgreen]

...Perhaps we're back to dhjgreen's original discarded idea of the twelve bore?!

That would be brian777999, I don't do firearms.

 

OT for a moment for an anecdote:

 

I made quite a few visits to Dallas when working and on one occasion bought a Stetson hat which was steamed and stretched to fit.

 

A Texas Instruments colleague said if I was to wear a cowboy hat, I needed to know about guns. So one Saturday morning we were sitting in his kitchen with an array of firearms in front of us. I gingerly picked up a very large pistol and stared at it. He responded with "please do not point that at the cat it is loaded". I, feeling the colour drain from my face, put it down very carefully.

 

Incidentally the ammunition had crosses cut into the top. His reaction "you do not want the bullet to pass through the bad guy and the house wall and injure someone in the street"!!

Edited October 13, 2016 by dhjgreen

[teaky]

That would be brian777999, I don't do firearms.

 

OT for a moment for an anecdote:

 

I made quite a few visits to Dallas when working and on one occasion bought a Stetson hat which was steamed and stretched to fit.

 

A Texas Instruments colleague said if I was to wear a cowboy hat, I needed to know about guns. So one Saturday morning we were sitting in his kitchen with an array of firearms in front of us. I gingerly picked up a very large pistol and stared at it. He responded with "please do not point that at the cat it is loaded". I, feeling the colour drain from my face, put it down very carefully.

 

Incidentally the ammunition had crosses cut into the top. His reaction "you do not want the bullet to pass through the bad guy and the house wall and injure someone in the street"!!

Sorry, brian777999 it was.

 

I'm not sure what to click on for the rest of your post.  It's an interesting story but clicking 'like' feels like endorsing the disturbing attitude to guns.

[dhjgreen]

Back to wildlife, not a bird once more but still interesting.

He came darting out of the hedge took a piece of bread then darted back to the hedge: polecat

 

Edit to say: pictures by Mrs dhj

Edited October 13, 2016 by dhjgreen

[jonny777]

I bought a spray bottle of something called 'GetOff' from Punch Industries, but although I have not used it that much it does not seem to have had a great effect on the occasions when I have sprayed it around.

 

I might try the pepper idea, though. Presumably the effect is lessened once rain has fallen on the pepper?

[Mallard60022]

I bought a spray bottle of something called 'GetOff' from Punch Industries, but although I have not used it that much it does not seem to have had a great effect on the occasions when I have sprayed it around.

 

I might try the pepper idea, though. Presumably the effect is lessened once rain has fallen on the pepper?

Not really. If I find 'evidence' I remove it and then spread the pepper. It really does seem to deter a return for quite a while, even after rain.

Phil

[jonny777]

Not really. If I find 'evidence' I remove it and then spread the pepper. It really does seem to deter a return for quite a while, even after rain.

Phil

 

Thanks. That is useful to know.

[dhjgreen]

Oops fat balls had run out, long tails were not happy

5 long tails on the fat balls yay

[Mallard60022]

I forgot to say that the pepper works far better than the products I have bought from pet stores and on line in the past.

Phil

[dhjgreen]

7 goldfinches, 2 blue tits and a chaffinch; anybody else seeing anything?

[dhjgreen]

...9 goldfinch, coal tit, 2 blackbirds, jackdaw...

[dhjgreen]

11 goldfinch!

[dhjgreen]

I forgot to say that the pepper works far better than the products I have bought from pet stores and on line in the past.

Phil

I have bought the RSPB endorsed Catwatch. It works; one cat walked into the beam jumped into the air and ran off. Far fewer today in the garden than normal, and none in the area covered.

[geoffers]

The last few weeks has been very quiet on the feeders. Usually loads of blue tits this time of year but very scarce at the moment. maybe the wet spring and early summer has impacted numbers. Occasional robin, dunnock and wren in the garden but even long-tailed tits are scarce. Usually see family groups about by now. Bit worried to be honest. Could be neighbour's cats - 6 of them nearby and 3 in just one house. They were entertaining us at 2-30 am the other night. No finches about either.

Edited October 18, 2016 by geoffers

[dhjgreen]

Was quiet here until a few days ago, now lots (see my recent posts). See my post #2000 re cats, not cheap though.

[lightengine]

Not strictly on topic but yesterday travelling by road from Teignmouth to Newton Abbot on a warm Autumn day we saw 7 birds of prey. Usually we only see 1 on this route. One buzzard was sat on a wall edging the busy road.

[dhjgreen]

I am being stalked by The Duck, just had 6 ratings on the trot

Edited October 24, 2016 by dhjgreen

[Mallard60022]

Bramblings locally but not quite in the garden......pah!

Had a Wren here for a few days now and there was a Juve Goldfinch (looking strong and healthy) investigating the ground feed for a few seconds earlier today. 

At my 'other garden' (Idle Valley NR) yesterday there was an event and I managed to get there by bike just for an hour before I ran out of steam. Best thing I saw was a Buzzard being harassed (rather than mobbed), by two Rooks I think it was, for around ten minutes as they gradually drove it away from their patch. It was what I imagine an RAF escort for a slow moving Russian 'Bear' might be like, except the Tornados were being a bit more aggressive and performing look at what we can do moves  whereas the 'Bear' was just circling and drifting slowly, slowly, occasionally flipping open the gun ports  , until it finally made off south . Brilliant watch.

Phil

[chris p bacon]

Out digging the veg plots yesterday and looked up to see a Sparrowhawk chasing Starlings and Blackbirds, after a few seconds some of them turned followed by the rest and they all dived towards the SH seeing it off. Was quite amusing to watch.

 

Of course all the time I'm digging I had a Robin as my own personal Bodyguard.