|
 Versão
para impressão - clique aqui
Squirrels
and Other Pests
Once
you start placing food outside regularly, you're sure to attract
more than you've bargained for. Squirrels and chipmunks are likely
to wreak the most havoc on your feeders, blue jays and other large
birds will chase away smaller song birds, and cats and hawks will
make a good effort at eating the birds you have attracted!
In
addition to eating all the food, squirrels and chipmunks will destroy
your feeders. The first trick to protecting a feeder is to mount
it far enough away from tree limbs so that squirrels can't make
the leap - about eight feet.
If
a feeder is mounted on a pole, you can buy or make a baffle which
stops the rodents from climbing. Baffles should be cone or umbrella
shaped. Store bought baffles are usually plastic, but you can make
your own from sheet metal like tin. A disposable roasting pan is
easier to cut than sheet metal and actually works quite well for
as long as it lasts.
A
baffle needs to be mounted high enough up the pole so that the pests
can't jump over it from the ground - at least two and a half feet.
You can also protect a hanging feeder by placing a baffle on the
support wire. Again you can buy one or make your own. For a long
time, discarded phonograph records were the way to go; this still
works as well as ever, if you can find one.
In
your effort to attract and befriend birds, you might unwittingly
expose them to danger. The most likely threat will come from the
neighborhood cat, but hawks and other birds of prey might find your
sanctuary irresistible as well. Protecting your birds from predators
requires walking a fine line between providing the birds with nearby
cover to escape, while setting up a feeding area that is open enough
that the birds can see danger coming. Because every backyard is
unique, we can't give a specific number of feet from the feeder
that cover should be. You should just keep predators in mind when
you set up your feeders. For cats in particular, you can try making
a chicken wire fence about two to three feet tall around the feeding
area.
Nuisance
birds are in the eye of the beholder. We've got a particular gripe
with blue jays. They seem like bad neighbors. They're noisy and
the terrorize our other birds. A dozen or more at a time have been
known to gather at Terrapin!
We
can recommend three strategies for discouraging nuisance birds.
Try using selective
feeders that appeal to the birds you're most interested in.
Choose your food carefully.
Some foods, like cracked corn, are of little use in attracting song
birds, but bigger birds thrive on it. If you are having trouble
with a particular species, try to figure out if there is something
in the feed that is attracting it. We have had some success placing
cracked corn in separate feeders away from our main bird watching
area. Of course this method only works if you have enough space.
voltar
|
