Hundreds of millions of birds are killed every year by predators, especially the house cat. Some of these millions of deaths could easily be prevented by following some basic guidelines on protecting bird houses, feeders and nesting boxes. By sticking to the following rules, you can guard your backyard birds from harmful predators.
Keep your cat inside your home
Many bird enthusiasts may also be animal lovers, so it’s not much of a surprise that backyard birders have cats. For people with a cat, the single most effective way for preventing them from hunting birds which might be feeding or nesting in your backyard is to keep them indoors. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) boasts a program aimed toward keeping cats inside as a benefit to both animals. The ABC argues that cats who live inside have longer lives than outdoors cats, and they also don’t kill as many birds.
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Pick the best area for bird houses and birdfeeders
Bird lovers with backyards which might be frequented by feral cats need to take additional steps to safeguard bird houses and birdfeeders. First, selection a birdhouse location conducive to bird safety. For instance, position the house or feeder on a tall pole in any clearing. This prevents cats and raccoons from getting a hiding spot to leap at birds unexpectedly. Also, putting your bird house on a tall pole is likely to make it hard for cats to climb to the top with no birds getting frightened off. Lastly, avoid affixing bird houses to trees where raccoons can easily jump down and attack birds.
Think about getting baffles and other devices
Although squirrels typically are not predators to birds, they have a meticulous propensity to steal bird seed.
Attaching a baffle or any other squirrel deterrents to the pole of the birdhouse doesn’t only prevent squirrels from eating your bird food, but will likely behave as a buffer in between the birds and predators. Another excellent strategy to protect your birds from cats or raccoons leaping from trees is a birdhouse or feeder cover. The key function for this would be to guard the birds from rain preventing squirrels from sneaking down hanging feeders, but in addition, it puts a shield above the birds for additional protection.
Get effective nesting boxes
Birds that are nesting and baby birds are at the biggest risk of being attacked by cats. Research by The Journal of Ornithology reported that in suburban areas, cats are classified as the top risk factor for baby bird deaths. Even though you can’t necessarily force birds to nest in safer areas, you possibly can encourage them to nest in one of your nesting boxes. Be sure your box is positioned in an area in which the birds would like to nest, but additionally be strategic in the area you set it. As an example, don’t put it near a place cats frequent or a place where it could be feasible for cats to access. Dependant upon the particular bird species that nest in your yard, an excellent nesting box really should have holes just small enough for any bird to slip into.