Help with chaffinch fledging, what to do? (1 Viewer)

[ladyrayden]

Hiya

Let me explain my current situation. I have a garden which is infested with the neighbors cats. 2 weeks ago, there was a white cat who kept coming up and down the palm tree. I quickly realized my beloved chaffinches were nesting up there. But soon, I also realized only the male was providing food in the nest.

This week, the cats got after the baby black bird at night(fledging) which did not recover from it. I just kept hearing the madness and the cats bumping in my patio door.

This morning, baby chaffinch took his first flight, only to end up at the bottom of the palm tree. To be quickly chased by the cats. I saved him twice from a paw and a mouth already. He is the only chick to have survived.

Knowing what happened with the black bird, would you put it back up the tree before night arrives even if he is not a nestling anymore? I understand this is part of the normal flying lessons they get, but I do not want to lose any more birds to the cats.

Thanx.

 

[KnockerNorton]

All you can do is put it in thick cover, well off the ground, close to the nest. can you not put a guard around the bottom of the palm to stop the cats going up? Or get a catapult and give them what for? Or go round to your neighbours and tell them that you are sick of their cats coming into your garden and spoiling your enjoyment of it? Point out that you 'think you might have a rat' in the garden, and will be laying down poison. Only pretending, mind. But if the neighborus think pussy might eat rat poison, they might keep it in.

Chaffinch chicks cannot fly for a few days afterleaving the nest, and are extremely vulnerable.

 

[ladyrayden]

Well it is too late, the cats got him. The dad has been looking for him for the past hour with food. Heart breaking. Despite my constant look over him from the porc, not wanting to disturn the baby of course, I came back from the kitchen to see the cat eating it. Horrible vision. It honesltly makes me cry.

As a former cat owner, I've never let my cat out in the garden without being attached to the door. It is called civism. But neighbors just do not understand this. My fiance and I decided we will spray against cat in the garden during the weekend. The problem is we know only were one of the four (yes four) cats live, which is next door.

Thanx anyways, hopefully next time will go better. I'm moving oversea by the end of the year and may have more comprehensive neighbors.

 

[Kris_75]

Well it is too late, the cats got him.

Well, I really hate the idea of waiting for something really bad when you know that it is inevitable (because it apparently was, despite your efforts). Poor bird. I love chaffinches, they sing so beautifully. In the place where I live there are plenty of them, I think 80% of bird voices I hear belong to chaffinches.

As for the cats, last Sunday I was observing a cat who climbed up the window sill (I live on the first floor) and was creeping towards birds sitting on a tree located some ... 50 metres from it! The cat looked like it was preparing to jump on to the tree! Sometimes I think they are crazy! ||

 

[ladyrayden]

Well, I really hate the idea of waiting for something really bad when you know that it is inevitable (because it apparently was, despite your efforts). Poor bird. I love chaffinches, they sing so beautifully. In the place where I live there are plenty of them, I think 80% of bird voices I hear belong to chaffinches.

As for the cats, last Sunday I was observing a cat who climbed up the window sill (I live on the first floor) and was creeping towards birds sitting on a tree located some ... 50 metres from it! The cat looked like it was preparing to jump on to the tree! Sometimes I think they are crazy! ||

I just wonder how long it would take for him to stop looking at the stop where he was and for him to scream all around my house. It just makes me depressed now. I love them too, all lovely and nice singing. But here I usual hear blue tits all the time. Their presence was so refreshing.

 

[KnockerNorton]

Seriously, tell your neighbours you're putting poison out, and they'd better keep tibbles indoors for their own safety. And buy a catapult or water pistol.

We don't allow pet rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs or hamsters to roam around, we keep them restrained in hutches/runs or indoors or on a leash. I fail to see why cats should be any different. If I let a pet rabbit out of the hutch, I shouldn't be surprised if it winds up dead. same with cat owners.

 

[Apodemus]

Exactly. If my dog wanders out of the garden, I go looking for him and worry myself sick until I find him. Why are cats different?

 

[KnockerNorton]

Exactly. If my dog wanders out of the garden, I go looking for him and worry myself sick until I find him. Why are cats different?

They're not. Not in my garden at least. Next time one of ym neighbours' cats takes a dump in my garden, I'm going to repay the compliment...

 

[Apodemus]

Dig a little hole in the vegetable patch...

 

[ColonelBlimp]

A few days ago I had the lovely experience of watching a newly fledged wren being fed by its attentive parents.

Soon afterwards I had the less lovely sight of seeing its cat-mangled body.

Cats are everywhere round here and it does cut me up when I see the results of me not being able to be there with a nice bucket of water all the time.

 

[KnockerNorton]

A few days ago I had the lovely experience of watching a newly fledged wren being fed by its attentive parents.

Soon afterwards I had the less lovely sight of seeing its cat-mangled body.

Cats are everywhere round here and it does cut me up when I see the results of me not being able to be there with a nice bucket of water all the time.

Try one of these: http://lynxpardinus.naturlink.pt/snare.jpg

Or these: http://www.thehuntinglife.com/html/sections/articles/images/fenn-trap2.jpg

perfectly legal on your own land.

 

[ladyrayden]

My garden is in an L shape attached with the end of terrasse garden, with one neighbor stucked in between two gardens (coach house), if you see what I mean. They have a tiny garden of weeds that they look after ONCE a month (that is very good for hay fever). This is where one of the cats (named Taz, as its name tag says, and one real devil) lives. So to go out in the streets, he needs to... pass in my garden. And he has a flap, so he goes in and out as desired, and I must say he must be out more than 10hrs a day.

What if I put nails all around the edge of his fence?

 

[KnockerNorton]

wont make a difference. Try putting rose clippings (thorny stuff) where he lies up.

 

[ColonelBlimp]

Try one of these: http://lynxpardinus.naturlink.pt/snare.jpg

Or these: http://www.thehuntinglife.com/html/s...fenn-trap2.jpg

perfectly legal on your own land.

I firmly believe that any action against cats in a garden or otherwise must be of no lasting damage to them, as the prevention of cruelty should not only be to the birds but also to the cats-animals who are only carrying out their natural instincts put there by irresponsible owners.

As much as these owners are irresponsible, it would not be fair on them for their cat to suddenly disappear. I know elderly cat owners that would be distraught if that happened.

 

[KnockerNorton]

I firmly believe that any action against cats in a garden or otherwise must be of no lasting damage to them, as the prevention of cruelty should not only be to the birds but also to the cats-animals who are only carrying out their natural instincts put there by irresponsible owners.

As much as these owners are irresponsible, it would not be fair on them for their cat to suddenly disappear. I know elderly cat owners that would be distraught if that happened.

do you feel the same about rats?

 

[ColonelBlimp]

I suppose with rats they present a direct threat to human health, and do not have any human owners that could be distraught if anything happened to them, and so the (non-lethal control) prevention of cruelty has to be sidelined on a basis of cost-effectiveness etc.

I don't see how that correlates with pet cats though.

 

[totaljohn]

my favourite solution to a cat problem.

 

[JamesA]

We used to have two cats one side, a third two doors down the other way and one that came over from the back, too. Thankfully since then, the two next door have died/moved/disappeared, but I can vouch for the waterpistol/small stones method. We looked out a couple of longer-ranged models from the shed left over from when we were kids and kept them fully filled by the back door. There is something supremely satisfying about soaking a cat who's fast asleep in between chasing your birds. Also, a pile of small stones helps too - you'll never actually hit the thing so no damage will be done and if you DO have the good fortune to hit it the stones are so small they'll hardly feel it.

At least you have this - cats aren't stupid. If you make it uncomfortable for them in your garden, or make it worth their while taking the long way around they'll not be back nearly so often. The cats here are so well trained they even hear us rattling keys around near the back door they scoot.