Tree climbing, bird feeder steeling fox? (1 Viewer)

[joannec]

I hang bird feeders in trees like most people on this forum but some are being stolen. About a month ago, my fat feeder disappeared, the string holding it up was severed and the container gone. The peanut feeder in the same tree was broken, the plastic bottom lay on the ground with teeth marks on it and the wire mesh part was still hanging in the tree, minus the peanuts of course. I suspected a fox but a tree climbing fox?

I decided to not hang any feeders in this part of the garden for a few weeks and hopefully the culprit would forget about it. So this week I restocked and repaired said feeder, hung it as high as I could reach and on an outer branch of the apple tree. And today it is completely gone. I searched the garden but there is no sign of it. Can foxes really climb trees? Anyone else had a similar experience.

 

[Colin]

Could it be a squirrel doing the dirty deed?

 

[Gwynn]

Foxes can climb surprisingly well so one could well be the culprit

Gwynn

 

[jgrnot]

Is a Raccoon more likely? They'll eat just about anything and are amazingly agile.

 

[Steve]

Rattus norvegicus

 

[madmike]

Not a fox!

Hi joannechattaway,
Without doub't it will be a Squirrel - they have teeth as sharp as yer like and will destroy wood, plastic and even metal! Foxes can climb a bit, (I've seen them get on to a garage roof) but I don't think they will climb a tree.

Cheers,

madmike 3

 

[Osprey_watcher]

Is a Raccoon more likely? They'll eat just about anything and are amazingly agile.

Unfortunately we don't don't get many raccoons in deepest Sussex.

It's almost certainly a squirrel, I've watched them totally destroy a wire mesh peanut feeder to get at the contents.

 

[Gwynn]

try http://www.permuted.org.uk/foxes6.html if you want to see a fox up a tree

 

[joannec]

Really interesting pictures, Gwynn. I am now convinced it is a fox who is the culprit. Interestingly he only theives from one tree. The feeders in other parts of the garden are left for the birds, so far.

I am surprised some of you think it is a squirrel, surprised because I wouldn't expect then to take the feeders away with them, there really is no sign left of two of them. The fat feeder was ceramic and I would have thought too heavy for a squirrel(or a rat) to carry off.

Thanks for all you're replies.

 

[jgrnot]

A squirrel makes more sense, I didn't see your home location.

If it is a fox, that would be impressive.

That's when a cheap motion sensing camera would come in handy, a friend of mine has one and has captured some great pics.

 

[deborah4]

If it is a fox, that would be impressive.

Not particularly. Foxes in my neighbourhood climb onto the roofs of houses in the summer to prey on juvenile seagulls. Saw a fox this morning scale a 10 foot wall with no problem. Watched it for a while - they move more like cats than dogs - don't be put off by the fact they are canines!

 

[gordon g]

It sounds more like squirrel behaviour than fox to me, even though i have seen foxes up trees before. The squirrels in my garden have accounted for several wire and plastic feeders. What did the teeth marks look like - that should differentiate between rodent gnawing and carnassian chewing marks (foxes chew with their cheek teeth like dogs and leave similar marks).

 

[joannec]

Gordon, the teeth were most like a dogs tooth mark, quite big and about 1/2" long, not chewy ones, more of a gouge, deepish and more than scratches. I can't photograph them because feeder has been stolen.

 

[deborah4]

From Joanna's description

I would say most likely FOX

As I said above, foxes are able to scale buildings, trees and high walls. I too have had feeders mauled with tooth marks akin to canine depressions, and have had whole feeders 'stolen' in the night and 'chewed up' hard plastic suet mix feeders left lying around.

For those of us who have foxes and squirrels in our SUSSEX gardens, and have experienced 'theft' from both, distinguishing the difference is not too difficult!

 

[joannec]

Yeah, Deborah, I'm pretty sure it's a fox because I really don't think a squirrel could carry off the feeders. I especially liked putting food in that particular part of the garden because it was some distance from the house and attracted more species that tne ones outside my kitchen window but I guess I'll have to give up on that site for this year at least. Too many foxes around here.

 

[gordon g]

Gordon, the teeth were most like a dogs tooth mark, quite big and about 1/2" long, not chewy ones, more of a gouge, deepish and more than scratches. I can't photograph them because feeder has been stolen.

Ok - that sounds convincing!
You could try hanging the feeders off a long piece of stiff wire (eg coat-hanger wire) to make them less accessible to the fox (beware of ground clearance though - foxes do jump quite athletically) - though the squirrels will just enjoy sliding down it and hang beneath the feeder to rob the contents!

 

[GavinM]

I also think Fox, also agree that a motion detector would be very good. If you have a digital camera warehouseexpress sell the zigview r1 quite cheap. I haven't tried one but they look the business.