Off Topic Feeding Time at the Bird Feeder

[stomp]

I haven't made an identification of the predator, but it looks like a gray slate junco fell victim near the backyard feeder today.


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Grey Squirrel seemed ready to rumble...
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[G.Mech]

I enjoy our bird feeder too, almost as much as the neighbor's cat and the sharp shinned hawks do! The Hawks are quite fond of doves it seems based on the amount of leftover feathers some days.

 

[Outdorman]

if your in the city of London, there are leash laws for dogs and CATS. Call animal control, they don't appreciate outdoor cats.

 

[G.Mech]

if your in the city of London, there are leash laws for dogs and CATS. Call animal control, they don't appreciate outdoor cats.

Thankfully, I live in a country hamlet that doesn't need too many by-laws, in fact we don't even have Animal Control in our county. If I have an issue with my neighbour or his cat we discuss it over a beer and work it out. Cats do cat things and although he may steal the odd bird, he does an amazing job managing the mouse population around my shop and shed and I don't even have to feed it!

 

[stomp]

Based on the many "Lost Cat" signs routinely posted in my Londontown neighbourhood, I think the coyotes are lessening the need for a "cat-at-large" bylaw.

 

[tazmania]

We had a squirrel nest in a walnut tree out back. Had is the key word. Some kind of hawk shredded it last winter

 

[Outdorman]

Thankfully, I live in a country hamlet that doesn't need too many by-laws, in fact we don't even have Animal Control in our county. If I have an issue with my neighbour or his cat we discuss it over a beer and work it out. Cats do cat things and although he may steal the odd bird, he does an amazing job managing the mouse population around my shop and shed and I don't even have to feed it!

other than the fact that my neighbours cat after REPEATED contact still let their cat use my gardens as a litter box. They even said for the first year of owning their so called "neighbourhood" cat , 3 grocery bags of cat shit (FULL to the brim) were removed from my 15 foot by 2 foot garden. The neighbour didn't care or could care less. Mouse traps are more effective, if you need any styles or brand names I would be happy to help. I'm glad the kids are old enough to not need to play in their sandbox in the back yard, that's just gross and inconsiderate. You can always do what ever the heck you want on your OWN property as long as you are not being inconsiderate to your neighbours.

 

[FlyingViking]

other than the fact that my neighbours cat after REPEATED contact still let their cat use my gardens as a litter box. They even said for the first year of owning their so called "neighbourhood" cat , 3 grocery bags of cat shit (FULL to the brim) were removed from my 15 foot by 2 foot garden. The neighbour didn't care or could care less. Mouse traps are more effective, if you need any styles or brand names I would be happy to help. I'm glad the kids are old enough to not need to play in their sandbox in the back yard, that's just gross and inconsiderate. You can always do what ever the heck you want on your OWN property as long as you are not being inconsiderate to your neighbours.

You can buy coyote urine on Amazon. It works against cats for a while.

You can always but a .177 at peavy mart. Works 100 percent of the time against cats

 

[Trevor M]

if your in the city of London, there are leash laws for dogs and CATS. Call animal control, they don't appreciate outdoor cats.

Animal control was quick to show up when we forgot to renew the tags for our indoor cat a few years back, to "remind us" but they won't do anything about stray and feral cats. Our cat has never been outside unless in a carrier. My wife had them before me and paid a small fortune for them. They're Siamese, so she's almost more protective of the cats than she is me. We used to have 2, but one passed a couple years ago. The other is 14 now, on meds, but very much alive and well.

We've had several feral cats over the years living under the neighbors place and in our yard. (the one year we had over 12 after the kittens born the year prior, all had kittens as did their mother.) The first year they showed up we called animal control and they told us "YOU catch'em. IF you manage to, you can bring them to the shelter on Pine Valley Road."

I was able to catch 3 of the kittens (out of 15) that we've seen in the yard over the past few years, until the mother moved them to a neighbor's place last year, ( guess she didn't like me trying to catch'em, or maybe it was the skunk that moved in under the neighbors place that forced her to move) and when I caught them, I got them to the shelter where they were given vet care and then adopted out once they'd been "domesticated." which doesn't take long if they're caught within the first few weeks of being brought out from where ever momma has kept them hidden, but if you don't catch'em within the first couple weeks after first seeing them, forget it, they'll be too feral. They're hard to catch as it is, especially if their mother is wary of traps but without one, it's a game of chance.

IF you do manage to catch a feral adult cat and get it to them, they'll give it vet care, spay or neuter it, then release it back where YOU live because that's "it's known territory." and it'll be too feral to adopt out, so I was told by AC when I got the one kitten to them a couple years ago.

 

[tazmania]

other than the fact that my neighbours cat after REPEATED contact still let their cat use my gardens as a litter box. They even said for the first year of owning their so called "neighbourhood" cat , 3 grocery bags of cat shit (FULL to the brim) were removed from my 15 foot by 2 foot garden. The neighbour didn't care or could care less. Mouse traps are more effective, if you need any styles or brand names I would be happy to help. I'm glad the kids are old enough to not need to play in their sandbox in the back yard, that's just gross and inconsiderate. You can always do what ever the heck you want on your OWN property as long as you are not being inconsiderate to your neighbours.

You could always staple a ziplock bag full of cat s@#% to it's collar.

 

[Outdorman]

feeding feral cats is also a no no in London.

 

[Three Bouys]

Nice fence @stomp Does it give you backache memories when you look at it

 

[stomp]

Nice fence @stomp Does it give you backache memories when you look at it

Back and lower @Three Bouys ! Things were messed for a while after digging out that GD concrete!

It will be interesting to see if the posts were set deeply enough to avoid frost heaving.

 

[ch312]

You can buy coyote urine on Amazon. It works against cats for a while.

You can always but a .177 at peavy mart. Works 100 percent of the time against cats

Live traps work great for cats. Take them to the spca where they're kept for a week before being euthanized. If the owners show up to claim the animal they have to pay to get the cat back.

 

[tazmania]

Live traps work great for cats. Take them to the spca where they're kept for a week before being euthanized. If the owners show up to claim the animal they have to pay to get the cat back.

SPCA in Barrie.

Opps was that my outside voice

 

[stomp]

Another one bites the dust! I heard something slam into the window behind me during morning coffee. I didn’t get a great look/picture and I can’t be certain of the kind of hawk. It’s been quiet at the feeder since.

 

[hvyhaul]

Lose a few over the year, squirrels, starlings, grackles and doves are my hoped for victims.

It's absolutely mind blowing seeing them come into the yard and veer around obstacles in the chase if they don't drop onto the victim.

Gets really quite when they sit on top of the fence. Not even squirrels have the balls to scold.

 

[Octavius Brine]

I think it is a kestrel or something like it that hangs around here. I've seen it dive into the cedar hedge and come out with some bird in a cloud of feathers. Very cool. And once I saw it snatch a fat rat, and it squealed like crazy as it was carried off. That was back when I had a composter (not anymore... too many rats here). Maybe we need more cats

 

[fireram]

I’m not sure what this guy or gal is iether. It didn’t seam to be eating any pray but was in no hurry to fly away. I walked up on it and didn’t notice till I walked past it.
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