Are the newcomers killing birds at my feeder?

13 years ago

Hello,

This winter for the first time I hung bird feeders when I saw that my chokecherry tree was striped clean by the birds early in the season. I'm in Northern NJ right outside NYC. My yard is small and I have 3 feeders setup, a suet feeder, a tube with nyger seed and a small feeder with sunflower/safflower mix all hung from the same chokecherry tree. Based on the number of birds in my yard, I think I'm the only one in the neighborhood who has feeders out. In the winter I had sparrows, house finches, cardinals, chickadees, titmouse, mourning doves and a woodpecker visiting the yard.

Everything was fine until a couple of weeks ago when the migrating birds started appearing. I now have grackle, a couple of junco, black birds and an occasional blue jay.

Last week I found a dead sparrow near one of the feeders, today a dead female cardinal. Based on what I can see, I don't think they were attacked by a cat. We have a few that roam in the neighborhood, but I haven't seen them in at least a month.

Is there something with my setup that could be causing birds to attack each other? Could it be the migrating birds that are killing the smaller birds? Should I just take the feeders down for awhile?

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Comments (10)

lisa11310
13 years ago
None of the birds you mentioned would kill another bird on a feeder. Most Sparrows and Cardinals prefer to feed on the ground, your preditor is attacking from the ground.....the cat is the only thing that would attack a bird at a feeder and not eat it.
rober49
13 years ago
i keep a live trap baited for feral cats. if they do not have a collar they go to animal control
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OH dear. This is a very hot topic here. You may get some "not so nice" comments. First off I love cats, I have 4. They were brought in as strays and they have never set foot outside since (except my Ernie who likes to run out the door in the spring, I grab and bring right back in). Cats are killers of native wildlife as you have seen. There are many reports of the damage cats do to wildlife including birds. I am sure someone will send you links. There are also ways to let your cat enjoy the outdoors without puting your birds and critters at risk and I am sure you will get those links too. Please consider the safety of you cat and the safety of the critters and keep the cat inside unless you are with it. One other thought, and I am fighting with this now, your neighbors may not be any too happy with your cat in their yard. My neighbors let their cat out. First, I am a certified wildlife habitat with 5 nestboxes and 5 feeders, I have the right to not have the neighbors cat killing my critters including the frogs and toads in my pond, the cat does not belong on my property. Second the cat pees and poops in my garden. I should not have to put up with this , it's MY property. As you can tell I'm quite angry about this. Also I worry that any day I am going to see that cat dead in the road, I like the cat and would be extremly upset. Please reconsider letting your cat roam. It's not safe for the cat, your critters or birds and your neighbors will be happier. Hopefully someone can send you the link to the cat outside enclosures (I think Starlinka has one). Bells don't really work as birds do not know bells as being a threat until they have been attacked. Bless you for taking the cat in , now please keep it and the critters safe.
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lisa11310
13 years ago
I call one of the local cat rescues. I love Cats, I have 4 INDOOR only......of course they were strays before I gave them a nice home....but 4 is enough.
katsmah
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh no. My BF suspected that it was a cat, I thought I would see worse if it was a cat. I have 3 indoor only cats and have a friend who has a cat rescue. I don't know if the cat I occasionally see is owned or a stray. He's big and looks in good shape but doesn't have a collar.

Is there anything I can do with my setup so that the birds are safer?
katsmah
Original Author
13 years ago
Also, I am recently unemployed so any changes that I could make need to be done reasonably cheaply.
bandjzmom
13 years ago
This is a tough one katsmah. If it is a cat, there may be nothing to do but take the feeders away for awhile and see if he moves on. I know that my sister had a "stray? No-collared" cat at her feeders. She set a trap, and the cat completely and totally ignored the trap. We figured he must have belonged to a neighbor and was well fed at home. Apparently, killing the birds at her feeders was just daytime entertainment for him.
Joe1980
13 years ago
The cheapest way to get rid of a cat is to do something to make it remember your yard as a no-go zone. In other words, scare the crao out of it. I had this orange cat stalking around in my yard, trying to catch my birds. One day I looked out, saw the cat in the bushes between my deck and the lawn, so I grabbed an air horn, and slowly sneaked up behind it, and blasted the air horn right behind hit. I've never seen a cat jump so high in my life, and it ran, and ran, and ran, and I've never seen it again. I guess I traumatized it!

Joe
donald lucius
13 years ago
i got into trouble here on an earlier post by saying that i use my nephews super soaker water gun. and soak the cats that come into my yard and if that does not stop some of the worst ones i add a shot of ammonia to the water and the cats do not come back if they get a dose of ammonia water. i was told i am cruel to the cats but i say that they are cruel and deadly to the birds. so if i save a bird it's well worth stinking up a cat that does not forget the smell
katsmah
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks all. I took the main feeder down last night. The backyard is very quiet today. I'll give it a couple of weeks and try again with the feeders.
lisa11310
13 years ago
Blasting a cat with a hose or squirt gun is not harming the cat....just want to make sure it is not going to run in the road in front of a car. I have a super soaker water gun and do not hesitate to use it.

Are the newcomers killing birds at my feeder?

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Are the newcomers killing birds at my feeder?

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