SCOTT SHALAWAY Discouraging unwanted guests

Some people complain of squirrels eating all their bird food. Others decry hungry pigeons. My nemesis is deer. It's not that I mind feeding deer. The problem is that when deer are at the feeders, birds are not. And I prefer to see birds, not deer, enjoying the feeders. Some even stand on their hind legs to reach hanging feeders. It's amazing how they work their tongue into all but the tiniest of seed ports.
If you feed wild birds in your backyard, you probably feed other critters as well. Here are some tips to discourage uninvited backyard dinner guests.
Squirrels love sunflower seeds, nuts and corn, so it's easy to understand why they find bird feeders attractive. You can make feeders squirrel-resistent (notice I didn't say squirrel-proof) by placing a metal baffle below pole-mounted feeders or a domed squirrel guard above hanging feeders.
Some new cleverly designed feeders successfully keep squirrels at bay, but they are expensive. And remember, fox squirrels and gray squirrels can jump five feet vertically and up to 10 feet horizontally. My favorite solution is to bait them away from the feeding area with corn. Corn's cheap, and they love it.
Big and clumsy
Pigeons are the bane of every city dweller who feeds birds. The simple solution is to physically exclude the pigeons. Tubes with small perches, perchless bowl-style feeders, and feeders enclosed in wire cages are ideal. Pigeons are simply too big and clumsy to use such feeders. Of course, they will still eat the food that falls to the ground.
To shut pigeons out completely, build a frame of two-by-two-inch lumber about 12 inches high and large enough to cover the entire area beneath the feeders. Then cover the frame with chicken wire. Finches, juncos, and other small birds will easily pass through the chicken wire, while pigeons, grackles, starlings, blue jays, mourning doves, and even squirrels will be fenced out.
Cats can't help themselves. Each year domestic and feral cats kill tens of millions of song birds.
Try these solutions: Neuter your cat. Convince neighbors to keep their cats indoors. Get a dog. Equip outdoor cats with collars and two large bells to warn unsuspecting birds (this works until the cat learns to move without ringing the bells). Spray cats that stalk your backyard with a strong spray from a hose. Place feeders at least four or five feet from dense vegetation where cats can wait in ambush.
Finally, sprinkle the area beneath your feeders with hot pepper powder, which can be bought in bulk. Cats, being the fastidious creatures they are, get a "hot tongue" when they clean their feet after walking through the pepper and quickly learn too avoid the area.
Get a dog
Deer routinely empty bird feeders and often help themselves to valuable shrubbery. Short of protecting the entire yard with an electric fence, which is probably the best solution, get a dog. A backyard dog is great at keeping deer, cats, raccoons, and other night stalkers at bay. Just hope it does its job without barking all night long.
Bird-eating hawks eventually discover bird feeders, where they help themselves to finches, juncos, and an occasional cardinal, blue jay, or dove. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks eat birds almost exclusively, so it should come as no surprise that they add a whole new dimension to the term "bird feeder."
This is nature at work. If you can't appreciate predation, at least respect it. Hawks must eat, too, and if they take a few feeder birds, that's life and death in the real world. Report neighbors who kill hawks to the local conservation officer.
To minimize hawk predation, make sure there is some vegetation within four or five feet of the feeders so birds can take cover.
I've lumped all these problems together for the convenience of discussion, not because they are inevitable. They are not. Most occur only occasionally and can be minimized with a little planning.
sshalaway@aol.com