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BIRD FEEDER BANDITS
(Excerpt from Rescuing Wildlife - A Guide to Helping
Injured and Orphaned Animals)
We often get complaints about two situations that
accompany bird feeders: squirrels and hawks. Let's talk about the
latter, first.
When you put out bird food you are attracting a large
number and variety of songbirds to a small area. For the animals that
prey upon songbirds, that means you've gathered together a vast
variety of food for them and the chances of a successful hunt at this
location are good.
There is only one way to stop a hawk from being a
constant watchman over your yard - stop feeding the birds. You have
to stop feeding for a period of several weeks until the hawk moves on
to other hunting grounds. If the hawk lives and nests locally, you
will need to stop feeding indefinitely.
Another way to deal with the situation is to look at
it differently. If you put food out to attract the activity of
wildlife to your yard, then you have been extremely successful. When
you feed the birds - you feed ALL the birds, including the hawks.
Enjoy the opportunity to witness wildlife at its greatest. Life in
the wild can be brutal, but that is the essence of nature.
Squirrels are frequent thieves of the bird feeder,
emptying the contents quickly and even destroying feeders to get at
the food. "Squirrel proof" bird feeders do not always work
and can be costly.
One trick that often helps keep squirrels away is to
lace the bird seed liberally with powdered red pepper. The taste is a
deterrent for rodents and the birds don't seem to even notice.
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