Hi Guys, I'm new.
I'm wondering If anyone can answer this, or has had the same thing happen. I regularly feed my birds with seed and occasionally a coconut half filled with fat and seed, the ones from the supermarket, usually the starling population descend and get the lions share, but the past couple of times someone, I'm guessing a bird, is taking the whole thing away, we don't get squirrels, so it's not one of them, my guess is a crow, would they have the strength to carry it off? I'm not sure it is a Seagull as they are heavy and would knock the feeder over or break it. Any ideas?
My first guess, would be a Crow, too.
But if you have Seagulls, I'd think, they're sure capable.
But as you say, they'd knock over and break the feeder: This you sure can assess best, as I don't know your feeder. Though they can be ruthless, they sure are intelligent birds, too. But first guess : Crows, definitely. Maybe you can fix the coconut somehow, so they can't carry it off? Or let it make at least some noise, so if you're home you can interfere and identify the culprit ;-)
I am going to suggest it could have been knocked down by a heavy bird but then pulled along by an adult rat ... just reminded me of times when I had ground feeding dishes disappearing and subsequently found in shrubbery by a fence where the rats were digging holes underneath ... they are very strong! Have you searched in hidden places?
Btw, do you have foxes in your garden?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
We don't get fox's, not that iv seen. Im not sure about rats, not a massive fan of them, one of the days the coconut went missing I'd been in and out of the garden most of the day, weeding. the coconut went not long, a couple of hours, after I put it out, any rat would have had to be very quick, iv not seen any remains of coconut ether. Put another out yesterday and it is still there, starlings loving it. It's a proper mistery, Could a cat have taken it if it fell.
Can't imagine that a cat would be able to carry it off !
More likely a squirrel, they can chew through string and happily drag or run off with it.
Do you have access to a wildlife camera? That should expose the culprit.
No camara unfortunately.
This morning I was woken by a seagull and crow fighting over a suet block on my neighbour's flat roof. It had come from my bird table and was almost whole, so quite heavy. I've never had seagulls in my garden so I think the culprit must have been the crow. Goodness knows how it carried that. I've replaced it but put string around it and tied it to the table to make it harder for the thief to have another go.
Very good idea & well done ,Winny, to fix it with an extra string- wanted to suggest that to you, GavR, too- but Winny was quicker and already helped herself and yourself
Ps.: Here some much more destructive unwanted garden- guest, , I s'pose - this little family was in a reserve though. Many greetings and a wonderful May to everyone reading this . . .