Last week I accidentally came across a dunnock nest whilst I was gardening,I had actually pulled some of their cover away, it was in ivy against a wall........ I tried to cover it as well as I could. I could see that there were 4 eggs inside and, luckily, the parents soon came back to their nest after I'd moved away.. Yesterday and today there has been a very cheeky stray cat coming into, not only my garden but my house too!! I reckon that it has a death wish as I have 3 large non cat loving dogs!! After a while I thought that he/she/it had gone away but just then I heard lots of birds sounding very alarmed ....................I went over and lo and behold I caught old Bagpuss in the act of pulling the dunnock nest down.....he was eating something too. I saw that there was 1 new chick on the floor.........I'd got gardening gloves on so I hacked my way through conifers, shrubs, nettles, brambles and everything to get to this chick before ' IT' did..............I placed the chick back in what was left of its nest and the parents did come back.....but i don't think that the prognosis was good for them. I shooed the cat away.....he must have eaten 3 chicks!!.........I was really VERY angry.........I know that it's nature and I love all animals, but I am very protective of my birds.........'.IT' has just come back again............and do you know the first thing I said to it????.......... 'I'm not talking to you'!! ......(Unbelieivable.......I know!!)................It looked back at me as if to say...'Do I look BOVVERED???'..........................and YES!!.....I do look as if I've just come through a hedge backwards!!.....Anyway I just needed to get that off my chest!! Gggrrrrrrrrr!!!!
'My favourite weather is bird chirping weather'.........Terri Guillemets
Hello Wonderwoman
I do know what you mean. I have 2 rescue cats but I also feed the birds so they are only allowed out at certain times and wear bells. I would get very angry if they tried to mess with 'my' birds. They never leave my garden either.
Well done for rescuing the dunnocks, let us know how they get on.
You probably know this but one method of getting rid of cats is squirting water at them from a bottle. It doesn't harm them but they do dislike it.. I know other people have found the devices which emit a noise only cats can hear, very useful. Could you put some chicken wire around the nest area as a temporary measure.?
I feel sure the cat will just keep returning until he or she has destroyed the nest and chicks.
Failing that you are going to have to set the dogs on it..................................................I'm joking!!!!!!!
Kind regards Jane.
Hi Jef
I'm afraid that the dunnocks seem to have abandoned their nest..........it was in a pretty awful state. I just hope that the parents will go on to have another brood....(would they have a second brood?). As for the cat?? It's still around........the dogs keep having a little chase but it seems fearless!! I feel a bit sorry for it on one hand and in all other ways ways it seems an affectionate thing..............I can't say that it's quiet as we had a rendition of the cats chorus at 2.00am, 4.15am and 5.30am this morning with it wanting to come into the house!!! We live in the country and there aren't such a lot of houses here so if anyone's lost a cat we should know pretty soon. Incidentally we still don't know whether it's a 'he' or a 'she'!! I know about dogs but not cats!!
Hi,
If the cat is causing bother in a certain place you could try using sliced lemon or vinegar to deter them. Chili sauce works quite well too. Planting spiky bushes is another great deterrant.
As for the dunnocks, they can have up to 3 broods although 2 is more common.
Vinegar! yes i can imagine that'd work as well, never thought of that. A few people I've spoken to have also suggested using old tea bags soaked in olbas oil.
Theres loads of other tips mentioned on this advice page on the main website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.asp
Hope thats helps!
Hi Wonderwoman,
sorry to hear of your cat troubles. They can be such a pain when instinct kicks in!
I have reasonable success with the plastic garden trellising, do you know the stuff I mean? You'd normally clip it to the fence for climbing plants. Its mostly on the fence here, but also under the thick bamboo to stop nextdoor's cat hiding under it. The birds can still get through it though.
Thanks one and all for your suggestions!! My garden is quite large so one or two of the suggestions are a bit impracticable (e.g. All that vinegar!! )...........My big slobbering,lolloping Labradors seem to be the best bet at the moment..............They think that it's a game...........'IT' thinks that it's best to avoid those fangs!!
Hi I had a cat problem and short of stapling the hairy creatures to the fence ,( only joking,I) was at a loss until a while ago a crow started visitng my garden and he (Colin the Crow) took over patrolling the garden and as he isnt a threat to the other birds I let him stay. Now if there are any cats in the vicinity he makes such a racket then swoops at the cat which of course runs off. Now he is a regular sight and visits quite a lot along with his partner.
Birds Rule
Snowdonia said: Hi I had a cat problem and short of stapling the hairy creatures to the fence ,( only joking,I) was at a loss until a while ago a crow started visitng my garden and he (Colin the Crow) took over patrolling the garden and as he isnt a threat to the other birds I let him stay. Now if there are any cats in the vicinity he makes such a racket then swoops at the cat which of course runs off. Now he is a regular sight and visits quite a lot along with his partner.
Can I borrow Colin please???
Hi Wonderwoman sorry you cant borrow Colin Crow cos I need him. but in all seriousness cats are a big problem and I guess Colin wont always be around, I really fear for my baby birds. After such a bad winter and all the feeding ( my husband says they are better fed than us )we are now being rewarded with lots if different youngsters, Its such a pleasure to see them every day. Off to South Stack this weekend hopefully to see the beautiful sea birds and take lots of pics.