Hi. I have a good tall bird feeding station on my patio which is used quite a bit by various birds, Im pleased to say. I also recently bought a ground feeder tray for blackbirds, robins, chaffinches, etc to use, but I've found that several cats in the area like to come and eat all the food I put on it! Is there any way I can keep the cats away from the tray? I really want to be able to provide food for ground feeding birds but there's never anything left for them to eat, thanks to the cats! I'm also always worried that I'm putting the birds at risk of being attacked by putting food on the ground for them, although thankfully this hasn't happened yet!
Any advice on feeding ground birds whilst still protecting them from cats would be appreciated! :)
Hi!
I don't have a ground feeder because I have dogs and there are kitty's around too. Don't like the thought of them eating anything they shouldn't!
I find that the larger birds seem to appreciate a suet cage that is on a branch but pushed to the base so it's steady. Additionally they eat from upturned half coconuts wedged lol.
I don't know your set up or what your table looks like obviously hehe, but I hope that maybe gave you an idea or two!
Hi Ella
A warm welcome to the Community from me too. I hope you enjoy our forum. :-)
They don't work for everyone but have you considered an ultrasonic cat deterrent?
There are various models on the market but by far the best one in the UK is the Catwatch cat deterrent sold in many retails outlets including the RSPB online shop. It is also available from other online retailers and on eBay.
The Guardian is also an excellent version available from Good Life LLC in the US, and they also have an EU site that ships to the UK.
A metal cage type ground feeder Guardian might also work for you, as it lets birds in and keeps out pigeons cats and dogs.
Best wishes Chris
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Thank you, Vonny and Woodpecker! I'll have to look into the ultrasonic cat deterrent, although seems rather pricey, lol! Also the guardian seems like a really good option, although does anyone know if it tends to put some birds off going inside to get the food? If not then I shall definitely invest in one of them.
Thanks again for your help and for your welcome. Happy to be here! :)
I think you can always use those squirrel proof guards for cats too, like this one
onehttp://shopping.rspb.org.uk/p/BirdAccessories/Adjustable_ground_feeding_sanctuary.htm
'Dip a dee dah, dip a dee ay, we're not seeing any birds to-day...'
Thanks. I was thinking of getting that one, or the Flat-Topped Ground Feeding Sanctuary but Im not sure if they're suitable to go on the patio, does anyone know? I have such an uneven, sloping lawn that I have all my bird feeders (ground feeding tray, feeding station) on my patio instead. I have a good patio base to hold the feeding station in place but what can I do about the feeding sanctuarys for the ground feeder? I see in the descriptions it says the sanctuaries have pegs to secure them to the ground but I take it it means on the grass/soil?
Are the sanctuaries strong/heavy enough to just stay in place over the feeders on the patio without needing to be held/pegged down?