How to Safely Attract Ground Feeding Birds That Cats Cant Get
- #1
I have had a feeder sat in our back garden now for nearly a year and have never seen any birds come to it 
I suspect the main reason is that we live in a mid-terraced house, with the neighbours on either side both having two cats who often go into our garden.
Is there any way of attracting birds to our garden onto the feeders despite the cats, and without putting the birds in any danger? I tried to place the feeder in such a place that it is at least risk of the birds being attacked by the cats but to no avail. Our garden is relatively small, has a few low fruit trees in it but no real thick cover for birds to hide in.
Is there anything I can do placement wise with the feeder to safely attract birds into the garden or with all the nearby feline activity will my efforts be ultimately futile?
- #3
Cheers for the reply - just checked the food which I thought was OK, it wasn't. It had gone quite mouldy! I've just cleaned the feeder and replaced the food - it had sunflower hearts in before, have just replaced with more hearts.
I've moved the feeder closer to a bush, though sadly it currently has no leaves on it so looks a bit bare! Time will tell if the birds will come to it now. I've no fat balls but will go and buy some from our local Aldi and see if that helps too!
- #5
I've been and got some fatballs (£3.99 for two feeders with 4 fatballs in each from Aldi!) and put them in the garden. I've attached a picture of our back garden and put text just above where the feeders are in the garden. The part out of shot on the right is just a path with a low fence next to it.
Any further suggestions for where to put the feeders?
No birds yet but I guess it's a bit early yet and they haven't found the feeders and realised I've changed the mouldy food in the other one, plus it's starting to get a bit late and dark now anyway! Will see if anything happens tomorrow.
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- #6
Saw my first bird at the feeder this morning! It was a rather wary Robin that kept flitting to the feeder then flying off quickly, not sure if it was my presence that was scaring it or whether the feeder is still in a slightly too open position, but pleased at my first visitor!
- #8
Nothing wrong with the size of your garden, we have cats all round us and have birds visiting our feeders. Try providing places for the birds to feel secure before they come onto your feeders. Plant spiky plants like Pyracanthawere the cats come over the fence, and some evergreen shrubs for the birds to get into. Try cotoneaster frigidus both plants have berries so will help draw birds into he garden. If you want I can mail you a list of plants that will help.
- #10
I have two cats as well and there are another 10 in close proximity. I have two feeders and a table and do get a good variety of birds including 6 Redpolls and 2 Parakeets a week or so ago.
I am not convinced about putting feeders near bushes or trees. I think it can give the cats more cover and the birds lss chance to see the cats. The feeders do need to be high though.
Last year I bought the feeding table and it is about five feet off the ground, but my 7 year old tabby on the second day after installing it did a flying leap off the ground and sadly caught and killed a greenfinch.
I have now bought an adjustable cage to protect the table and there have been no further problems.
Oddly, after the incident, I saw no birds at any feeders for nearly a week.
- #12
Thanks for the replies and info, apologies for the lack of update! Still no birds I've seen since that brave Robin, will experiment with moving the feeder about the garden and see if that gets better results.
Will get some suet feeders and give them a go too, and keep a pair of binoculars by the window just in case!
- #13
They will come eventually. My partner started feeding our birds six weeks ago and now our garden never has less than 10 feeding birds at any time of day and that can increase to over 30+ at peak times !
cats are not a problem . I have two but they very rarely take a bird .I can count the number on one hand this year.
We have daily visits from a pair of green woodpeckers and a pair of Great spotted woodpeckers plus all the usual great tits ,long tailed tits,blue tits, chaffinches collared doves blackbirds starlings etc.plus up to 4x squirrels at a time
You need to feed consistently every day . I would suggest you try and feed as early as possible to catch the early feeders ie 7.30 ish or before. Try to make sure you have several fat balls up and maybe a peanut and suet slab plus scatter some seeds on the ground as well as hanging feeders. You need to provide at least 5x seperate eating places if you want to attract more than the occasional bird otherwise they will compete for the one feeder and the bigger aggressive birds will drive the tits and finches off
Try to make your own seed mixes and don't buy the large corn type 'wild bird seed' which are only really suitable for wood pidgeon and doves.
My partner uses a plastic 'natures finest pinapple juice ' container 1kg size. Into this she puts sunflower seeds and wild bird seed with some finch seed. She then uses the end of a rolling pin to crush the seeds which makes it easier for the smaller birds to eat.
She will usually break up a couple of slices of bread into small pieces and distribute that around the garden and the jays, rooks, crows and jackdaws soon gobble that up. The rooks load up their beaks with at least 5-6 bits of bread like the puffins do with fish before flying off.
They will come eventually. My partner started feeding our birds six weeks ago and now our garden never has less than 10 feeding birds at any time of day and that can increase to over 30+ at peak times !
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p261/peanutNboo/greatspottedwoodpecker1100kb.jpg
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Source: https://www.birdforum.net/threads/am-i-able-to-attract-birds-to-my-feeder-despite-nearby-cats.162814/
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