I'll even take old ones! (someone suggested something with a pie pan that I can't find the suggestion again).
I feel awful - the starlings are literally driving the feral kittens away. We can now only feed between 7 at night and 6:30 in the morning, and so many of our feral babies ate during the day. I know we'd probably be seeing fewer kitties anyway with this weather - but I have a feeling that the food being pulled during the day is at least affecting things - even our heated shelters haven't been used in 3 weeks, and last horridly cold snap, the cats came back after the first few days. Not this time - but I'm guessig they (hopefully) went off in search of more readily available food. Maybe in the spring the starlings will leave and the kittes will come back
Annnyyywwaaaayyy....here's what we've tried ---so PLEASE - any suggestions beyond anything we've tried are greatly, greatly appreciated - we want our babies back!!!!! (and we did talk to several bird experts before trying these - so I'm not crazy on a few of these things). I've also included a layout so you can see how we kind of have it set up.
1. We bought a large (2 foot tall) plastic owl with a head that swings and sways a little in the wind * and put it right next to the opening of the station. It worked for about 20 hours. Then the birds were back in droves.
2. We turned the station so that the opening faced the garage, and saw slim enough for cats to fit into, but the birds couldn't swoop down. The birds figured out within 15 minutes they could land near it and walk in.
3. We placed strips of washcloth hanging down over opening....porr Blackie the cat sat in front of it for an hour, not figuring out she could push in. A bird landed, pushed in immediately, and in 1 minute there were 30 birds jammed into the tiny rubbermaid feeding station and the food was gone.
4. Put up fluttery party favors, streamers, shiny things that hang, etc from the entry to the station, from the edge of the garage, on top of the owl, inside the station......my husband pulled up and, had he been able to get his phone out fast enough he would have taken a picture. Now the birds were sitting on TOP of the owl. The highly decorated disco owl.
5. The bird guy said starlings go b sight, not smell, so we covered excet for a teeny opening, the feeding station. Again - 5 minutes, birds everywhere.
6. Last thing I tried - we'd been propping open the small side door shown next to the large garage door (open just about 4 inches) in case any kitties wanted to go inside instead of use shelters - (we'd set up cat carriers filled with straw inside). No one had used them, but thought it was worth trying. And I'd witnessed them wandering into (and generally out of) that door to at least check things out. So I set a small bowl of hard and soft cat food inside the door --- but about 12 inches in so it couldn't easily be seen. You can guess - go out later in the after nooon and our garage is FILLED with starlings!!!! CREEPY!!!!
7. Optomistically, I've given it a few days, and am putting another bowl inside the door - but further out of site and too the right. Haven't been out there yet to see if bird or cat or either has discovered it.
So HELP!!!! Any other suggestions? Someone had a pie tin thing - but I can't find it. (I forgot - we also bought a mirror to put behind the food - that didn't do a darn thing). ANY other suggestion we'd SO appreciate it!!!! We miss our guys - especially little Flick, that we've seen since birth!!!!!! And these starlings are just relentless!!!
Thanks in advance for any help!!
I feel awful - the starlings are literally driving the feral kittens away. We can now only feed between 7 at night and 6:30 in the morning, and so many of our feral babies ate during the day. I know we'd probably be seeing fewer kitties anyway with this weather - but I have a feeling that the food being pulled during the day is at least affecting things - even our heated shelters haven't been used in 3 weeks, and last horridly cold snap, the cats came back after the first few days. Not this time - but I'm guessig they (hopefully) went off in search of more readily available food. Maybe in the spring the starlings will leave and the kittes will come back
Annnyyywwaaaayyy....here's what we've tried ---so PLEASE - any suggestions beyond anything we've tried are greatly, greatly appreciated - we want our babies back!!!!! (and we did talk to several bird experts before trying these - so I'm not crazy on a few of these things). I've also included a layout so you can see how we kind of have it set up.
1. We bought a large (2 foot tall) plastic owl with a head that swings and sways a little in the wind * and put it right next to the opening of the station. It worked for about 20 hours. Then the birds were back in droves.
2. We turned the station so that the opening faced the garage, and saw slim enough for cats to fit into, but the birds couldn't swoop down. The birds figured out within 15 minutes they could land near it and walk in.
3. We placed strips of washcloth hanging down over opening....porr Blackie the cat sat in front of it for an hour, not figuring out she could push in. A bird landed, pushed in immediately, and in 1 minute there were 30 birds jammed into the tiny rubbermaid feeding station and the food was gone.
4. Put up fluttery party favors, streamers, shiny things that hang, etc from the entry to the station, from the edge of the garage, on top of the owl, inside the station......my husband pulled up and, had he been able to get his phone out fast enough he would have taken a picture. Now the birds were sitting on TOP of the owl. The highly decorated disco owl.
5. The bird guy said starlings go b sight, not smell, so we covered excet for a teeny opening, the feeding station. Again - 5 minutes, birds everywhere.
6. Last thing I tried - we'd been propping open the small side door shown next to the large garage door (open just about 4 inches) in case any kitties wanted to go inside instead of use shelters - (we'd set up cat carriers filled with straw inside). No one had used them, but thought it was worth trying. And I'd witnessed them wandering into (and generally out of) that door to at least check things out. So I set a small bowl of hard and soft cat food inside the door --- but about 12 inches in so it couldn't easily be seen. You can guess - go out later in the after nooon and our garage is FILLED with starlings!!!! CREEPY!!!!
7. Optomistically, I've given it a few days, and am putting another bowl inside the door - but further out of site and too the right. Haven't been out there yet to see if bird or cat or either has discovered it.
So HELP!!!! Any other suggestions? Someone had a pie tin thing - but I can't find it. (I forgot - we also bought a mirror to put behind the food - that didn't do a darn thing). ANY other suggestion we'd SO appreciate it!!!! We miss our guys - especially little Flick, that we've seen since birth!!!!!! And these starlings are just relentless!!!
Thanks in advance for any help!!