Feeding wild birds .. and vermin!

[Paddy's mum]

Good morning. We love to feed and observe wild birds and have four feeding stations plus a fledgling (pardon the pun!) wildlife garden with berries and crab apples, all much in demand.

However, we have a problem with rats, especially, coming close to the house to pick up seed, spilt by the sparrows in particular. Unfortunately, rats are common in this rural area and although we practice good feeding station hygiene, they will approach even in broad daylight and feed from the ground right outside our conservatory windows - as a lifelong Rolandaphobe, it does my head in.

So blatant are they that we have temporarily stopped feeding anything that can be spilt. However, we get so much simple pleasure from watching the many species of wild bird that visit our garden that we'd like to continue.

Has anybody any ideas as to how we can deter vermin but still allow the birds access to much needed supplies of food and water? Poisoning of vermin is not an option for us as apart from the morality of causing a slow, painful death to any creature, we have pets of our own who could be harmed.

All and any suggestions most gratefully received by both us and the wild birds.

[Milims]

When I worked in Environmental Health we strongly advised against feeding wild birds. As you have found it attracts rats, not only to spilt seeds but also to the tiny pieces of broken peanuts and their skins, and it takes only a small amount of peanuts to produce a very sleak and shiney rat!!! But that isnt the only problem it causes. Sadly the bird table is a haven for nasty diseases such as E-coli which the birds can contract and the go away and die in the hedgerows after dinner. It also creates a buffet of small birds for larger birds of prey. So, despite best intentions its not the best thing we can do for the birds. I also experienced cases where people came close to prosecution under the environmental protection act for creating a rat problem with bird feeding. On top of that where there are rats there is weils disease - nasty.
So all in all, even though they are nice to look at in your garden, feeding them isn't truly the kindest thing one can do.
As to your worries about poisoning, the amount of poison that it takes to kill a rat is much smaller than it takes to kill a larger animal or human, and from what I've heard cats don't tend to go for already dead prey very often. Also frequently the poison comes in the form impregnated corn which is dyed blue, and if its laid in a garden its in an enclosed container on the rats "path" with access pretty much restricted only to the rat and so not terribly attractive or accessible to other species.
All that said - I rather like rats - they are very intelligent creatures - as you have obseved - they learn quickly!!!
So, if I haven't managed to put you off, and you really want to continue to feed the birds, the only other way that I've heard of to help with the rat problem is to ensure that the bird table has high sides - so that seeds etc don't fall off, that the pole it's on is slippery - so that rat can't climb up it, and that it is in an exposed area away from anything the rat could climb up and jump off to gain access.
Good luck
Helen

[kanga]

Hi, when we lived in Stanwell Tops (N.S.W.) we regularly fed the many wild birds that visited...fortunately for us they were so greedy that they ate ALL the seeds left for them and left absolutely nothing for any kind of vermin to take as scraps.

The Sulphar Crested Cockatoos actually knocked on the security fly screen door for their daily feed. I suppose there would be many out there that would not encourage the feeding of wild birds...but for the time that we lived 'in the bush' it was great entertainment!!

Hope we didn't cause any long term damage to the eco system by indulging ourselves in such pleasure, by watching them feed!!!

[eek]

I plant some sunflowers and amaranth and leave it go. The birds will pick the sunflowers clean so no feeder needs cleaned, and I have yet to see vermin try to climb the stalks. I do have 3 cats though, so that may be a deterent. I leave the rose hips on the bush until spring and keep a waterer near the kitchen window so I do get to see the bluebirds, cardinals and titmouse' most of the year.