weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Apr 18, 2020 22:49:55 GMT -5
weedkicker, do you have problems with raccoons bothering the birds and the nest? We used to have a wren house hanging from the corner of the barn roof. A raccoon climbed the outside corner of the barn and destroyed the nest. those sheds hanging around the nest should help deter critters. No raccoon problems, but I have a lot of problems with domestic cats. (And those were "involuntary" sheds. ;) )
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Post by James on Apr 20, 2020 11:15:09 GMT -5
"No raccoon problems, but I have a lot of problems with domestic cats."
Interesting. I have 4 domestic cats that hang out here. They are outside cats, they do not come in the house. They have free run of the yard and outbuildings. They do keep the rodent population in check. Once in a while one will grab a bird. Usually a small bird like a Junco. I do feed them some dry bagged cat food.
What kind of problems do you have with the cats?
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 20, 2020 11:30:31 GMT -5
Mourning doves are nesting atop my 'high in the wall mounted - first floor room air conditioner'...It sits under an eave... Perfectly safe place for them, and away from multiple neighbor's horrid roaming cats... Sorry cat people...
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Post by James on Apr 20, 2020 12:14:09 GMT -5
"(And those were "involuntary" sheds. ;) )"
IOW weedkicker is a hunter.
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Post by James on Apr 20, 2020 12:29:02 GMT -5
"horrid roaming cats... Sorry cat people..."
You can thank those horrid roaming cats that you don't have gophers digging up your lawn and you don't have mice scampering around the garage and outbuildings.
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 20, 2020 12:32:43 GMT -5
I could very happily live without the disgusting cat turds they leave in my flower beds... I have found that strategically placed cut branches of prickly barberry hedge in those beds are a nice deterrent for that...
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Post by James on Apr 20, 2020 12:39:48 GMT -5
cat turds = fertilizer
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Post by tom 🕊 on Apr 20, 2020 12:58:05 GMT -5
multiple neighbor's horrid roaming cats... This site claims there are materials and plants that repel cats. www.wikihow.com/Repel-Cats
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Post by binnylou on Apr 21, 2020 9:46:36 GMT -5
We watched a Tom turkey strolling across our yard this morning. Hubby had heard him in the early part of the morn. He’s a beauty in the sunlight, stopping a couple of times to display his tail feathers.
Hubby had best get that electric fence going. While I appreciate the insect control turkeys provide, I’d just as soon they leave my planted seeds alone.
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Post by davidjp on Apr 21, 2020 10:03:15 GMT -5
We watched a Tom turkey strolling across our yard this morning That's quite a sight. I'd love to see one of those out my window. I had a bald eagle flying over the garden yesterday which was pretty special and saw a couple of turkey vultures heading north across a lovely blue sky with a few billowing clouds
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Post by binnylou on Apr 21, 2020 10:15:38 GMT -5
davidjp , vultures are very common in our area. Some afternoons, we’ll see 5 or 6 of them riding the thermals , directly above our property and the nearby timber. Eagles are in the area, but you have to pay attention or you’ll miss them. Turkeys are quite common. Some years ago, maybe 7, there was two hen turkeys and a bunch of chicks. Every morning they followed the same route. Hubby has a walking path that he keeps mowed and the turkeys would wander up from the east end of the yard, stroll over to the southwest corner of our property and disappear down the walking path. That was a bad grasshopper year, and they would farm the area around the garden as they passed through the yard.
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weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Apr 21, 2020 10:47:49 GMT -5
What kind of problems do you have with the cats? Hoo Boy, I’m not sure I even want to go there! If you were around in the old OG days you will remember that we got into some pretty heated arguments over free-roaming cats. But let’s take a chance and see what happens. I’ll start with a playground I built for my kids. I put in a large CedarWorks playset; swings; trampoline; rope climbing poles; etc., and then filled the area (about 40’x60’) with 50 tons of sand. It immediately became a litter box for every cat in the neighborhood, and over the years I think they’ve contributed at least several cubic yards of their own poop. I have to pull weeds regularly and the crap is everywhere! While my kids are now grown up and gone, every other kid in the neighborhood now plays here, and they shouldn’t have to play in cat crap! The irony, I suppose, is that it’s probably their own cats mucking things up. Then there’s the issue of birds. I like birds. I laid out and planted my property in a way that would be quite beneficial to birds---lots of native plants that provide food, shelter, and plenty of places to nest. Unfortunately, the neighborhood cats think it’s the perfect hunting ground. They spend more time at my place than they do at home. Neighbors from clear up the street will knock on my door--- “Have you seen Fluffy?” “Yes, I saw Fluffy this morning in my Locust Tree.” “Oh good, I just wanted to make sure she was safe. Have a great day!” And guess what Fluffy was doing in my Locust Tree? She certainly wasn’t up there for rest and relaxation; no, she was up there tearing up a Western Kingbird nest. It happens all the time. I can’t count the number of instances when I have seen a cat on my property carrying a baby robin in its mouth, and I could stuff several pillows with the little piles of feathers I find regularly. And finally, there are the nightly cat fights under my bedroom window at 3:00 am. After all, there are only so many birds available to kill, so I guess you’ve got to fight for the privilege, right? Does all that answer your question?
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Post by James on Apr 21, 2020 14:31:35 GMT -5
I can only say: If you have a problem with a cat, shoot the cat! Dig a hole and bury it. It is what I call the three S method: Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up.
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Post by Wheelgarden on Apr 21, 2020 14:49:20 GMT -5
Just saw a Cooper's Hawk, who's been hanging around the yard all day, snatch and fly off with a talon-held snake dinner. Pick up, carry out.
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weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Apr 22, 2020 9:05:41 GMT -5
I can only say: If you have a problem with a cat, shoot the cat! Dig a hole and bury it. It is what I call the three S method: Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up. It isn’t that simple. Two of the cats live across the street, and the family (especially the two little kids) loves them. I’m not killing their pets no matter how bothersome they are. Same thing with one other cat. As for the others, who knows, but odds are they are loved by someone. There’s no ideal solution; I just wish people would be more responsible for their pets.
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