Pesky dive-bombing birds

[vmccalla]

A pesky mocking bird (a bird anyway) has taken up residence somewhere around the yard and deems it his kingdom. Therefore, when the cats go outside, they don't stay long as the bird chases them off. What's the remedy? HELP!!! I don't want to hurt the bird, but he needs to go somewhere else.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Please don't take this as criticism, just offering information. I have two cats that are not allowed outside at all. I don't need them to mouse my barn or protect my grain crop. Besides, they'd take out my lizards in no time flat!

Domesticated cats that are allowed outside take out millions of birds each year, not for food but just for entertainment. So birds have to defend themselves as best they can, and that's what this bird is doing. It has chosen your yard to build its nest this year.

The cats can fend for themselves, and usually win the mockingbird/cat wars, albeit with a few pecks on the head. The bird will get used to them, at its own peril, over time. Odds are the nest will produce fledglings that won't ever make it to adult. I've seen it soooooo many times.
One of those tough situations. Best thing to do is let the situation play itself out, or if the eggs haven't hatched yet, you can get rid of the nest and put up sparkly tape or CD's that will spin in the wind and hopefully chase the birds away from your yard. The downside is that it will chase away all the other birds, too.

Best of luck.
Kathe

[haw]

A mockingbird has a white-ish underside, solid grey back and wings, white stripe visable on wings when flying; pretty and varied song melodies (copying the sounds of other songbirds); and will even sing at various times throughout the night. They catch and eat bugs, both on the ground and also in the air. They will eat berries and other things, too.

They frequently "dive bomb" cats seemingly for entertainment (but in reality probably out of genetically ingrained sense of distrust). But they will dive bomb ANYTHING (dogs, cats, people, bicycles, etc.) when protecting young birds in a nest.

Their nests are flat-ish things made of sticks and probably located in a bush less than 10 feet off the ground. Even if you cannot see/find the nest, you can usually figure out if there is one around by paying attention to the bird. You'll hear the bird making an "I'm mad" kinda sound when you (or anything else it thinks is threatening) are near the nest. The noise sounds sorta like a buzzing sound ... but it comes from the bird. And if you get closer to the nest -- or maybe just because you do not move away -- then they will swoop down on you to try and drive you away.

If the nest is already established then you (and your cats) will either need to get used to sharing the space or else you'll need to remove the nest (for shame!).

If you pay attention as the mockingbird raises its children, you'll learn some interesting things. For one, the baby mockingbirds do not stay in the nest, like most birds. As soon as they are able, they will hop out of the nest and hop around the inside branches of the bush. When the parents bring them little morsels of food, the babies will just hop over to the parent. As all this happens the babies are making a very specific noise -- hard to describe but it reminds me of a creaking or squeaking door.

As I walk through new areas, I can always tell when there's a mockingbird nest nearby ... by observing the parents protecting it (dive-bombing someone's head) or by hearing the babies as they cry excitedly for the food being brought by the parents.


At any rate ... hope that background information helps you. Also hope that you, your cats, and the mockingbird all learn how to peacefully coexist!