Subject: [Tweeters] rats, feeders, and relocation
Date: Feb 3 14:10:40 2008
From: cwilsdon at earthlink.net - cwilsdon at earthlink.net


Rats: I have heard many, many stories of rats in houses and basements this season, and our neighbor has been tussling with them a lot--must be due to the very cold temperatures. So far, no rats in our basement, perhaps because we have 3 (indoor) cats, and hence a constant predator smell (fortunately, not strong enough for humans to detect!).
But we have had a rat actually on the feeder--it's a wire-cage feeder with a plastic 3-section tube inside, filled with sunflower seeds. How pleasant it was to glance out the window over a cup of coffee and see not the usual birds but a great big rat clinging to the feeder and stuffing its face instead. I knocked on the window and without seeming to move a muscle--as if it were a cartoon rat on a spring--it flew backward in a perfect arc about 6 feet through the air and landed in the bushes.
It did appear a few times after this display, but since the exterminators came next door, I haven't seen it. But they can jump from the ground up to a feeder.
As for relocating feeders--we've moved feeders a couple of times for various reasons and the birds never failed to spot them quickly. Within a day they discovered the new locations and cheerfully checked out the new "restaurant".
Squirrels--I think PAWS in Lynnwood probably has some good advice on their website about wildlife, relocation, laws,etc.
Christina
c wilsdon at earthlink net seattle