[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Non-avian Suet Feeders



Well, I said that I would get back to everyone regarding how my plan of
attack worked.  The little varmints must have cast iron stomachs!  I tried
the commercial pepper suet, suet soaked in pepper & Ro-pel.  None worked!  I
now retrieve my two suet feeders at night.  Much easier than stringing
things up and continuing to try different repellents.  The unknown
visitor(s) don't touch my other feeders.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Randy Dunson" <rdunson@interpath.com>
To: "CAROLINA BIRDS" <carolinabirds@duke.edu>; "BILL HILTON JR. (Hilton Pond
Center for Piedmont Natural History)" <hilton@hiltonpond.org>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 8:25 PM
Subject: Re: Non-avian Suet Feeders


> Thanks to all C'birders who offered their assistance with my non-avian
suet
> feeder query.  I believe the consensus has it that I've got a 'coon in my
> garden!  We've lived outside of Hillsborough for almost 5 years and this
is
> the first time that we've had a run-in with this creature of the woods.
The
> 'coon has not touched any of the seed feeders, though they are protected
by
> baffles.  I have hummingbird feeders off tree hangars and no problem there
> as well.  Just the suet feeders.  Just when we had whipped the squirrels,
> now we have to outwit this crafty character.  My plan of attack will be to
> first use suet coated in pepper and/or suet pre-made with pepper.  If that
> doesn't succeed, we'll try baffles, then finally stringing the suet
feeders
> between trees.  The woodpeckers and other birds really miss the suet as
they
> keep coming back to the feeders wondering where their tasty treat went.
Oh
> well...  Thanks again.
>
> Regards,
>
> Randy Dunson
> Hillsborough  NC
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "BILL HILTON JR. (Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History)"
> <hilton@hiltonpond.org>
> To: "Randy Dunson" <rdunson@interpath.com>; "CAROLINA BIRDS"
> <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2000 11:29 AM
> Subject: Re: Non-avian Suet Feeders
>
>
> > RANDY . . .
> >
> > Putting out suet and then trying to repel things that come to it
> > seems to be a contradiction in terms. :-)
> >
> > I suspect the nocturnal culprits at your suet feeders are Raccoons
> > and/or Opossums, both of which are strong enough to drag feeders some
> > distance. Like Gray Squirrels, all Raccoons are born with Ph.D.'s in
> > engineering, so they are pretty good at outwitting us hapless humans.
> >
> > Perhaps the best way to make the feeders less accessible to mammals
> > is to hang them from a plastic clothesline strung between poles or
> > trees. If squirrels begin to walk the clothesline, you can hang a
> > flopping plastic disk above each feeder to help keep these arboreal
> > rodents away.
> >
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > BILL
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >Over the past two weeks, I've had unknown creatures eating the suet
from
> my
> > >two squirrel-proof suet feeders during the night, all of the suet!  At
> first
> > >we thought it may be deer, but decided against that as a couple of
times
> the
> > >feeders were pulled down and dragged varying distances.  We tied them
to
> the
> > >tree supports and whatever the animal is, simply devoured the suet
> anyway.
> > >Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be doing this, raccoons,
> > >opossum, etc.?  What can we do to try and repel them?  Thanks.
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >
> > >Randy Dunson
> > >Hillsborough  NC
> >
> > --
> > **********
> >
> > BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
> > Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
> > 1432 DeVinney Road
> > York, South Carolina 29745
> > USA
> >
> > e-mail: <hilton@hiltonpond.org>
> >
> > Voice: (803) 684-5852
> >
> > eFax: (503) 218-0845
> >
> > Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is a 501(c)(3)
> > non-profit research and education organization, so all in-kind or
> > monetary gifts to Operation RubyThroat and the Center are
> > tax-deductible. Please visit our websites:
> >
> > Hilton Pond:  <http://www.hiltonpond.org>
> >
> > Operation RubyThroat:  <http://www.rubythroat.org>
> >
> >
> > "Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
> > watch the sunset."
> >
> > BHjr.
> >
> > **********
> >
> >
>