Hi again ... Jim from SC

I have enjoyed watching song birds for over 50 years. Every place that I have lived I put out bird feeders. I even coaxed a blue jay to take peanuts from my hand and even sit on my hand while she ate them. So when I find a pile of feathers in the grass I get angry. House cats are the NUMBER ONE cause of song bird decline. But my feeders are 12 feet in the air. The next day was another pile of feathers...and the next day too. This went on for almost a month. The birds all went away at least the ones that were still alive. Then one day I was standing in a corridor between a row of bushes and WOSH.. a hawk just missed me as he flew to the bird feeders for lunch! Mystery SOLVED.

I jumped on the internet at the Audubon Society site. The experts in birds or so I thought. The first choice of defense against hawks,falcons,etc is to take down the feeders for two weeks then put them back! If I had an area of over 10 square miles to patrol and find food. I would remember the easy pickin spots. This defense would NEVER do. I kept surfing the internet and found even worse ideas...like the plastic owls but some involved wire mesh around the feeder. This may work. In watching the hunting technique of a hawk. They ambush their prey as they sit ON the feeders. At 40 mph the prey never knows what happened. Just a pile of feathers in the grass. So stopping the speedy attack is the answer.

My photos show the easiest way to stop the hawks. Make a 2-3 foot diameter cage. Slide the feeder inside. Leave the top and bottom open so song birds that panic just fall out the bottom. The second or third try the birds become comfortable with the enclosure.

For over nine months I have ZERO bird piles. The hawks don't even hang around here anymore. I know he has lunch somewhere else at another ... fly through window at birder king.

Step 1: Make a Cage From 2 X 3 Garden Fence

My feeders are on a cable so to put them inside a cage was easy. I just made a 30 inch diameter by 36 inch cage and hung it from the cable. Bending all the connecting wires so none were pointing outward as to harm the birds. This is the standard flower bed fence at Lowes. The mesh is 2x3x36 high or 24 high. The birds like the open area so if the enclosure is too small they won't go inside. Having the top and bottom open lets them 'fall' in or out.

Be aware this is NOT a deterrent for squirrels. They sorta like being inside the enclosure and will stay there until the feeder is empty. This is why my feeders are on a cable. that and the local 6 foot bear who carried off two of my feeders when the feeders were on poles.

Step 2: FANCY FEEDERS

All the birds enjoy these balls...geodesic spheres. Making the balls requires 92 hubs and 270 straight wires. This is the reason I got a 3d printer. If there is enough interest in the balls I will make a full detailed post.

Thanks for viewing

oldmaninSC please see my other stuff.