OT: How do you keep doves off your deck?

[huskypantz]

I think they used to work. Not anymore. I have birds nesting right next to my owl every year on our front entry rafters in Vermont. Last summer we had like 4 nests within 6 feet of the owl. What a mess when I arrived for vacation.

Try a real owl.

 

[Hankster]

Nah, Lower River Valley, Eagles run the cleanup crew here.

Last spring an Eagle almost flew into my head. I was on deck and came around corner of deck to side of house and an Eagle was in the process of pulling a chipmunk out of flower bed like 8 feet from me. I startled it (but not as bad as it startled me) and it got up and flew directly at my head before doing a u-turn and dropping the chipmunk out of its talons onto my driveway. Huge adrenaline rush of nerves, those things are huge up close. Anyway, I went back inside all jangled from the encounter and went back out 15 minutes later, it had come back for the chipmunk in driveway. All clear. Im now trying to have my fiancee allow the two cats who are decidedly pampered indoor cats we have (well she has, they were there when I moved in) onto the gated deck when its nice out. Under the guise of " its good for them and mentally stimulating" My real aim is to watch an Eagle take off with one in its talons. I think she sees through my smokescreen though.

What happened to the chipmunk. Did it survive the fall?

 

[August_West]

What happened to the chipmunk. Did it survive the fall?

No it was DOA on driveway drop. Like I said Eagle came back for kill within 15 minutes. Probably was shorter , but I was cowering in house .

 

[87Xfer]

No it was DOA on driveway drop. Like I said Eagle came back for kill within 15 minutes. Probably was shorter , but I was cowering in house .

Bald Eagle? Where do you live?

When we first moved to CO, we rented a condo on a river. One day we were on our deck, and the neighbor and his son had a spotting scope on their adjacent deck and were watching some eagles on the other side of the river a ways upstream. 2 eagles were picking at something on the ground. The guy sort of abruptly told the kid to take the scope in and put it away. When the went inside, Dad turned to me looking like he'd seen a ghost and said "I think they're eating our missing cat." They never saw the cat again, so I guess he was right.

 

[TerryBoyz]

Am I the only one the keeps humming prince songs after reading this thread?
Answer: Probably.