Protecting Robin's Nest from predators
Posted: Jul 08 1:25 pm
Hi, I've got Robins nesting in my plum tree this year. Unfortunately they've built the nest only about 5.5 feet off the ground. Though it is well hidden, yesterday, I heard the robins freaking out, and I rushed over to the tree to find a cat climbing up the branches towards the nest. I sprayed the cat with water so hopefully it won't be back but Is there anything I can do to protect the nest, without disturbing the robins too much? I have 2 inch across by 4 inch gap heavy duty wire that's 4 feet tall. I was thinking of wrapping it around the perimeter of the tree like a fence to act as a deterrent to the cats. I can't use a baffle because the point where the tree branches off is very low down, and a cat could easily jump over it. So I thought maybe cordoning off a large area around the tree. Would they be able to get through the mesh? If any of this is a good idea, should I add a small water dish in the area, or would that attract more predators? I have enough wire to span an area of 10X10 around the tree. Is that big enough? I should mention that that area of my yard doesn't have a lot of shrub cover. It's basically lawn. I don't want to cause more harm so if you think I should just leave it be, I will. Thanks.