Story: Safely Protecting Your Pets from Birds of Prey.
Episode: 15
Presenter: Trevor
Air Date: 27th November.

• With changing habitats, birds of prey are ending up in our domestic environment and can be a problem for household pets and native animals.
• These birds are normally coming in to find food, and a young bird who is learning how to hunt, will seek areas that are easy for them like a home aviary or chook pen.
• If we are putting rat baits or poisons out to deter pests, these could harm the birds coming into the garden looking for food, so it’s best to avoid this and find another option.
• The best option is to make sure food isn’t available through the night, our household birds won’t feed at night so it won’t affect them. It’s also good to make sure you’re only feeding enough food for that day.
• Placing species shrubs and ground covers like Grevilleas and Bottlebrush that are local to the area, will encourage local species to feed on a natural food source for those birds of prey.
• There are some practical ways to protect your chickens, small birds and pets like decreasing the aperture of your aviary mesh or adding shade cloth.
• You can also add an extra layer of protection by placing shiny objects in the garden, installing some bird spikes in specific areas they may perch on to deter without harm.

For more information, head to:
https://www.cavershamwildlife.com.au