Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!zephyr.ens.tek.com!wrgate!dadla!denise
From: denise@dadla.WR.TEK.COM (Denise Caire)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: hummingbird rehabilitation/keeping cat away from aviary
Message-ID: <1267@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>
Date: 5 Jan 90 23:14:24 GMT
Sender: nobody@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM
Reply-To: denise@dadla.WR.TEK.COM (Denise Caire)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 36

In article <6599@lindy.Stanford.EDU> GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Sullivan) writes:
>
>I finally
>found a solution that REALLY worked.  Every time she was within 5
>feet of the aviary I yelled "get out of there: and lobbed a water
>balloon right at her.  I only had to do it 3 times-and never saw her
>anywhere near the aviary again!  Since there has been discussion of
>how to keep cats away from feeders, etc, I thought it might be a
>good idea to share this-it worked, and did not injure the cat. (only
>her dignity)
>
>K. Sullivan
>Hummingbird Gardens Nursery

Spraying a cat with water is an excellant way to change its behavior!
The only problem is being around often enough when the unexceptable
behavior is being displayed.  I heard a story from a friend who's Mom
effectively trained a neighbor cat bothering the birds at the feeder
by patiently waiting every morning and then whacking it with a broom.
(My friend also stated that her Mom would normally never hurt anything
but the cat needed to learn to stay out of her yard.)

I have an idea for a device that when placed in proximity of a bird
feeder could detect and spray a cat with water.  It wouldn't take long
for any cat to learn to stay away from a feeder that sprays it!

Is there a mechanical engineer out there with whom I can collaborate 
with to develop such an item?  From the amount of controversy on the
net lately (my oponions included), I bet such a mechanism could be
sold commercially.

Denise Caire
denise@dadla.WR.TEK.COM

P.S.
Do humming birds migrate?  If they do, where to?