Mockingbird – Controlling

Q: Every spring mockingbirds live in big holly bushes near our home. The birds attack the cat and this causes a huge problem. How can we prevent the birds from nesting in the bushes?

A: This is a tricky question to answer. Mockingbirds are protected by both state and Federal law. Therefore I can’t tell you to harass them with a Super Soaker water gun or to destroy their early nests via weekly inspection of the hollies. Some gardeners report good results from doing this though.

Mockingbirds are very territorial so they rightly attack the cat as a threat to their nest and young. Cats kill millions of songbirds each year, so their worries are justified.

I suppose erecting netting to surround the hollies would work but you’ll have the devil’s own time putting the material around the stickery bush.

Some people recommend hanging reflective pie pans, balloons with big eyes, and strips of mirror tape around bushes to deter birds but I don’t know if these work.

Could you build an outdoor cat run and cover it with chicken wire to keep the species apart?

mockingbird attacking truck