Neighbour being a pain - dad very depressed

catkins

This is probably going to sound silly but my dad is very depressed about it and I am worried about him.

nuttyp

The maximum a fence can be is 6ft, so if the ornament is ontop of the fence then your local council can enforce them to remove it. Birds will eventually return to the garden, but might need a few days to adjust to the new 'ornaments'.

Maybe try putting out just sunflower seeds or a differnt type of seeds for a day or 2.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Stick a couple of fast growing tall plants in pots in front of the dreadful things.

I would suggest a couple of bamboos, for example, some sweetpeas with the associated wigwam, anything that covers the monstrosities - they can be moved around as the neighbour moves or adds more.

Then, as a longer term measure, planting shrubs, trees, climbers such as ivy or clematis and the like will begin to give the birds cover as well as hiding any bits of junk they may put out.

I'd also (because I am evil) cast some catnip seeds over the fence at night, so they grow in secret...

catfish50

Could you put up fence panels so the evil bird ornaments can't be seen from your parents' garden?

Or try asking on the RSPB forum http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/forums/default.aspx?GroupID=12

elsien

Can your dad put food further up the garden away from the ornaments, then they might start working their way back down again? I do think they'll get used to them after a while, he needs to be patient. It took about 3 weeks after my new feeder went out before they started using it.

Does the neighbour have other concerns, do you think? Depending on how much your dad is putting out and whether it's getting eaten, I'd be a bit concerned about lots of food attracting rats, especially if he's putting bread all over the place. Just a thought - we had a horrible rat problem when my neighbour started feeding the birds in the back yard, because it was going all over the yard and he wasn't clearing it up. I like birds and always put food out for them, but I did find what the neighbour was doing a bit much and it took me months to convince him he needed to change how he was feeding them. Just something to bear in mind.

KiKi

What a spiteful woman!

I would erect a second bamboo / tall type fence inside his boundary against the other fence to block out the ornaments. Something 'natural' and not fence-like so that it feels even more gardeny.

Or perhaps (if you or mum are able) you could buy him some bird stuff for the garden? A large feeding table, or a bird box with a camera in it to watch them nesting? Something to encourage them back? My dad has one of those - the TV in the kitchen has a permanent link to it so he can watch the birds nesting, hatching and leaving!

Or, again if you're able, perhaps put a really kind, nice letter through the neighbours' door and explain that your dad's been ill, and you're really concerned for his welfare now that he's lost his enjoyment of bird feeding. You could ask if the neighbour has any suggestions of how to resolve the issue and help your dad get better because you think the large owl is scaring the birds off (which was, let's face it, probably her intention). But this depends on whether or not you think she's likely to respond positively.

KiKi

Mojisola

If you grow a plant in front of the bird scarer, she will just move it. Grow a tall bamboo in a pot and then, when the scarer gets moved, the screening bamboo can be moved in front of it.

catkins

Edited for privacy reasons

pupsicola

KiKi wrote: »

Or, again if you're able, perhaps put a really kind, nice letter through the neighbours' door and explain that your dad's been ill, and you're really concerned for his welfare now that he's lost his enjoyment of bird feeding. You could ask if the neighbour has any suggestions of how to resolve the issue and help your dad get better because you think the large owl is scaring the birds off (which was, let's face it, probably her intention). But this depends on whether or not you think she's likely to respond positively.

I definately agree with this. She would have to be a real spiteful, hard-nosed woman to not have any empathy. She does sound like hard work and petty.

I really feel for your dad. My grandad loved being in his garden when he retired, it was his life. I know he would have been very depressed if going through the same thing your dad is now.

If this is on purpose then your dads neighbour should be disgusted with herself. Inflicting so much upset on really nice people

Fang_3

What a horrid, horrid woman!

Frankly I'd be tempted to fight fire with fire on behalf of your parents. A few well-aimed phone calls (SS etc) and a bit of 'friendly' neighbourhood gossip with the right people should make her life a living hell for a while.

I also love the catnip idea - that's an absolute must.

catkins

pupsicola wrote: »

I definately agree with this. She would have to be a real spiteful, hard-nosed woman to not have any empathy. She does sound like hard work and petty.

I really feel for your dad. My grandad loved being in his garden when he retired, it was his life. I know he would have been very depressed if going through the same thing your dad is now.

If this is on purpose then your dads neighbour should be disgusted with herself. Inflicting so much upset on really nice people

I totally agree