Issue With Neighbour Feeding Birds

Warhilt

Not sure if this is a unique issue as I've seen loads of posts with people complaining about neighbours feeding wild birds and the noise / mess.

Basically we have an obstinate neighbour who we no longer converse with due to his insistence on making threats to kill our cats (and me at one point), which culminated in us reporting him to the Police earlier this year. We've had problems since we moved in 10 years ago after our cats were accused of killing and eating his doves. It actually transpired that when we removed a bricked up fireplace in our dining room a couple of years after moving in, we found the decomposed and rather smelly bodies of several doves behind the brickwork, but he refused to accept this and still accused the cats. I've cut him some slack over the years and tried to ignore his diatribe and factually incorrect accusations, but to no avail.

Anyway this chap seems to have a 'fetish' for feeding wild birds. At the last count he has about 10-12 wire feeders, four bird tables, and restocks them twice a day. The problem we have is that he 'talks' to the birds whenever he's restocking by doing really loud whistles and shouting loudly "Come on! Come on! You're safe now!" (making reference to the accusations that our cats killed his doves when in fact they appear to have nose-dived down our chimney). At first we found it amusing as he refers to himself as 'uncle' and explains to the birds that he won't let anyone hurt them. The problem for us is that with the warmer weather being here, we sleep with our windows open so when he comes out on a morning (which can be as early as 06:45 but averages around 07:30), his whistling and shouting wakes us and now our six week old son too. As he attracts large numbers of wood pigeons to his feeders, I'm getting ready to install anti-pigeon measures on my shed roof and fence, where they perch before hopping over to his feeders at the other side of the fence. I'm also going to erect some pigeon tape and a wooden T-frame with CDs hanging from it.

In addition to this he goes round all the areas of his garden twice a day, where he believes cats have been and sprays those areas with Jeyes. After rainfall our entire garden stinks of the stuff! He claims he's doing it to stop the spread of Covid-19 in a previous run-in as he says he has evidence that domestic cats carry it and spread it to humans. The problem with Jeyes is that it is indiscriminately toxic to cats especially when wet, but also to other wildlife including birds. It's also carcinogenic to humans (it contains p-chlorocresol which is a known carcinogen and can cause genetic defects). A few weeks ago I was sat on our patio set and he got me in the face with the overspray whilst supposedly trying to treat the top of MY fence, leaving me with a red, swollen eye for a number of ours afterwards. Needless to say there was a big verbal exchange but all he responded with was "It's only bloody Jeyes, it w'aint harm you".

So I'm in a dilemma now - do I report him to environmental health for both the noise aspect of calling to the birds, and for spraying Jeyes all over the place? I've heard that the RSPCA frequently take action against people trying to use Jeyes as a deterrent by indiscriminate spraying which is not how the manufacturers recommend it should be used. I'm a very laid back person normally which is why I've survived so many years before getting the Police involved but I don't want to push things further unless others agree that what he is doing is wrong.

hazyjo

Does he have neighbours the other side? How do they feel about it?

I presume the Jeyes thing has only been since March-ish? Really can't understand how it could get you in the eye from over a fence. 

You are both making it very hard to sell your properties. I am presuming you each own houses and don't rent?

Why don't you make the fence cat-proof on top. That would help.

I would try hard not to bite and try my own way of diffusing each situation that crops up.

Warhilt

Hi Hazyjo.

We basically live on a small private road that runs parallel to the main road. From discussing the issue(s) with others on the same road, it seems he doesn't really bode well with them either. One particular householder had a confrontation with him over flood water pumping. The chap in question has a garden which is V shaped and dips deeply in the middle. When we get heavy rain his garden used to flood to about 2 feet in depth in the centre so he installed a submersible pump in the centre of the garden. His other neighbour caught him pumping the water into his garden, so needless to say he's made no friends there either.

Yes the Jeyes thing only started in March, but he's done the spraying every morning and evening every day where it hasn't been raining. The problem is he sprays regardless of the wind conditions, and with no consideration for what is on the other side of the fence that he cannot see. In this case he was using a pressure sprayer and trying to spray across the top of the 6ft panel (which is less than 2 inches wide), so most of the spray came straight over the fence and all over me!

With regards to the cats, the fence does have cactus strips on top which I actually put up originally after another neighbour was burgled and it turns out the suspects climbed over our fence to gain access. It does deter the cats but they can still walk across it if they choose. Also it's not just our cats - we can identify at least 8 others in the locality who have been spotted around the area. Also if Covid was the sole excuse, he doesn't treat other areas such as where visitors have walked.

The chap concerned probably wouldn't be selling his house because of his age. What I do know is that multiple people would be happier if he wasn't there.

hazyjo

Is he very elderly then? Not trying to write him off here 🙈 but let's just say is it likely to be a long term problem?

PS there's no campervan on the drive or dead dog in a bag for life in the garden is there lol? You write very similar to someone who once had a very famous thread on here 🤣

Davesnave

Lets face it, you will be going nowhere with the 'noise' issue because it isn't actionable and neither will the RSPCA be prosecuting this chap for being an OCD loony.

For me, if I felt mediation wouldn't help, I'd be making the fence totally cat proof and also feeding the guy's OCD fear by telling him that Jeyes, sprayed repeatedly, would result in "toxic build up injurious to plants." He would then find this to be true because he must sleep sometime, and when he did, and the wind was right, I'd be aiming some weak glyphosate weedkiller from a pressure sprayer lance at whatever he has growing.

Unlike Jeyes, glyphosate breaks down fast, has no smell and doesn't cause any immediate effect, so it would be 2 weeks before he'd notice much. Impossible to detect/prove and not necessarily terminal in a weak dose. I used to do this to a neighbour's rambling rose which caught a 'mystery disease' every summer, but it saved us falling out!

Some people will say fighting fire with fire is  wrong and you'd be best not listening to me. Well, that's a valid POV, but maybe they don't have property bounding on a loony's and I do! One needs a special sort of cunning and plausible deniability in equal measure, but I have my OCD neighbour almost, though not completely under control now.

Jeepers_Creepers

Warhilt, have you kept a chronological record of these incidences, including as much other evidence as you could - eg photos of these dead pigeons, a recording on your phone of his 'talking' to the birds early in the mornings, a video of him spraying, etc?  If this issue cannot be resolved amicably and is intolerable to you (I do have sympathy), and you need to resort to a claim of harassment, disturbing the peace or environmental health, then a detailed evidence record will be pretty essential.

For him to announce loudly that 'the birds can come out now as it's safe' is almost certainly designed to be antagonistic to you. As for the repeated spraying of Jeyes, lawd help us. (Have you recorded every time he has done this?)

It would seem that his main issue is 'cats'. If you are not a cat owner or lover and other people's cats defecate in your garden and treat it like their own territory, that can be very annoying. On another thread I posted about a friend who has a neighb who lobs stones over the fence at her cat, and posts the collected faeces through her letterbox, so your cranky neighb is not alone. Although their behaviour is unreasonable, it is bludy annoying...

Worth an attempt at resolving this amicably, tho', even tho' I suspect you find him pretty much unapproachable due to his behaviour. Do you know of anything that works to keep cats out of gardens? Things like a PIR-triggered water jet (I bet they work real well...) or even sonic alarms (again triggered only when needed)? If you do, could you find it in yourself to suggest that, if he were amenable to this, you'd be happy to get one of these for him to use; you do understand his frustration at having cats in his garden, and would like to help him sort it in a mutually acceptable manner. 

Of course, he might take you up on your offer, set up the device, finds it works great - but still wakes you up every morning shouting to the birds... 

moneysavinghero

Davesnave said:

" He would then find this to be true because he must sleep sometime, and when he did, and the wind was right, I'd be aiming some weak glyphosate weedkiller from a pressure sprayer lance at whatever he has growing. 

Unlike Jeyes, glyphosate breaks down fast, has no smell and doesn't cause any immediate effect, so it would be 2 weeks before he'd notice much.

That would be criminal damage. Would also be even more carcinogenic then the Jeyes so would not solve the concern that the OP had.

ripplyuk

If at all possible, I would cat-proof your garden to try to keep them on your own property. I’d worry this neighbour will harm them. He obviously hates cats. Let’s hope yours are good hunters because with that amount of bird feeders, rats will be the next problem. 

Davesnave

moneysavinghero said:

Davesnave said:

" He would then find this to be true because he must sleep sometime, and when he did, and the wind was right, I'd be aiming some weak glyphosate weedkiller from a pressure sprayer lance at whatever he has growing. 

Unlike Jeyes, glyphosate breaks down fast, has no smell and doesn't cause any immediate effect, so it would be 2 weeks before he'd notice much.

That would be criminal damage. Would also be even more carcinogenic then the Jeyes so would not solve the concern that the OP had.

 It's a pity you've gone completely over the top with claims you cannot substantiate. It weakens your main argument that I've suggested criminal damage of a mild kind. That part of your post fair enough; I acknowledged that not everyone would approve.

Can you show me evidence that glyphosate is more carcinogenic than Jeyes fluid, especially at unknown dilutions?  I don't believe you can. I suggested a weak mix of glyphosate, such as I used to use on a neighbour's rambling roses, which would  have roughly the same carcinogenic potential as a bacon sandwich. The object would be to weaken the neighbour's plants, not kill them, and there would be no risk to animals at all. If it gave him pause for thought and stopped the persistent spraying of Jeyes, it would be beneficial to all.

Still waiting for your solution.......

[Deleted User]

The OP has cats that enter the neighbour's garden, cats that probably !!!!!! in the gardens surrounding the OP's house yet the OP has an issue with with a neighbour feeding wild birds and talking to the birds.

Davesnave

ripplyuk said:

If at all possible, I would cat-proof your garden to try to keep them on your own property.

Inward facing brackets supporting wood battens about 0.3m and polypropylene netting stretched across between them. Not pretty but pretty effective. Ive not found it necessary on my chicken run, but most cats don't bother anyway, because the bits between the posts have a wobbly top they can't cope with.