Shoot me a bird!

[7milesout]

Hey guys,

At work I park out away from the building, in a spot where the shade starts early and from 3 pm on the Blueberry is totally in the shade. So I like to park my car there. However, a very nice Cardinal has fallen in love with the Blueberry.

Every day, not most days, but every day he is out there. He gets his schmutz all over my outside mirrors, and craps all over the car. And he doesn't just check it out and leave. He stays on the car. I can walk out there at any time, and there he is. Buzzing one mirror, or the other, or walking on the roof. But always there.

I don't mind so much, but I don't like seeing his schmutz when I'm actually using the mirror. And don't like his crap all over the car.

I was considering bringing in my son's pellet gun. He has a competition style pellet gun that would make quick work of the bird. The cardinal always flies away when I walk up, into the same tree about 30 yards away.

Does anyone have a solution other than shootin' a bird?

[mohammad]

maybe leave a bird feeder to lure it away from the tree? dunno

[inuvik]

Hey guys,

At work I park out away from the building, in a spot where the shade starts early and from 3 pm on the Blueberry is totally in the shade. So I like to park my car there. However, a very nice Cardinal has fallen in love with the Blueberry.

Every day, not most days, but every day he is out there. He gets his schmutz all over my outside mirrors, and craps all over the car. And he doesn't just check it out and leave. He stays on the car. I can walk out there at any time, and there he is. Buzzing one mirror, or the other, or walking on the roof. But always there.

I don't mind so much, but I don't like seeing his schmutz when I'm actually using the mirror. And don't like his crap all over the car.

I was considering bringing in my son's pellet gun. He has a competition style pellet gun that would make quick work of the bird. The cardinal always flies away when I walk up, into the same tree about 30 yards away.

Does anyone have a solution other than shootin' a bird?

Mount a big fake owl on the roof?

[mohammad]

use a car cover?

[Mark]

Hey guys,

Does anyone have a solution other than shootin' a bird?

"In the United States, northern cardinals receive special legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which also banned their sales as caged birds. It is also protected by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada."

[7milesout]

This ain't no sissy northern cardinal. This is a southern one. In fact, he wouldn't hold still, but I think I saw a (small) Rebel flag tattooed on his back.

[Fummins]

Try a car cover or try not parking under a bird toilet.

[7milesout]

Car cover ... on a Mirage. Ha! I already get laughed at by driving it. I look like the Grape Ape sitting on top of a toy car as it is.

[Basic]

Male Cardinals are very vain and territorial. He likely has a nest and a lady in that tree and when he goes to inspect Blueberry to make sure its not some blue monster coming to get his family, he sees another flash of red in the mirrors and then literally sees red and tries to attack. If he then finally figures out that its his own reflection, he then admires himself long enough that he finally has to relieve himself. Finally his wifebird comes screaming at him wanting to know where the hell he's been all day and he goes home.

In the morning, he spies this huge blue predator at the base of his tree, and the cycle begins again...

Try covering the mirrors with a sock toboggan (toque for our canuckian friends) and see if that helps.

[Dirk Diggler]

This ain't no sissy northern cardinal. This is a southern one. In fact, he wouldn't hold still, but I think I saw a (small) Rebel flag tattooed on his back.

7milesout, you read Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mocking Bird" in highschool, I bet. You know better than to shoot that beautiful bird, besides they eat a lot of wasps and hornets and the last thing we need in Atlanta is more of those. Keep a small bag of bird seed in your car and sprinkle it all around. That Cardinal will be too busy fighting off other birds trying to feed, especially if his and his lady's nest is near by. It's spring time man, he's got chicks to feed.

I had an issue of an even more aggressive, territorial bird, the Northern Blue Jay sh**ting on my green Mirage. Try my method first man, make your mama looking down on you proud.