strange droppings

[ultramarine]

Are these weird objects some kind of small mammal droppings or something else I cant even begin to guess at? Help please as I'm baffled!
Thanks They are about 1 cm long and found beneath a rosebush, in a flowerpot and under some ivy, climbing rose and a cotoneaster.

[valleyforge]

Nothing sinister about these ultramarine ... they are just bird droppings.

They are consistent with the droppings of small seed-eaters such as sparrows and finches at this time of year ... the urates (white part) are more concentrated in colder weather and surround the darker fecal matter, so that the dropping is much less 'runny' than perhaps you are used to seeing.

If there isn't a natural supply of fresh water near to you, perhaps you could supply the birds with a shallow dishful, topped-up and kept clean on a daily basis?

[ultramarine]

Thank you valleyforge. Thats very interesting. I wouldn't have thought they were bird droppings at all. I have put an upturned dustbin lid out in this freezing weather, and tried to keep it topped up with water regularly. It froze very quickly though. We also have a pond but it froze solid.
Difficult to know what to do about the birds when we have a bit of a rat problem too! Do I leave off feeding them for a couple of weeks as we are advised to do if there are rats around? Its heartbreaking to see the birds sitting out there waiting for their daily meal!

[Wild-Woman]

Under a flowerpot may suggest droppings from a snail.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Under a flowerpot may suggest droppings from a snail.

There was no mention of them being under a flowerpot, but in one.

The photos are definitely not from snails. They look like bird droppings to me too.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by ultramarine

Difficult to know what to do about the birds when we have a bit of a rat problem too! Do I leave off feeding them for a couple of weeks as we are advised to do if there are rats around? Its heartbreaking to see the birds sitting out there waiting for their daily meal!

Perhaps the best way to approach this is to recognize that ordinarily rats are mainly nocturnal in their habits ... so you could still feed the birds in the morning, diligently ensuring that there is no surplus or spillage left out after dark. If possible feed only small quantities and top up regularly (easier if you are at home and not out at work all day of course).

Otherwise, if you find the rats are so bold/desparate as to be around your bird feeders during the day, then I'd be inclined to provide them with their own food supply, on the simple basis that they need to eat too.

If you supply the following foodstuff ... whole hazlenuts (shelled or unshelled), peanuts in their shells, cubes of mild cheese ... in an area well away from your bird feeders and where the rats don't need to expose themselves in the open (i.e. along a fence or hedge line, under a bush, etc.), then you should find that the rats will carry-off and stash this food without bothering with what's on your bird table or feeders.

Then, like all mammals with a full belly, they will spend much of their time happily asleep and so causing little trouble to you or your neighbours.

As in most cases of human/non-human conflict however, this does require us to be prepared to recognize and then put aside our personal prejudices in order to live in some harmony with the other creatures with whom we share the world.

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

There was no mention of them being under a flowerpot, but in one.

The photos are definitely not from snails. They look like bird droppings to me too.

Oops sorry! I should try harder!

[ultramarine]

Really appreciate your remarks about the rats, Valleyforge! Those are my sentiments too. I just feel I should be more bothered about them than I am! I will take your advice about giving them their own food supply for a while. There are 4 of them who are out in the day, actually squeezing in to the bird feeders and swimming in the pond like they're having a great time.