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So you set up the birdhouse. You put out a bird feeder. And you wait for the birds. Your first visitors arrive and horror of all horrors they are greeted by your neighbor's cat, or your many squirrels or, worst of all, an air attack from some large predatory bird - maybe a hawk.

I'm sure you never intended your birdhouse or bird feeder to cause or see bloodshed, but it does happen. That's nature. That's survival of the fittest as it were. However, there are some things you can do to bring down the fatality rate in your backyard.

You can put your birdhouse on a pole or post in the middle of the yard away from trees or other potential launching pads. Ground predators will have a harder time getting to your birds up there. The best poles are made out of metal or PVC. Snakes don't like PVC and they are more difficult for squirrels and raccoons to climb too. Metal or PVC poles can also be wiped with something slick like Vaseline to make it more difficult for climbers.

If your birdhouse is on a wooden post, you should get a baffle. This is a metal or plastic collar that, when placed underneath your birdhouse, is very hard for predators to climb up and over. These baffles can and should be used on trees too. Reinforcing birdhouse openings is a great idea as well. This keeps animals like squirrels and raccoons from chewing or digging at them to get to your bird friends or (worse!) their eggs inside.

Predatory birds are another matter altogether. You're best bet for keeping these guys at bay is to make sure that your birdhouse is just the right size for the bird you want living there. If the opening is too small for the larger predator birds, then your smaller feathered friends will be much safer.

You can also put your birdhouse in a protective mesh cage. This can be made out of metal mesh with holes that are suitable for the birds you want in the house but too small for others. Some stores carry birdhouses that are already set up with this kind of guard.

But whatever you do, whatever efforts you make to protect your birds, just remember that nature and wild things have a way of their own. You may do everything right to keep your backyard birds safe but still see them get carried off by a greedy cat or a sharp-eyed hawk. And that's OK. It's just survival of the fittest up close and personal in your own backyard - fascinating in its own right.

Thanks to About.com's pages on Birding/Wild Birds. (http://birding.about.com/libr ary/weekly/aa032101g.htm)

Learn more about this author, Lorie Grant DeWorken.
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