Ummm

[bobm]

About a year and a half ago, 2 guys purchased the house next door . They are not friendly at all, if they are outside in their front yard/ driveway ( smoking like chimneys and when finished throw cigarette butts onto our / neighors' yards ) and when anyone in our cul de cac neighborhood either goes outside or drives up, they immediately go into their house. My wife and I tried to wave and say hello... no reply and they just go indoors. On many weekends they have male couples stay over for the weekends . Every time the guests park in their driveway behind the 2 guys cars with the back ends of their cars sticking out and over the sidewalk and blocking our driveway causing our cars to be blocked in. Both of them work at a local grocery store. Last fall, they started to bring home loafs of bread home and throw them out onto their front lawn several times a week to feed birds. At first, the local robins and other song birds started to come to feed. Within days, starlings, crows, and sea gulls started to come and drive the other birds away. This spring there are no more robins or any song birds, NONE ... only starlings, crows, and sea gulls, feral cats ( I have seen as many as 11 at the same time ), rats and mice. After a shower, mold starts to grow on the bread. Two weeks ago, I went over to their house to PLEASE not throw the stale bread onto their front lawn as the crows and starlings are eating all of my strawberries and blueberries. The mice have been getting into our / neighbors' houses and more recently RATS have found the food source and started to get into our garage as well as into the neighbors garages and homes. This is now becoming a public health issue. The taller one said that it is their house and they will do what they want and shut the door in my face. Now when I or the neighbors go outside, the taller one comes out with a loaf of bread and throws bread slices onto the front lawn. The question is, how would you proceed ?

 

[canesisters]

Call the health dept? Start taking photos - from the sidewalk - of gobs of wet, moldy bread in the yard to show as proof? Give them a bird feeder? Start throwing old pasta and such into their yard to help them in their efforts to feed the birds???

 

[Ridgerunner]

We can come up with all kinds of fun ones can't we? We can have so many good neighbors and then get some like that.

You are in the right. I would not sacrifice that advantage to start with. If you stoop to their level you are no better than them. Is that how you want to be?

If you take photos of their yard you are probably invading their privacy. I had a friend go through that several years ago. However, if you take a shot down the middle of the street and happen to catch some of their yard off to the side, you are probably OK. Or maybe a shot of your house that just happens to catch their front yard full of starlings or stake bread.

I think my first step would be to call the health department. See what they do. Document when you call and who you talk to. If you are not happy, maybe take a couple of neighbors with you and go to the health department to chat with a manager. Again, document when and who.

The next possibility would be to take your neighbors to visit the elected official on the city council or county government, whatever applies, and chat with them. See if they will get the health department to act.

If still not happy (I think you have a good chance to be here) would your local newspaper or TV station be interested in a local interest story? Especially if the health department and politician can't handle an obvious public nuisance?

Will any of this work? I don't know, but you will have exhausted the high ground.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm with Ridge on this one, but it's not an invasion of their privacy to take pics of the food on the front lawn...it's not of their home or faces, but of the food debris in the front lawn. I'd document everything said and done on paper and also with video and pics. Everything. If you have a conversation with them, have someone standing their videoing it with their phone. Video them throwing the food out, video the types of animals coming to it. Take pics of the rats in your garage.

When going to court, a picture or a video is worth more than any words you can say and may very well win you the case. They simply cannot be argued with, as it's no longer their word against yours, but clear evidence of what is being done and the results of it all.

Have your neighbors do the same, so it's not just one neighbor seemingly causing trouble. You need numbers on your side.

Take pics of their cars blocking your drive, then call the police on them...it's illegal to block someone's ingress and egress to their home.

Build a nice, solid case in case you have to support your side of the issue, date everything, document everything, take pics or video of everything.

That is, if it's worth it to you to do it all of that. Or, you could just buy some bird netting for your garden and put out poison for the rats and call it a day.

 

[flowerbug]

kill the rats and throw them in their yard, perhaps they're trapping and eating them? just help them out some more...

p.s. that was a joke... sorta...

 

[thistlebloom]

Do you have an HOA?

 

[Nyboy]

Last part is my dad every morning he throws bread and any stale food on his front lawn for the " animals " Try and tell him NOT to do something on his own property you will most likey be changed to a fight. City health dept has visited him a few times, the same person never comes back a 2nd time. My father wiil tell you this is America land of free and he fought in military to make sure it stays that way. There company's cars blocking your driveway is another matter. I would call them everytime it happens if no result then call police to ticket. money talks enough fines parking will stop.

 

[seedcorn]

Agree with @Nyboy , call police every time they block your lane.

As far as them “feeding” birds, you are out of luck. Poison the rats, let it go. If house comes up for sale, buy it.

 

[Collector]

I feel bad for you Bob hope you find a solution. Glad I don’t live by you , I’m 100% redneck things would surely escalate quickly. Maybe start putting signs in your yard that shame them with arrow pointing at their house. Maybe get all the neighbors to do it. No law against that.

 

[bobm]

A couple days ago, I called the County Health Dept.. Left a message. Yesterday late afternoon , the head honcho called back... I told him the situation and next week he will send a person out to see what is happening , then send the neighbors a letter to stop the bird feeding. Also , He will contact animal control to see if they can trap the feral cats . I hope that that will solve a couple issues.