I have started predator avoidance training with Ajax this week since he is now officially in his fledgling era.
I downloaded the audio of a wild magpie alarm call and I play it when my cat enters the room. Ajax responds very well, immediately hiding or hopping onto my shoulder. We’ve done this drill four times over a few days, including in the garden. Full marks each time.
I’ll keep doing this, and after enough practice he’ll understand that the cat is the danger he’s being alerted to. This is the same way his parents would teach him in the wild. He has no instinctive fear of cats.
The cat avoidance training is easier because I have a cat, but repeating this process with dogs, hawks, and cars will take a bit of planning. Really makes you appreciate all the hard work that wild bird parents put in to the next generation.