An Easy Way to Save Songbirds

[ericpmoss]

[72gmc]

< marked for later viewing >

thank you, our picture windows are dangerous

[Blue Jays]

Cool video find.
My parents have created a truly remarkable backyard avian sanctuary, so I will be glad to share.

[j44ke]

Also keep your cats inside.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/n...united-states/

[monadnocky]

Also keep your cats inside.

North American Birds Declining as Threats Mount

Seconding this. Please, please PLEASE keep cats indoors.

[rowdyhillrambler]

I have one particular windo that they fly into-gonna get me one of them pens for sure.. I hate seeing those little dudes stunned or worse-

[ericpmoss]

I have one particular windo that they fly into-gonna get me one of them pens for sure.. I hate seeing those little dudes stunned or worse-

I bet a bar of soap would do in a pinch.

[guido]

I'm getting a pen tomorrow, then up the ladder I go.

One of the immature Rose Breasted Grosbeak males that, to our great joy shared our yard this spring and early summer, met his end on one of our windows.

A very sad day indeed.

[j44ke]

Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds : Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

[thollandpe]

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s suggestions to help birds:

1. Make Windows Safer, Day and Night
2. Keep Cats Indoors
3. Reduce Lawn by Planting Native Species
4. Avoid Pesticides
5. Drink Coffee That’s Good for Birds
6. Protect Our Planet from Plastics
7. Watch Birds, Share What You See

Allow me to share some of what I've seen (Tip #7):







They're missing one blatantly obvious tip: drive less. The number of birds killed by house cats must pale in comparison to how many are hit by cars and trucks. We've all done it. We all see it. Rarely a day goes by that I don't see a dead bird on the road. Big birds, small birds, pretty birds, ugly birds.

That seems like a conspicuous omission. Is it inconceivable to suggest that we can do some good by simply driving fewer miles?

[ides1056]

"I am the shadow of the waxwing slain by the false azure of the windowpane"

I love Nabokov.

I love waxwings.

[j44ke]

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s suggestions to help birds:

1. Make Windows Safer, Day and Night
2. Keep Cats Indoors
3. Reduce Lawn by Planting Native Species
4. Avoid Pesticides
5. Drink Coffee That’s Good for Birds
6. Protect Our Planet from Plastics
7. Watch Birds, Share What You See

...

They're missing one blatantly obvious tip: drive less. The number of birds killed by house cats must pale in comparison to how many are hit by cars and trucks. We've all done it. We all see it. Rarely a day goes by that I don't see a dead bird on the road. Big birds, small birds, pretty birds, ugly birds.

That seems like a conspicuous omission. Is it inconceivable to suggest that we can do some good by simply driving fewer miles?

Actually, cars kill fewer birds than cats do. The difference is billions to millions. Cats are #1 . : Outdoor Cats: Single Greatest Source of Human-Caused Mortality for Birds and Mammals, Says New Study | American Bird Conservancy

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Migratory Bird Program | Conserving America's Birds

But obviously anything that causes bird fatalities is important to address, especially cars. There are changes in road design and landscaping that are helping. Bird conservation is one reason why newer highways have much wider separation of woods from roadways (but also to keep people from smashing into trees.)

The premise of the list is simple things to change. Car use, while in dire need of profound changes, is not simple. Nor may, admittedly, cats be.

edit: This study is not limiting cats to just owned or house cats, but any cat regardless of ownership or lack thereof because no cat is a natural part of the ecosystem. They are a man-introduced invasive species. They are not talking about ocelots, jaguars, bobcats, mountain lions, etc. Those are not invasive but are natural parts of the ecosystem.

[GonaSovereign]

I endorse this thread. We live at a high point just in from the shore of Lake Ontario, and many migrating birds catch their breath here. We've gone to lengths to make our windows visible, but still lose the occasional one, and I feel personally responsible for each one.

Cats: my wife's former boss wrote a book about this very topic. She's (significantly) better known for her other work, but is a cat lover and her husband was a prominent amateur ornithologist. Book Review: 'Angel Catbird,' By Margaret Atwood And Johnnie Christmas : NPR

[thollandpe]

We had a few nighttime strikes on our window this summer, which was strange. And alarming.

On further investigation it was not birds, but a flying squirrel who overshot the bird feeder.

Interesting stuff, Jorn. Those appear to be worldwide numbers, I hope they’re worldwide numbers. Do cats outnumber cars worldwide?

[Jamie Medeiros]

I guess every little bit helps but I am pessimistic about the future. Sure cats and windows kill but I feel that the cause is deeper and more troubling than that.

Decline in insect populations - Wikipedia

Birds Are Vanishing From North America - The New York Times

Bird Populations Are Declining In North America

[sk_tle]

I am all for cats sterilization and a ban on breeding cats. On the other hand it looks cruel to me to lock them in. Invasive or not and although they seem to spend 3/4 of their time in a state of drowsiness I don't think they are made to live inside.

But that may be me having owned cats for most of my life and developped strong bonds with some of them.

[j44ke]

We had a few nighttime strikes on our window this summer, which was strange. And alarming.

On further investigation it was not birds, but a flying squirrel who overshot the bird feeder.

Interesting stuff, Jorn. Those appear to be worldwide numbers, I hope they’re worldwide numbers. Do cats outnumber cars worldwide?

Pretty sure the two articles I linked are compiled solely from US data. The organizations involved, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are not typically active internationally. The US data likely does cover migration of US resident birds, so some migratory issues that affect populations may reflect US bird deaths outside the US. And there is also a section in the middle of the ABC article that refers to general global data on fauna compiled to create the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. But the study compiled by Marra, Loss and Will is from 90 studies conducted in the US, at least as far as I know.

[j44ke]

I am all for cats sterilization and a ban on breeding cats. On the other hand it looks cruel to me to lock them in. Invasive or not and although they seem to spend 3/4 of their time in a state of drowsiness I don't think they are made to live inside.

But that may be me having owned cats for most of my life and developped strong bonds with some of them.

That's a common argument, but when you look at fatality and disease rates for house cats allowed to spend some of their time outside, it is readily apparent that keeping your cat indoors is less cruel. These studies also show that programs that simply sterilize feral cat populations do little or nothing to decrease the number of bird deaths.

Our very good friend insists that his cat would suffer if he kept her indoors. However, she's been attacked once by a Great Horned Owl and mauled twice by raccoons, resulting in about $20K worth of vet bills and some permanent mental issues. So where is the suffering located really - indoors? More that he has this stupid romantic idea about freedom he has transposed upon his cat, and it has caused her plenty of pain and suffering.

To go back to Todd's point about driving cars less, probably the best decision is not to get a cat if you cannot envision keeping it indoors. But want has always been stronger than conservation.

[thollandpe]

Does either of those studies show numbers for other forms of bird mortality? How many are killed by cars and trucks?

[sk_tle]

That's a common argument, but when you look at fatality and disease rates for house cats allowed to spend some of their time outside, it is readily apparent that keeping your cat indoors is less cruel. These studies also show that programs that simply sterilize feral cat populations do little or nothing to decrease the number of bird deaths.

Our very good friend insists that his cat would suffer if he kept her indoors. However, she's been attacked once by a Great Horned Owl and mauled twice by raccoons, resulting in about $20K worth of vet bills and some permanent mental issues. So where is the suffering located really - indoors? More that he has this stupid romantic idea about freedom he has transposed upon his cat, and it has caused her plenty of pain and suffering.

To go back to Todd's point about driving cars less, probably the best decision is not to get a cat if you cannot envision keeping it indoors. But want has always been stronger than conservation.

My rational about sterilization is to limit the amount of cats in the wild, not to change their comportment.

Also I don't subscribe to the idea that happiness comes from an increased life expectancy and lack of danger. I wouldn't want to live in prison, even if it was a luxury palace, and animals kept in a zoo do not transpire happiness and good mental health.

Anecdotal experiences are only that. Cats living outdoor die younger that's for sure, they are also much fitter and full of battle scars but that don't necessarily mean they will suffer more than those that will lick their skin to the blood or eat like crazy out of boredom.