by Doug Becker
Birds don’t have it easy. There are storms, fires, and changes in the climate that effect migration patterns. There are the everyday hazards as well as those encountered while in seasonal migration. Lots of migrating birds fall from the sky from exhaustion. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other reports, show birds’ annual fatality numbers caused by:
– collisions with power lines at 22.8 million
– wind turbines at 366 thousand
– towers at 6.6 million
– Collisions with cars comes in at 214.5 million
– tall glass buildings at 340 million.
It’s interesting to note that wind turbines cause the least number of bird fatalities by far, though President Trump has called windmills “bird graveyards”, but none of these huge numbers even begin to compare with the birds’ number one enemy………….cats!
No, birds don’t have it easy when U.S. Fish and Wildlife report cats to be the cause of an incredible 2.4 billion bird kills per year in America. Cats are responsible for more bird fatalities than all other causes combined! Hard to believe, but here’s more. Cats have been linked to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles worldwide! Maybe that old lady cat-killer down the street knew what she was doing to protect her birds!?
So, what is about cats? To start with, there are some 93 million cats that are owned in our country alone (and I’m one of them!). On top of that, there are millions of stray and feral cats everywhere. In my wooded and bird rich condo neighborhood several neighbors put large containers of feed out each night for the feral cats that have stayed around. Their numbers increased to such an extent that they were just a loud and aggravating problem. Cats all over the place! Finally, the HOA called the local authorities who made the reluctant neighbors catch as many cats as possible and take them to Humane Society. The heart of the problem is any cat that is free to the out of doors. This includes our beautiful tabby as well as wild, free-roaming feral cats. In short, if you don’t want to see your pet playing with and eating baby birds and bringing half eaten bunnies to your door, keep your cat(s) in the house! And then, do the service of getting them spayed or neutered! Our cats are safer and healthier when they are kept indoors …. and so are the birds!
The birds don’t have it easy, but with 50 million backyard birders across the country, the birds appreciate the fabulous bird feeders offering quality food, a nice, clean birdbath and unique bird houses providing safe shelter and nesting for the young. Just remember, there are cats out there!
