Why kill THAT bird?

I often let the cats out into the (fenced in) backyard when there is
still food in the birdfeeder. Most of the time the birds are smart
enough to stay away until the cats go back inside, but since the cats
usually just lie around and watch sometimes the birds get bold.

Once or twice a year the cats get something. Sometimes a bird,
sometimes a mouse. Yesterday, out of maybe 40 sparrows and 15 pigeons,
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth and was hoping that either it wasn't a bird
or maybe I could rescue it if it was. But, no, too late.

Later that day the female cardinal was all over the yard, flitting
from tree to tree. I really feel badly about it. I know the cats are
killers and sometimes birds get killed, but why the cardinal?

I thought cats couldn't even see color, or at least not red. I have
noticed that cardinals stick around longer towards dusk than other
birds so perhaps it was a bit too bold about being on the ground near
the bird feeder.

Espy, next time, take out a pigeon.

"dgk" wrote

I know the cats are
killers and sometimes birds get killed, but why the cardinal?

It was a slow cardinal.

you should put a bell around there neck so the birds will
know there coming..when a birds mate get killed it takes them a long time
to get over it...we had a lone dove around for over a year when she lost
her mate..it even harder for cardinal because you only see 2 of them
around
Linda
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth

On Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:05:15 -0300, "Linda Boucher"
wrote:

you should put a bell around there neck so the birds will
know there coming..when a birds mate get killed it takes them a long time
to get over it...we had a lone dove around for over a year when she lost
her mate..it even harder for cardinal because you only see 2 of them
around
Linda
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth


Actually there have been a fairly large number of cardinals this year.
Still, I know that one was grieving. Probably quite a few die around
my house because there are a number of strays around. But this one I
saw. I guess the aparrows grieve as well but I can't tell them apart
so I wouldn't know.

I really don't think the bell is very practical. One came with the
collars and was annoying enough (three cats) for me to remove it.
Their collars stay on all the time because their name tag and RF
tracker is on them. So, in the house it just makes too much noise. To
save one cardinal every six years is just too much noise pollution. I
figure lots get fat on my bird seed so the +/- ratio is still way up
there.

I've watched Espy's hunting technique. He hides under the Azalea which
is about 6 feet from the bird feeder. In winter there are no leaves
but it seems to keep him well enough concealed from the birds. Then he
just lunges out at any bird hanging out on the ground. I really doubt
the slight ring of that bell would do any good at all. By the time any
bird reacts to that he's already there. The surprising thing is that
so few birds die. Between Espy, Nipsy, and Marlo, only one or two die
per year. Even overweight Nipsy and Marlo can move fast.

It's really just in the winter that this is a problem. In another week
or so I'll stop the bird feeding and the mass pile-up of birds will be
over. Then they can just eat my grass seed like normal.

"dgk" wrote
I really don't think the bell is very practical. One came with the
collars and was annoying enough (three cats) for me to remove it.
Their collars stay on all the time because their name tag and RF
tracker is on them. So, in the house it just makes too much noise. To
save one cardinal every six years is just too much noise pollution. I
figure lots get fat on my bird seed so the +/- ratio is still way up
there.

I've watched Espy's hunting technique. He hides under the Azalea which
is about 6 feet from the bird feeder.

Dude. Move the feeders out of the fenced in area.

On Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:48:51 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote
I really don't think the bell is very practical. One came with the
collars and was annoying enough (three cats) for me to remove it.
Their collars stay on all the time because their name tag and RF
tracker is on them. So, in the house it just makes too much noise. To
save one cardinal every six years is just too much noise pollution. I
figure lots get fat on my bird seed so the +/- ratio is still way up
there.

I've watched Espy's hunting technique. He hides under the Azalea which
is about 6 feet from the bird feeder.

Dude. Move the feeders out of the fenced in area.


Not practical. The fenced in area is the small backyard. I can't put
up a bird feeder in a neighbor's yard, nor could I easily get there to
put in food. There's also a heated bird bath to contend with.

"dgk" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:48:51 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote
I really don't think the bell is very practical. One came with the
collars and was annoying enough (three cats) for me to remove it.
Their collars stay on all the time because their name tag and RF
tracker is on them. So, in the house it just makes too much noise. To
save one cardinal every six years is just too much noise pollution. I
figure lots get fat on my bird seed so the +/- ratio is still way up
there.

I've watched Espy's hunting technique. He hides under the Azalea which
is about 6 feet from the bird feeder.

Dude. Move the feeders out of the fenced in area.


Not practical. The fenced in area is the small backyard. I can't put
up a bird feeder in a neighbor's yard, nor could I easily get there to
put in food. There's also a heated bird bath to contend with.

Well then get used to seeing birds buy it. It's a matter of priorities,
right?

You never put a bell on an outside cat
besides quote unquote scaring the birds which in my experience does not
you alert everything to the present of your cat

Oh everyone my inside cats have bells and they have learned to move without
jingling them. I have one that has perfected it so I had to get a cowbell
that jingles at the slightest movement the little devil still can run quiet


"Linda Boucher" wrote in message
...
you should put a bell around there neck so the birds will
know there coming..when a birds mate get killed it takes them a long time
to get over it...we had a lone dove around for over a year when she lost
her mate..it even harder for cardinal because you only see 2 of them
around
Linda
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth

"Linda Boucher" wrote in message
...
you should put a bell around there neck so the birds will
know there coming..when a birds mate get killed it takes them a long time
to get over it...we had a lone dove around for over a year when she lost
her mate..it even harder for cardinal because you only see 2 of them
around
Linda
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth

A fact sheet put out by the Mammal Society but unfortunately no longer
available on their website showed that putting bells on cats does not limit
their hunting ability, in fact belled cats in one particular study caught
more wildlife than their unbelled equivalents. Some reasons given were that
belled cats learn to move even more stealthily, the bells are not loud
enough to alert wildlife of danger anyway, and inertia holds the clanger
stationary and therefore silent when the cat makes the final attacking leap.
At least two other studies have highlighted that the belling of cats has no
effect on number of birds caught. "The efficiency of fitting cats with bells
is contentious. Barrette (1998), found that belling of cats has no
significant effect on the amount of prey caught. The result of the longer
study by Woods et al. shows that fewer mammals (mainly rodents) were killed
and brought home by cats that were equipped with bells BUT bird capture
rates were not affected. Bells may serve as a warning to rodents and other
mammals of a predator's approach, but birds may rely largely on visual cues
in predator avoidance behavior or they may not hear the bell due to its
acoustic qualities (Woods et al.). Coleman et al. (1997) suggests that wild
animals don't necessarily associate the ringing of the bell with danger and
that some cats with bells on their collars learn to stalk their prey
silently."
Refs:
Barrette D.G. (1998). Predation by house cats, Felis catus (L.), in
Canberra, Australia, II. Factors affecting the amount of prey caught and
estimates of the impact on wildlife. Wildlife Research. 25: 475-487.
Woods M., McDonald R.A. and Harris S. (2003). Predation of wildlife by
domestic cats Felis catus in Great Britain. The Mammal Society

On Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:05:15 -0400, "Matthew"
wrote:


"Linda Boucher" wrote in message
.. .
you should put a bell around there neck so the birds will
know there coming..when a birds mate get killed it takes them a long time
to get over it...we had a lone dove around for over a year when she lost
her mate..it even harder for cardinal because you only see 2 of them
around
Linda
Espy kills the male cardinal. I saw from the window that he had
something red in his mouth

A fact sheet put out by the Mammal Society but unfortunately no longer
available on their website showed that putting bells on cats does not limit
their hunting ability, in fact belled cats in one particular study caught
more wildlife than their unbelled equivalents. Some reasons given were that
belled cats learn to move even more stealthily, the bells are not loud
enough to alert wildlife of danger anyway, and inertia holds the clanger
stationary and therefore silent when the cat makes the final attacking leap.
At least two other studies have highlighted that the belling of cats has no
effect on number of birds caught. "The efficiency of fitting cats with bells
is contentious. Barrette (1998), found that belling of cats has no
significant effect on the amount of prey caught. The result of the longer
study by Woods et al. shows that fewer mammals (mainly rodents) were killed
and brought home by cats that were equipped with bells BUT bird capture
rates were not affected. Bells may serve as a warning to rodents and other
mammals of a predator's approach, but birds may rely largely on visual cues
in predator avoidance behavior or they may not hear the bell due to its
acoustic qualities (Woods et al.). Coleman et al. (1997) suggests that wild
animals don't necessarily associate the ringing of the bell with danger and
that some cats with bells on their collars learn to stalk their prey
silently."
Refs:
Barrette D.G. (1998). Predation by house cats, Felis catus (L.), in
Canberra, Australia, II. Factors affecting the amount of prey caught and
estimates of the impact on wildlife. Wildlife Research. 25: 475-487.
Woods M., McDonald R.A. and Harris S. (2003). Predation of wildlife by
domestic cats Felis catus in Great Britain. The Mammal Society


I learn another counter-intuitive fact. Well, not totally. I didn't
think a bell would have much of a deterimental effect but it's nice to
know it for sure.