Like Birds? Keep Your Cats Indoors

I got beat up on this topic once before on another blog, but just read another article so thought I would beat the drum some more. Not only are cats which are allowed to run loose more likely to be hit by a car, killed by a predator or be injured in other ways, they are the #1 threat to wild birds, and a significant hazard to other wildlife.

The American Bird Conservancy has launched a Cats Indoors campaign to make people aware of the threat cats pose to birds.

I understand the strong feelings people have on this issue. I am a cat owner and early in life allowed my cats freedom to go in and out. But no more. My 17-year-old cat has never been outside once we got her at the age of 6 weeks. Do your cats and the environment a favor and keep your pet cats in the house.

Good birding!

Window Strikes

Window strikes are a fact of life when you feed birds. It is estimated that approximately 1 Billion (yes, with a "b") birds are killed annually due to collisions with glass. The closer to your windows the feeders are, the more bird strikes you are likely to have. So a frequent question is, "how do I stop birds from hitting my windows?"

Birds fly into the windows because the reflection makes it look like they can fly straight through. When the birds are startled from a feeder, they are prone to take off quickly to escape and splat!

I fight window strikes by placing my feeders in view of, but well away from the windows and also by allowing my windows to get a little dirty, reducing the window's reflective properties. There are other things you can do, although none are foolproof. The American Bird Conservancy has a list of tips that may be useful to you.

Good birding!