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yes Darrell, they have an impact. My point is that this factor is overblown
and is not put in context of the many other factors that are truly reducing
bird populations in the temperate region:
climate change
land use (e.g. short rotation forestry)
pesticides
oil?
Cats, cars, windturbines, reflective glass would be minor in comparison and
I'd suggest we first focus on the major causes of decline and then look at
tempering the minor threats which we are not going to fully eliminate as
they are part of our life style:
1. Cat--keep cat in at night, fix feral cats and get them places
2. Car--slow down..I killed a swallow last year when in what I thought was
a hurry
3. Windturbines--research placement of windmills out of flight pathways
4, Glass--hard to know how to reduce bird impacts on existing windows, this
national geographic article discusses some ways
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/141113-bird-safe-glass-window-collision-animals-science/
We won't get anywhere legislating that cats be not allowed out but
increasing attention on barn populations and making people responsible (or
finding funding for) for fixing barn cats on their property, then
suggesting that owners keep their cats in at dusk and night, will have
impacts. Currently, this negative focus on cats creates the impression that
a biodiversity crisis is the fault of cats not their humans who may also
drive cars profligately and eat crops grown using neonicotinoids.
Nick
On Sun, Jan 24, 2016 at 11:43 AM, <darrell@abolitphotos.ca> wrote:
> I disagree Nick, any animal can become a pest and cats and their
> irresponsible owners are exactly that. Myself, living in the countryside
> where cats are brought to barns and dropped off and many owners letting
> them roam free, I have seen many birds killed. Seen one cat jump up on a
> cloths line to kill a saw-whet owl. An impressive predator but way too many
> (all) at loose in the daytime and night. Dog owners are not allowed to let
> their animals/predators roam free and neither should cat owners. No pet
> should be allowed to roam free to kill at will, period.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ====================================
>
>
> On Sun, 24 Jan 2016 11:24:43 -0400, Don MacNeill <
> donmacneill@bellaliant.net> wrote:
>
> I agree Nick.
>
> Don
>
> Don MacNeill donmacneill@bellaliant.net
> On 24/01/2016 10:37 AM, Nicholas Hill wrote:
>
> Grayson and Calver (2004, Regulation of cat ownership to protect urban
> wildlife: a justification based on the precautionary approach. Royal
> Zoological Society NSW 169-178) found previously that Cat Density was not
> a predictor of passerine numbers but that distance to bushland and the
> density of urban housing were (both negative factors). In the study cited
> above (regulation of cat ownership etc), they conclude that "cat welfare is
> the key issue in a precautionary approach for protection which respects
> interests of cat owners". Cat welfare means keeping the beasts in at night
> and desexing them so that we do not have a feral cat problem. In the
> country here, people let cats breed in outbuildings and this leads to a
> desperate situation for these cats and for wildlife.
> Other authors warned that conclusions drawn in Britain over the impact of
> cats (million birds and small mammals killed) were drawn from data on one
> single village study in Felmersham. This author (BM Fitzgerald, 1990. is
> cat control needed to protect wildlife? Environmental Conservation 17:
> 168-169) questioned the extrapolation which we should in a rural area like
> NS where birdlife is spread widely over woodland and clearings
>
> We have 3 desexed rescue cats that are in at night and well fed. There is
> a local impact on mouse, vole and shrew (no birds seen taken yet) but the
> population of these animals is greatly increased by the landuse round the
> house..as was observed in Felmersham (rodents and house sparrows there).
>
> Surely all of the following factors need to be considered before we
> relegate the cat to the indoors:
>
> woodland edges..plant more trees
> brush piles..dont be tidy, a pile of woody debris is a refuge for small
> birds and voles
> sustainable agriculture..minimize use of pesticide sprays (see the "
> Declines in insectivorous birds associated w hi levels of neonicotinoid" in
> Nature 511: 341-3 (2014) and
> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140709-birds-insects-pesticides-insecticides-neonicotinoids-silent-spring/
> )
>
> Cats connect people to nature, to animals that still have independence and
> aloofness and are not wholly removed from primary adaptations. This makes
> them attractive in connecting and grounding us but it also is why I might
> be hammering away in their defense as they are still predators. The elderly
> are given robotic substitutes for pets which only reinforces our need of
> connection with the rest of the living world.
>
> Nick
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 11:41 PM, Helene Van Doninck <
> helene.birdvet@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Nice to see the endorsement for keeping cats indoors!
>>
>> Helene
>>
>> Helene Van Doninck DVM
>> Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
>> 2220 Irwin Lake Rd Brookfield NS Canada B0N1C0
>> 902-893-0253
>> helene.birdvet@gmail.com <birdvet@hotmail.com>
>> www.cwrc.net
>> Find us on Facebook
>> <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cobequid-Wildlife-Rehabilitation-Centre/134671693239334> and
>> Twitter <https://twitter.com/CobequiWildlife>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 11:35 PM, N Robinson <nrobbyn@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/city+vancouver+hopes+bird+strategy+will+take+flight/10438095/story.html
>>>
>>
>
>
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<div dir=3D"ltr">yes Darrell, they have an impact. My point is that this fa=
ctor is overblown and is not put in context of the many other factors that =
are truly reducing bird populations in the temperate region:<div><br></div>=
<div>climate change</div><div>land use (e.g. short rotation forestry)</div>=
<div>pesticides</div><div>oil?</div><div><br></div><div>Cats, cars, windtur=
bines, reflective glass would be minor in comparison and I'd suggest we=
first focus on the major causes of decline and then look at tempering the =
minor threats which