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In fact, that article supports the statement "They don't do much to the birds, the birds are too smart.  All they get are babies that fall out of nests. "  It says "Birds that nest of feed on the ground, such as California Quail, are the most susceptible to cat predation, as are nestlings and fledglings of many other species".  And despite the title being about birds, most of the examples given are of mammal kills.

Sure, cats prey on birds.  Some more than others.   (My boy never killed a bird.  My girl still takes a couple each year, despite my removing hazardous attractors, such as low bird feeders.)  As Joan says, every locale has its own problems, ecological and otherwise.  In my area, the only birds I worry about are the flickers, because they feed on the ground and we don't have many of them.  The other local ground-feeders are very common, and their population is limited by a shortage of good nesting sites, not by adult mortality.  My neighborhood still has an assortment of wild predators, too.  I've seen foxes (red and gray), coyotes, raccoons, skunks, and several species of hawks. I've heard a few species of owls, and neighbors photographed a fisher.

Personally, I've uneasy with all the wild predators around, and fondly remember the pre-leash-law days when the wildlife was much less diverse, and we didn't worry that a coyote might eat a small child.

Ginda

On Feb 14, 2007, at 9:56 PM, road's end farm wrote:

Actually, there's nothing there that really addresses my question.

Let me rephrase it: for example: the population of this area, say 500 years ago, included bobcat, puma, fox, wolf, several species of the weasel family, hawks, owls, eagles, and probably some predators I've left out.

Some of these species are gone entirely; others are greatly diminished in numbers. Coyote have moved into the area, filling some of the predator space, but presumably not all of it.

What was the likely bird mortality rate from predation then, compared to now? (Specifically from predation: leaving out of the modern data habitat loss, automobiles, pesticides, etc; and preferably from a comparison in a similar area, currently a rural area.)

I agree that in certain specific situations the presence of cats may be a disaster for certain bird populations. I don't think this necessarily means that the presence of cats is always, in all areas, a disaster for bird populations.

If it's any comfort to you, my cats are all spayed/neutered and inoculated; and the barn swallows raise and successfully fledge two clutches in my barn every year, despite the frequent presence of the cats in the barn itself. 

On Feb 14, 2007, at 5:09 PM, Jackie Jameson wrote:

Here's a good start:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/

When on that page, click on the hyperlink in the first paragraph ( Domestic cat predation on birds and other wildlife) and it will open a four page pdf which discusses these  questions.

--Rivka

Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly

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