THE SPARROWS HAVE GONE
A month ago, I blogged about the start of spring - see https://bowandarrowman.
However, over the last two weeks, I've not seen the sparrows. They seemed to have gone.
I now know why the sparrows have gone. About four days ago I saw a cat disappear into the privet hedge where the sparrows hung out. I immediately went outside to make a lot of noise to shoo the cat away.
And then two days ago, I saw a magpie disappear into the privet hedge. My guess is that cats and magpies have eaten the sparrows' eggs or, if hatched, the fledgling sparrows and that the mummy and daddy sparrow have flown away to find a safer place.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a charity based in Britain, estimated that domesticated cats kill up to four billion birds annually but it doesn't believe predation by cats endangers any bird species in the country.
Whenever I've owned a pet cat, I always put a bell on the cat's collar to give birds advance warning of my instinctually preying cat.
PS. I think I have a magpie living in my loft. It's definitely not a mouse nor a rat as there would be many of them and they tend to move quietly around. This single animal clumsily scampers around. It may be a squirrel but my money's on a magpie, especially since I saw a magpie swoop down from my roof as I was in the kitchen drinking coffee. Was the magpie swooping from the eaves of my roof, an entrance into my loft? I haven't told my wife of our new housemate as she will no doubt want it exterminated or at least it to pay rent!
You've just reminded me I need to go move the stepladder sitting under the eave on my balcony - the robins love to build a nest on the top step since it's so nicely sheltered from the rain!
ReplyDeleteThose robins need looking after!
DeleteI have sparrows living in the ceiling. I've seen them flying in and out of the vent.
DeleteI have had many a mouse live in my house but no sparrows or birds as of yet.Sad when predators go after bird eggs but it is part of the circle of life..
DeleteJN - sparrows are cool and cute.
DeleteJoy - I don't mind sharing my home with a mouse but I draw a line at a rat!
DeleteI park my scooter under the vent they use as a doorway so they complain every time I use my scooter 🙄
DeleteSparrows surely have access rights!
DeleteYeah cats are predators and I’ve had my share of “presents”.
ReplyDeleteI doubt have anything living in my house beyond my cats and us. 😂
What was particularly interesting about the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds findings was that it's domesticated but owner-less cats that did most killing of birds.
DeleteI remember when my Dad was looking after my cat who had brought him a half-eaten vole as a present. Rather than throwing it away, my dad put his 'present' in the fridge. The carers had quite a shock when they next went into his house and opened the fridge.
And thinking about it I really don't know how the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds could make a distinction between owned and unowned cats in killing birds.
DeleteI don't think they could, I think they were just trying to make cat owners feel good.
DeleteI've just replied to myself!
DeleteLOL..We all tend to do that I think.lol
DeleteI'm not as mad as I thought. I read your reply on the email notification, and I added my reply here even though your reply got spammed - now unspammed.
DeleteThanks for reminding me to check my spam folder..lol.
DeleteIt's always worth checking regularly.
DeleteThere seems to be fewer feral cats in my neighborhood compared to several years back. I don't see as many roaming around outside. I do hear a bunch of birds merrily chirping away every morning, tho.
ReplyDeleteLess feral cats, more birds. That follows.
Delete