Re: [mou-net] Birding from a patio chair.
Frank - cats do not belong outside, especially in the yard of a birder I am afraid. The bird, once wounded by the cat has virtually no chance of survival - things caught by dogs have a much better outlook, due to the variety of organisms found in the mouth of a cat. A bell does no goo, as Liz says. Cats belong indoors. I have done wildlife work for over 16 years, so I know of what I speak...sorry! Sue on Melody Lake, Edina On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 4:55 PM, Liz Stanley l...@lizstanley.com wrote: The cat isn't ungrateful, it's just following its predatory instincts which unfortunately means that if let outside to roam freely, then it will be hunting, regardless of how well fed it already is. The bird would have bee helped much more by not having been put in danger in the first place. Bells really don't work, as a cat with a bell can still sneak up on a bird. A solution I've found that works is to have an outdoor cat enclosure. I'm sure with some creativity it's possible to DIY one, but I purchased mine and it has been a great investment. My 2 cats can sit out on the patio and enjoy the stimulation of the garden without any danger to them or to the wildlife that I've attracted to the yard. They are otherwise exclusively indoor cats. For anyone who is curious, this is where I purchased mine: https://www.cdpets.com/Products_Detail.php?ProductID=5. There are many other options and manufacturers available that can be found, this is just one example that I found was sufficient for my needs. Here's an action photo from my patio (including a 3rd cat who is no longer with us.) It's the 4' height economy enclosure from the link above. http://www.pbase.com/gymell/image/148564406 On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 2:47 PM, Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com wrote: I woke to a nice day Saturday and sat down outside, on my patio, with my ipad and was writing a friend about the birds I saw and heard. I had Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, Red Start, White and Red Breasted Nuthatch, Red Bellied-Downy-Hairy Woodpecker, Goldfinch, House Finch, Robin, House Sparrow, Crow, Blue Jay, Red Shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Mallard, Starling, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Jay, Blue Bird, Catbird, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and a few unidentified Warblers. I was kinda romanticizing, telling my friend how so few of us notice all that goes on around us and how we get caught up in other things. I wrote about the insects, trees, and even the grass and the weeds and how they all interact. About the time I was getting lost in the moment I heard a nasty screech sound. I looked down and there was the Catbird in my cat Molly's mouth. The bird was struggling, to no avail, and the cat was trying to set its claws in for a better hold. I jumped up, yelled at the cat and stepped on its tail. The cat let out a scream, thus, releasing the bird which flew to a near by bush and chattered. I watched the cat move to a spot on the patio then laid down swishing its tail showing anger. The cat had a few feathers in its mouth and a couple fell to the ground. I ended my letter to my friend saying the bird probably doesn't realize I helped it and that ungrateful, well fed, fur bearing cat will be getting a bell on its collar. I like my cat but I need to take every precaution to keep it from killing the birds. -- Liz Stanley Bloomington, MN l...@lizstanley.com Backyard weather and feedercam: http://www.overlookcircle.org/ Photo gallery: http://www.pbase.com/gymell/liz_favorites Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lizmstanley Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Birding from a patio chair.
Thanks for sharing your sightings. The migrants are on their way south. As far as the cat goes, I don't think that a bell on the collar will help much. My next door neighbor had a bell on her cat's collar and it was still catching birds and mammals constantly. I think they figure out a way to stalk without ringing the bell. As far as I know the only true way to keep a cat from catching birds is to not let it venture outdoors. Jason Caddy, Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com Sent from my Samsung Transform™ Ultra Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com wrote: I woke to a nice day Saturday and sat down outside, on my patio, with my ipad and was writing a friend about the birds I saw and heard. I had Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, Red Start, White and Red Breasted Nuthatch, Red Bellied-Downy-Hairy Woodpecker, Goldfinch, House Finch, Robin, House Sparrow, Crow, Blue Jay, Red Shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Mallard, Starling, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Jay, Blue Bird, Catbird, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and a few unidentified Warblers. I was kinda romanticizing, telling my friend how so few of us notice all that goes on around us and how we get caught up in other things. I wrote about the insects, trees, and even the grass and the weeds and how they all interact. About the time I was getting lost in the moment I heard a nasty screech sound. I looked down and there was the Catbird in my cat Molly's mouth. The bird was struggling, to no avail, and the cat was trying to set its claws in for a better hold. I jumped up, yelled at the cat and stepped on its tail. The cat let out a scream, thus, releasing the bird which flew to a near by bush and chattered. I watched the cat move to a spot on the patio then laid down swishing its tail showing anger. The cat had a few feathers in its mouth and a couple fell to the ground. I ended my letter to my friend saying the bird probably doesn't realize I helped it and that ungrateful, well fed, fur bearing cat will be getting a bell on its collar. I like my cat but I need to take every precaution to keep it from killing the birds. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Birding from a patio chair.
If you have not, read the remarkable novel FREEDOM by devoted birder Jonathan Franzen, in which cats catching birds plays a real and metaphorical role. Caddy is right, keep all cats inside away from wildlife, and spouses. James P. Lenfestey TURNING 40 PRODUCTIONS 1833 Girard Ave. So. Minneapolis, MN 55403 cell: 612-730-7435 www.coyotepoet.com -Original Message- From: J.caddy j.ca...@hotmail.com To: MOU-NET MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sent: Mon, Sep 9, 2013 3:36 pm Subject: Re: [mou-net] Birding from a patio chair. Thanks for sharing your sightings. The migrants are on their way south. As far as the cat goes, I don't think that a bell on the collar will help much. My next door neighbor had a bell on her cat's collar and it was still catching birds and mammals constantly. I think they figure out a way to stalk without ringing the bell. As far as I know the only true way to keep a cat from catching birds is to not let it venture outdoors. Jason Caddy, Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com Sent from my Samsung Transform™ Ultra Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com wrote: I woke to a nice day Saturday and sat down outside, on my patio, with my ipad and was writing a friend about the birds I saw and heard. I had Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, Red Start, White and Red Breasted Nuthatch, Red Bellied-Downy-Hairy Woodpecker, Goldfinch, House Finch, Robin, House Sparrow, Crow, Blue Jay, Red Shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Mallard, Starling, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Jay, Blue Bird, Catbird, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and a few unidentified Warblers. I was kinda romanticizing, telling my friend how so few of us notice all that goes on around us and how we get caught up in other things. I wrote about the insects, trees, and even the grass and the weeds and how they all interact. About the time I was getting lost in the moment I heard a nasty screech sound. I looked down and there was the Catbird in my cat Molly's mouth. The bird was struggling, to no avail, and the cat was trying to set its claws in for a better hold. I jumped up, yelled at the cat and stepped on its tail. The cat let out a scream, thus, releasing the bird which flew to a near by bush and chattered. I watched the cat move to a spot on the patio then laid down swishing its tail showing anger. The cat had a few feathers in its mouth and a couple fell to the ground. I ended my letter to my friend saying the bird probably doesn't realize I helped it and that ungrateful, well fed, fur bearing cat will be getting a bell on its collar. I like my cat but I need to take every precaution to keep it from killing the birds. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Birding from a patio chair.
The cat isn't ungrateful, it's just following its predatory instincts which unfortunately means that if let outside to roam freely, then it will be hunting, regardless of how well fed it already is. The bird would have bee helped much more by not having been put in danger in the first place. Bells really don't work, as a cat with a bell can still sneak up on a bird. A solution I've found that works is to have an outdoor cat enclosure. I'm sure with some creativity it's possible to DIY one, but I purchased mine and it has been a great investment. My 2 cats can sit out on the patio and enjoy the stimulation of the garden without any danger to them or to the wildlife that I've attracted to the yard. They are otherwise exclusively indoor cats. For anyone who is curious, this is where I purchased mine: https://www.cdpets.com/Products_Detail.php?ProductID=5. There are many other options and manufacturers available that can be found, this is just one example that I found was sufficient for my needs. Here's an action photo from my patio (including a 3rd cat who is no longer with us.) It's the 4' height economy enclosure from the link above. http://www.pbase.com/gymell/image/148564406 On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 2:47 PM, Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com wrote: I woke to a nice day Saturday and sat down outside, on my patio, with my ipad and was writing a friend about the birds I saw and heard. I had Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, Red Start, White and Red Breasted Nuthatch, Red Bellied-Downy-Hairy Woodpecker, Goldfinch, House Finch, Robin, House Sparrow, Crow, Blue Jay, Red Shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle, Canada Geese, Mallard, Starling, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Jay, Blue Bird, Catbird, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and a few unidentified Warblers. I was kinda romanticizing, telling my friend how so few of us notice all that goes on around us and how we get caught up in other things. I wrote about the insects, trees, and even the grass and the weeds and how they all interact. About the time I was getting lost in the moment I heard a nasty screech sound. I looked down and there was the Catbird in my cat Molly's mouth. The bird was struggling, to no avail, and the cat was trying to set its claws in for a better hold. I jumped up, yelled at the cat and stepped on its tail. The cat let out a scream, thus, releasing the bird which flew to a near by bush and chattered. I watched the cat move to a spot on the patio then laid down swishing its tail showing anger. The cat had a few feathers in its mouth and a couple fell to the ground. I ended my letter to my friend saying the bird probably doesn't realize I helped it and that ungrateful, well fed, fur bearing cat will be getting a bell on its collar. I like my cat but I need to take every precaution to keep it from killing the birds. -- Liz Stanley Bloomington, MN l...@lizstanley.com Backyard weather and feedercam: http://www.overlookcircle.org/ Photo gallery: http://www.pbase.com/gymell/liz_favorites Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lizmstanley Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
