Friday, December 24, 2010
Why the Catbird Sings
The following clip, from BirdChick (AKA Disapproving Rabbits) shows a young bird, still practicing his mewing.
Here is another bird, a Northern Mockingbird this time, which has his song a bit more polished:
But, why do they mimic? What prompts a Catbird or Mockingbird to imitate all these sounds? Some even learn car alarms, cell-phone rings, police sirens. Why do they do this? Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology has the answer in this stunning clip which takes us through the songbird's song...it even does frogs!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Cats Kill...
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(Washington, D.C., December 8, 2010) A new, peer-reviewed study report titled, Feral Cats and Their Management from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, has put the annual economic loss from feral cat predation on birds in the United States at $17 billion. The report analyzes existing research on management of the burgeoning feral cat population – over 60 million and counting -- in the United States.
Feral cats are domestic cats that have gone wild. They cause significant losses to populations of native birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians; can transmit several diseases such as rabies and toxoplasmosis; and may be a general nuisance. Cats are the definitive host of the parasite taxoplasmosis; the disease can affect the brain, lung, heart, eyes, or liver. Serious consequences are evident in pregnant women as well as the young, the old, and those with compromised immune systems.
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Some of the many findings of the report include:
Feral cats are prolific breeders and can produce up to five litters per year. Females give birth to 2-10 kittens per litter. The Humane Society estimates that a pair of breeding cats and their offspring can produce over 400,000 cats in seven years under ideal conditions, assuming none die.• Feral cats are invasive and pose a threat to native fauna and public health.
• Three separate studies showed that most feral cats (62 to 80 percent) carry the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis – a condition of special concern to pregnant women.
• Cats are responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species of birds.
• Feral cats kill an estimated 480 million birds in the U.S. each year (the study did not address the question of bird predation by owned cats. Studies suggest that there are 80 million owned cats in the U.S. and that 43 percent have access to the outdoors. Total cat predation on birds is likely around one billion birds per year, though some analysis suggest much higher figures.)
• Cats kill far more native wildlife species than nuisance (invasive) species.
• Cats will kill wildlife no matter how well they are fed; they kill for sport & play.
• The life expectancy of a feral cat is 3-5 years as opposed to 15 years for owned cats, which sometimes live well into their twenties.
About 60 to 88 million cats are owned in the US and 60 million more are feral. Outdoor cats pose a serious threat to native wildlife, particularly birds. While the loss of habitat is the primary cause of species extinctions, cats are responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species of birds around the world. Cats kill an estimated 480 million birds around the world (assuming eight birds killed per feral cat per year). Estimates indicate that between 500-000 and 8 million birds are killed by rural cats each year...not counting damage by urban cats.Proponents of feral cats and those who insist their cats should be allowed outdoors, suggest that well-fed cats do not prey on wildlife. Research shows that cats maintain their predatory instincts, no matter how well fed they are. The diets of well-fed house-based cats in Sweden consisted of 15-90% native prey, depending on availability.
Feral cats pose risks to public health and safety. Unlike owned cats that are required by law to be vaccinated; few feral cats are. Feral cats can transmit diseases to humans and other cats, including cat scratch fever, plague, rabies, ringworm, salmonellosis and taxoplasmosis. In fact, in 3 separate studies 62-80% of feral cats tested positive for taxoplasmosis...a disease of serious concern for pregnant women as well as older and younger members of the population.
Read the entire article is HERE. Photos from Wikipedia.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Making a Pond
This is about the pond I've dreamed of since I looked out the kitchen windows (there were several, miss-matched windows across the back wall of the house. Unfortunately, about the only thing to look at was the old root-cellar just ten-feet away.
The only photo I could find of the old cellar included a very embarrassing shot of my poor dog. We'd just moved down from 9000' to two-thousand feet lower and he was going to be very hot. Yes, there is snow in the picture, but it was already spring...and he was miserable. I'm quite sure he was more-so after his shave! I'd asked for a trim...and this is what he got; poor guy was as pink as a new-born hamster. But, back to the story at hand...you can also see the lovely view out the old windows; mostly roof and one bears had fallen through, to boot. It was ugly.
As I said, as soon as I could I remodeled the kitchen and ended up with beautiful, new windows that still spanned the entire kitchen. As soon as I could, I removed that old roof.
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You can just see the top of the bio-filter in the above shots...as well as the shoot that would become the waterfall. Rob included a small pond at the top, too; it's really pretty...or will be when it's finished, rocks and plants are placed and everything grows in.
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