Today is Earth Day, and the question has been asked all day... What are YOU going to do for Earth Day to make a permanent difference, in your life and into your future?
Earlier today, Joe posted a picture of a beautiful Indigo Bunting.
How many do you have in your backyard?
Most of you will not be able to say you have any. I thought I would post a little known bit of history about why we don't have them.
My 93 year old Grandfather, grew up during some of Americas hardest times and lived during some of it's best and he has watched and experienced first hand the loss of a lot of wildlife. He shared the following with me ...
If you want blue birds you have to provide the proper shelter for them. Blue Birds are attracted to areas that have places to nest that are about 5-7ft. off of the ground. He added...
After America took to the roads in automobiles and less and less people kept horses; people did not keep their pastures fenced anymore.
Rotten Fence posts are a favorite place for blue birds to nest. With the disappearance of fence post from our nations landscape, came the disappearance of Blue Bird habitat.
Yes, of course there are rotten trees that have holes somewhere around that height, but they aren't consistent like the consistency of the fence posts around a horse pasture.
In the early 1980 bluebirds had almost disappeared from North America.
When the wooden fence post phenomenon was recognized; ecologists started hanging bluebird houses 5-7ft off of the ground all over the country.
The Boy Scouts played a huge role in getting these houses hung.
You are now probably wondering; What about the Blue Bird population before Europeans took over the continent and started building fences?
Read on Europeans brought something with them that Native Peoples did not keep.
Bluebirds are easy prey for domestic cats.
Because they nest so low to the ground cats can rob their nests, and when the bird is entering and exiting the nest they swoop down just low enough for a waiting kitty to snatch them.
This brings us back to the original question; What Can YOU do for Earth Day?
Keep your Cat in the House !
Domestic cats let outside will kill something whether they are hungry or not. They are predators, it is sport, and they usually don't eat what they kill.
Cats have no enemy in the wild that they cannot escape other than man, and the introduction of them into our ecosystem is one of the most irresponsible things that we as humans can do.
It is easy, it is free, and it will have a profound impact on the environment. In a couple of years you may even see Bunnies and lots of different Song Birds in your backyard.
13 comments:
I spent the morning in the woods enjoying all the new colors of spring. A pregnate doe walked with in ten foot of me. It started off drizzling then the sun broke out. A little later I shot my first turkey of the season. What a great day.
I love the nature pics you post. I can't wait to get out of the city(if I can sell my house) and back into the county or country so i can enjoy more of it.
Anyone have a small parcel at a reasonable cost?!
Nalagirl
Someone obviously doesn't know a damn thing about cats. They do eat what they kill.
some cats will present their kill as a gift to their owner.
Geesh there always has to be a negative Nelly. My Mom always had cats, I'm not a cat hater, but I love the songbirds. For that reason I wouldn't have cat, I'll take my two pooches any day.
Cats can have been fed until they are as full as a tick and it will still kill. A lot of times they will eat their catch, however not all the time, it's about the kill.
I get a couple of different kinds of bird feed. Shelled sunflower seeds, saffron seeds, flax seed, thistle attracts more Finch and I get a bag of the cheaper stuff and just mix it together.
I get Cardinal's, many different kind of finch, Dove and I did have a little chick-a-dee about as big as my thumb but haven't seen it in a while. (right here in the concrete jungle). The last 2 years, from what I see there is a decline in Bluebirds, the are aggressive and scare the other birds away from the feed, I can't remember the last time I saw one.
The only Baltimore Oriole I've ever seen has been on a baseball hat. I think Maryland should change the state bird to the Blue Heron.
A cat safety collar with a bell will help give birds warning if you have outdoor cats. There are also outdoor exercise pens for cats. I have seen cats attacked by birds without being provoked. For a farm cat,whose job it is to keep the grounds rodent free, a bell on the safety collar is a hindrance.
Owner responsibility. It's a big job but someone has to do it.
cats are not the only predators killing birds. most breeds of dogs will instinctively pounce on birds given the chance. I have labadors and its impossible to try to rescue a bird from them once they have wounded or killed it. like many animals, then they roll on it afterwards. putting the scent of thier kill on them.
sad but true. nature is what it is and animals of all kinds kill other animals. just part of the whole life cycle.
Joe,
Where did you find this person? It's called nature and if a cat doesn't kill a bird another animal will.
It should be understood that cats must be thought as kittens by their mothers how to kill and eat what they catch. Humans have interrupted that cycle casing a race of cats left only with the instinct to catch and kill, not eat what they have killed. Then they kill some more and go home to a plate of "Frskies".
As usual, the problem is of HUMAN ORIGIN!
I originally only had one little birdhouse hanging (decoratively) on a tree. Now, I'm going to actively put some up to attract these beautiful birds. My family greatly enjoys all the nature we are welcoming into our yard. When we got there last year it wa void of flowers and any diversity of birds. We are pleased to announce that we now have an abundance of birds, squirrels, frogs, and the occassional HAWK! It is all very exciting to see and my kids don't even realize their learning because it is all so fascinating! We are currently working on a Toad House....I'll let you know when our newest "neighbors" move in!
countrygirl@heart
I put up a half a dozen new wood duck boxes last month. I really love waterfowl, specially with cream ah mushroom soup, I call it soup n quackers. Dove n dumplins aint bad either.
hip.boots
Duck breasts marinated in some Cajun spice with terriaki and smoke grilled about medium pink is hard to beat!
Bat houses are getting popular around low lying area's. A Bat eat's it's weight in mosquito's everyday. Pretty easy to build, an upside down box with a dowel rod for them to hang from during the day. Grandpa Munster, is that you up there?
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