Weeds, Bugs and Birds

Weed kills – no wait a minute, that’s a subject for a whole other blog. (It is a known fact that “weed” kills inhibitions and twinkies.)

What I meant to say is weed killers kill. Duh! Of course they do, it’s right in the name – “killer.” Unfortunately, weed killers kill more than weeds.

This goes for pre-emergent herbicides too. Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Yes, I know they are bad for the environment, but the little bit I use in my yard won’t hurt, and I don’t have time to sit there pulling all those weeds.”

I don’t know whether you have time or not, but I do know that the “little bit” you use in your yard DOES HURT. Pre-emergents are the killers that go on killing. They kill the targeted weeds, along with insects and worms that are eaten by birds. The birds die too.

I’m not a chemist, but there are a zillion sites (I counted) that explain all the hazards. And, it’s not just birds that are affected. There is evidence that lawn and garden chemicals can cause leukemia and other cancers in children.

And, I’m not even talking about the big dog in the room – pesticides. Just Google pesticide hazards, and you will get back into bed and pull the covers over your head. The list of bad stuff associated with pesticides goes on and on. The state of Connecticut says, “Chronic effects of pesticide and herbicide

exposure can include immune system suppression, birth defects, cancer, and neurotoxicity.” Pesticide use has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and a whole lot of other health problems.

DDT was one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. Unless you have been visiting Mars for the last several years, you know the havoc that it caused. Fortunately, peregrine falcons and bald eagles escaped extinction. Also, pesticide use in Argentina caused a significant decline in wintering Swainson’s hawk populations. Fortunately, the link was identified and mitigated.

So, this is the world we live in, right?  These chemicals exist and they are not going away. All I’m saying is make educated choices:

• Get information

• Be aware of your actions and their consequences

• Seek out alternatives

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When it's birds vs. cats, the cats win!

Touchy subject today. First of all, I do not hate cats.

We just lost this sweet 24-year old tabby we had been fostering for three years (Not a misprint -- she was 24 years old). We miss her desperately. But, when it comes to prey and predators, the Sylvester chasing Tweety behavior can't be ignored. Cats kill millions of birds each year (again, not a misprint -- "millions").

In a recent New York Times article (March 20, 2011), Elisabeth Rosenthal reported on predation of birds by cats. Here's an excerpt:

"A new study in The Journal of Ornithology on the mortality of baby gray catbirds in the Washington suburbs found that cats were the No. 1 killer in the area, by a large margin.

Nearly 80 percent of the birds were killed by predators, and cats were responsible for 47 percent of those deaths, according to the researchers, from the Smithsonian Institution and Towson University in Maryland. Death rates were particularly high in neighborhoods with large cat populations.

Predation was so serious in some areas that the catbirds could not replace their numbers for the next generation, according to the researchers, who affixed tiny radio transmitters to the birds to follow them. It is the first scientific study to calculate what fraction of bird deaths during the vulnerable fledgling stage can be attributed to cats.

“Cats are way up there in terms of threats to birds — they are a formidable force in driving out native species,” said Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, one of the authors of the study.

The American Bird Conservancy estimates that up to 500 million birds are killed each year by cats — about half by pets and half by feral felines.

This is not "nature taking its course" as I hear people say. There is nothing natural about a domestic cat. Cats were introduced to North America by European colonists. Scientists consider them an invasive species. That doesn't mean that my wife and I won't ever have another cat. We very well may, but it will be an indoor-only cat.

What can you do? It goes without saying (but I'm going to anyway) -- spay or neuter your cat. Also, support organized efforts to trap, spay and neuter feral cats. Finally, please keep your cat indoors as much as possible.

Up next: Birds vs. lawn and garden chemicals.