Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Garden Bird Survey - Winter 2015/16

Options
13»

Comments

  • Options
    #62
    savagethegoat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭savagethegoat


    It doesn't change that we have added extra danger to the birds lives by tempting them in for our own entertainment. Yes, in a hard winter, we will have saved some lives, but then it would follow to only feed when it is needed. To expose birds to extra risk from a Sparrowhawk at other times is just for our own pleasure.

    There actually is a positive, seeing as you said there is absolutely none, in that they will generally be taking the less aware and weaker or sick animals. It's not much of a positive admittedly but it is an absolute positive .


  • Options
    #63
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    savagethegoat wrote: »
    It doesn't change that we have added extra danger to the birds lives by tempting them in for our own entertainment. Yes, in a hard winter, we will have saved some lives, but then it would follow to only feed when it is needed. To expose birds to extra risk from a Sparrowhawk at other times is just for our own pleasure.

    There actually is a positive, seeing as you said there is absolutely none, in that they will generally be taking the less aware and weaker or sick animals. It's not much of a positive admittedly but it is an absolute positive .

    I agree that it can be viewed as an ecological trap of sorts, and that if that bothers someone because it happens too regularly then they can and should move it. But whereas theres no reason to worry about losing an occasional bird to a Sparrowhawk (it'll happen anyway), there is reason to worry or feel some guilty about losing birds to cats because its entirely preventable and there's no positive coming from it at all.

    ......the less aware and weaker or sick animals that would/could otherwise have been taken by a native predator that needs it rather than a cat doing it for the craic when its bored in between getting pet and fed and given a nice warm place to rest when it wants.


  • Options
    #64
    savagethegoat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭savagethegoat


    saying "cats are worse" does not remove our responsibility to do something about a problem we cause or contribute to..


  • Options
    #65
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    savagethegoat wrote: »
    saying "cats are worse" does not remove our responsibility to do something about a problem we cause or contribute to..

    The extent of the problem differs considerably if it involves a cat or a sparrowhawk though - thats my point. A cat taking any garden bird is a problem. A sparrowhawk taking a garden bird is not automatically a problem, even if its at your feeders. A Sparrowhawk regularly taking garden birds might be more of a problem depending on how you weight a number of factors including how beneficial your feeding is otherwise to the garden birds, if theres any changes you can make to maintain that benefit but decrease predation, and how much you appreciate Sparrowhawks. How big a problem there is, and how much you're contributing, falls on a very broad scale depending on each of those factors amongst others.

    For instance - my garden gets maybe one or two visits from a Sparrowhawk every few weeks, usually just flying through and rarely catching anything. Twice I've seen it get a bird near my feeders. Thats not any higher than background levels of predation and so that is not a problem.

    If somebody is getting daily visits from a Sparrowhawk and it has a very high kill rate then that could be perceived as a problem.

    Sparrowhawks need to eat too! Cats are better compared to Mink in terms of the problems they cause.


  • Options
    #66
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    There's no comparison between sparrowhawk predation and that of cats. Sparrowhawks are part of the natural environment and raptors must feed too. cats do not kill to survive. They also take more garden birds than a sparrowhawk will. I have fed garden birds for over 50 years and average 19 species in the garden each week. There are in excess of 50 birds at the feeders much of the day. I get a visit from a sparrowhawk only about 6 times a year. If someone is worried about daily sparrowhawk attacks, then they can stop feeding the birds.

    As for feeding only when needed. That philosophy went out with the ark. It is well documented that garden birds benefit greatly from year round feeding - and from better control over cats.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement