Garden birds disappearing not surprising.

[cheops]

I am personally not surprised that garden bird numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. I see it in my own garden and my neighbours. I believe there are three main factors.
[1] The explosion of numbers of the non native grey squirrel in our parks and gardens.

[2] The explosion of domestic cats.

[3] The explosion of non garden birds [birds that are not normally associated with urban gardens and parks.

I believe the word explosion is a relevant one and not the exaggerated use of a word.

The grey squirrel will find garden birds' nests and eat either the eggs or chicks. They have been seen reaching an arm into the opening a bird box and 'fish' out the chicks. Squirrels are encouraged into our gardens with bird food and bird tables intended for garden birds. Numbers increase even more when there is a dependable supply of easy food.

Cats take many many fledglings. Many cat owners are also animal and bird lovers and some don't even realise their fluffy cute cats are having a whale of a time in the summer as garden bird chicks fledge.

Now common 'non garden birds' such as crows and magpies rob any nest they find - if eggs are present they will greedily consume them and if chick are present they will virtually swallow them whole. Crows and magpies have been encouraged into the urban environment with the dependable food available at the larders intended for garden birds.

Our garden birds don't really stand a chance - which is so sad.

[Nannysally99]

You are so right Cheops , also another reason where I live is that people are cutting down trees in their gardens, I am lucky there are still a few trees left, but they are slowly coming down around me generally to build a new 'office' on. Don't get me started lol


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[Thelma Sanders]

I don't think there has been an explosion of domestic cats - all households used to have 1 or 2 to keep the rodent population down.

Around here it's not cats causing problems, it's blimmin magpies raiding the nests in the hedges. In my last house we went from loads of birds to no birds in 2 years once the magpies moved in farmer's aren't allowed to 'control the numbers' now either.

Nature isn't always nice, is it

[Olorin2001]

Gardens are not a natural habitat, so the so called garden birds are just the ones that find them a good place to live. I think the problem is more complicated than just predation, more to do with the lack of insect food when raising their young, and lack of nesting sites.
We all like to have birds in the garden and those nice pretty butterfies but if we over control the caterpillars we have no butterflies and fewer birds
I control the local squirrel population and we don't seem to have many cats about.
Magpies are a problem but trapping them is not an option and shooting them upsets people.

[Jeanied]

Every time my cat caught a bird I hung a new bell round her collar. After the 5th or 6th bell she slowed down considerably- they weighed her down. She hasn't caught a bird for a few years now

[AllInContainers]

This year I'm aiming to grow elder, jostaberry, wonderberry, golden pearls, blackcurrant, inca berries, barberry, blueberry, cherry, checkerberry, raspberries plus 80 strawberry plants. I have a sneaky suspicion that, a shortage of birds in the garden will not be a problem ...

[rustylady]

I think one of the main problems is that a lot of people don't have gardens in the traditional sense any more.

Look around, how many paved or shingled gardens do you see? Where have the lawns and shrubs and flowers gone?

Back gardens converted into blocked patios or huge sterile decking areas?

[Bill HH]

Sadly I have hardly any birds in my garden, apart from sea gulls, I think they scare the smaller birds away. When i did have a bird table it was taken over by gulls, wood pidgeons and squirrels.

[greenishfing]

We don't have a garden as such, living in a ground floor flat, just a small grassy area and then a tall hedge of varying bushes. However we have a bird table(seed, nuts, fatballs and mealworms) and also tubes with seed in and I also give bread and fatballs to the birds at ground level.

Although a grey squirrel or two comes and visits we are generally overrun with sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, thrushes, doves and the odd robin.

And I mean overrun. Sometimes forty at a time.

The local cats don't seem to be a problem.

[dogsbody]

I have 3 cats and loads of birds in the garden. If you feed them, they come and the more there are the safer they are as they watch each other's backs.

[Two_Sheds]

The local cats don't seem to be a problem.

I'm not picking on you. However, just because people don't actually witness cats killing birds, it doesn't mean it isn't happening. Cats are nocturnal hunters: when their owners are in bed cats are out killing

Most kills are NOT brought home as an offering, they are eaten on the spot or dismembered and left.

The RSPB are in denial about the "cat problem", most likely because they rely on donations from animal (cat) lovers.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'm not picking on you. However, just because people don't actually witness cats killing birds, it doesn't mean it isn't happening. Cats are nocturnal hunters: when their owners are in bed cats are out killing

Cats' Protection advise that pet cats are kept in at night, as that's when most cats are run over. I would have thought that the days of 'putting the cat out for the night' are over, but that's only my experience of cat owners.

Most kills are NOT brought home as an offering, they are eaten on the spot or dismembered and left.

I didn't know that - I'd be interested in the basis for this comment.

The RSPB are in denial about the "cat problem", most likely because they rely on donations from animal (cat) lovers.

I'd also be interested in why you think that RSPB are in denial.

Just curious in the basis of your thinking.

[veggiechicken]

I am personally not surprised that garden bird numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate.

Is this a new report because I can't find anything recent on the net

[Bigmallly]

I am personally not surprised that garden bird numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. I see it in my own garden and my neighbours. I believe there are three main factors.
[1] The explosion of numbers of the non native grey squirrel in our parks and gardens.

[2] The explosion of domestic cats.

[3] The explosion of non garden birds [birds that are not normally associated with urban gardens and parks.

I believe the word explosion is a relevant one and not the exaggerated use of a word.

The grey squirrel will find garden birds' nests and eat either the eggs or chicks. They have been seen reaching an arm into the opening a bird box and 'fish' out the chicks. Squirrels are encouraged into our gardens with bird food and bird tables intended for garden birds. Numbers increase even more when there is a dependable supply of easy food.

Cats take many many fledglings. Many cat owners are also animal and bird lovers and some don't even realise their fluffy cute cats are having a whale of a time in the summer as garden bird chicks fledge.

Now common 'non garden birds' such as crows and magpies rob any nest they find - if eggs are present they will greedily consume them and if chick are present they will virtually swallow them whole. Crows and magpies have been encouraged into the urban environment with the dependable food available at the larders intended for garden birds.

Our garden birds don't really stand a chance - which is so sad.

May I ask how you are basing your claims, is it through personal observations as extensive searching reveals nothing to substantiate your comments.

[Buleste]

I have to say that this winter there are very few birds in my garden but that is because there is a plentiful supply of food elsewhere because it's been so warm. If or when we have a cold snap we will see plenty of birds in gardens again.

As for cats to blame for high predation, well it depends on the cat owners and also recent research has shown that the cat predation figures may be over estimated. Do cats take birds, yes. Do cats take as many birds as predicted? Possibly not.

The greatest threat to our birds is man. Destroying habitat and food sources due to modern farming methods and our ever expanding need for homes has become common place in the last 60 years. Gardens are being torn up for patios and conservatories, insecticides sprayed to stop our crops and flowers being eaten, new varieties of plants that are not attractive to insects have all had a greater impact on the bird population than anything else.