On Mon, 29 May 2006 14:26:32 +0100, Space wrote
(in article ):


"Sacha Hubbard" wrote in message
al.net...

It certainly is. We get some squirrels here but not many and it's a brave
cat that ventures into our garden, as we have 3 dogs of our own and one
that
visits most days. While I do appreciate that people love their cats,
there
is no doubt that they contribute dreadfully to the loss of wild birds and
I
wish people could either restrain themselves to owning one at a time, or
putting bells on them.

I am sure I will regret posting this.... but I have three cats. only one
goes out and about hunting. he is the one with the loudest bell on his
collar. we can hear him walking over the field. but I am afraid to say
that my efforts to make birds more aware of his presence is not enough.

we live next to farmland and as a result we get lots of mice and rats. he
catches a fair few rodents on his travels. he's welcome to them so long as
he doesn't bring them in through the cat flap.

could someone recap the telegraph article? the link would not work for me.



Here's an extract:
"The grey squirrel and the domestic cat are preventing the recovery of
Britain's songbirds, which were devastated by intensive farming and the
removal of hedges in the post-war years, says a new report.

The report says that in areas of high grey squirrel density, 93 per cent of
small bird nests are raided.
Of the two introduced predators, the grey squirrel kills more young songbirds
than the cat.
The findings of the report, commissioned by the charity, SongBird Survival,
are likely to challenge the received wisdom about the decline in songbird
populations since the 1950s and what has prevented many from recovering over
the past 15 years when farmers have been using fewer chemicals and
participating in green farming schemes.
The author of the report, Prof Roy Brown, of Birkbeck, University of London,
estimates that overall some 180 million adult songbirds, or their eggs and
young are killed by mammals every year - chiefly squirrels, cats and rats.
That is out of an estimated natural population of 260 million of the main 15
songbird species - blackbird, song thrush, blue tit, great tit, robin,
skylark, meadow pipit, wren, dunnock, whitethroat, greenfinch, chaffinch,
yellowhammer, reed bunting and corn bunting.
The report says that in areas of high grey squirrel density, 93 per cent of
small bird nests are raided. Where this is combined with sparrow hawk
activity, it can result in 100 per cent breeding failure and a loss of 85 per
cent of adult songbirds."

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site