"Essjay001" wrote in message ...
Rod scribbled:
So?
This is not an appropriate place for posts of this nature.
Lets talk gardening.

Rod

Ok lets talk gardening. Has any one noticed that there are less wild birds
eating seed heads and and garden pests these days.

Being as the subject of cats often appear here I would say yes this is an
appropriate place.
There cannot be many gardeners that haven't noticed the decline of the wild
bird population over the last few years.

So which do you want to talk about? Cats in gardens or wild birds in gardens?
There is little connection between the 2 subjects. There has been a very significant degradation of our wildlife over
the years which has not been matched by any changes in the population of cats - domestic or feral. Even if there had
been you would need much more than that to prove a causal relationship.
The picture with wild birds in gardens or in the country as a whole is mixed. There are some well known crashes and not
all are fully explained. Many other species are doing very well. Some of this is local variations. Birds you used to see
in your area are often doing very well not far away. No one is managing their gardens or farms just the same as they did
20 years ago - you might think the changes are insignificant but they are often sufficient to make life easier or more
difficult for certain species so you will see these changes.
We only see Goldfinches in 2s & 3s now but then we don't grow as much groundsel and docks as we once did, Sparrows are
only in certain farmyards, Starlings in the towns and far fewer. Wrens, most Tits, Thrushes & Blackbirds OK. Warblers &
Hirundines not good - remember years ago when your car was plastered with insects if you drove for any distance? Not
anymore so what do the swallows eat? Buzzards up - rabbits in the garden down ;~)))
No Rookery nearby now so we're plagued by chafer grubs in the lawns and by Badgers digging them up.

Rod