Teresa,

I must confess that when I read your originally post about your
observations re: the bird species killed by your cats, my first
thought was, 'This is the first flame-bait I've seen on on Tweeters;
this person is punching too many emotional birder buttons to be
for real.' After a careful re-read of your post, I decided you
were truly innocent of the depth of antipathy that birders often
develop for free-roaming cats. The experience of flushing FIVE
cats from the bushes around my bird feeder (= kitty buffet) on
a regular basis did invoke fantasies that involved BB guns and
dead cats. No, I've never acted on those fantatsies; I simply
stopped feeding the birds. Also, I recognize that cats, dogs,
plate grass windows, etc, are really just a focal point for the whole
suite of environmental changes wrought by human activity.
The clearing of brush, the removal of dead trees, the planting of
non-native deciduous trees, the fragementation of habitat, the
covering of huge expanses with lawn grass, each new softball field,
boat ramp, ski resort, hiking trail, etc, etc, etc., all contribute
to the 'nibbling' away of habitat until we are reduced to fighting over
the fate of a about 100 acres of Magnuson Park sandwiched between
residential areas, playfields and parking lots. It's easier
to trap a cat than to find an effective means of human population
control.

At any rate, don't drop Tweeters and take that Birding by Ear
Course.

Kelly Cassidy
(Who, in blissful ignorance, used to have outdoor cats and who walks
her dog with baggies in hand every morning in Magnuson.)