This post is more an observation than a discussion, I have always tried to encourage birds into my garden. I had regular visitors to the bird bath, Wood Pigeons & Gold Finches the most common.This year I took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch for the first time, and unfortunately recorded 0 birds.I used to get probably about 10 visitors per hour. Last year the houses each side of me became vacant, new neighbours moved in both sides, both bringing a CAT, these cats can be seen regularly stalking birds, birds now very rarely visit my garden, the Blue Tits that used my bird box have gone, the bird bath is no longer used and gone are the Gold Finches.There has been according to reports I have read a large increase in Cat ownership, if this is true then their behaviour, stalking and killing wild birds, is going to have a major impact on Urban birds.What is the answer to this problem?
While cats can be a problem when encouraging birds to your garden, we have quite a few cats in our area and luckily, the birds still visit, taking a high seat when the cats appear. In fact, the birds are often an alert to an oncoming cat, they not only do they fly off, but the noise they make sometimes to warn each other is very loud and clear.
We are lucky here and we do have lots of trees around, I have two in our garden plus a hedge and two bushes, all providing refuge for birds when a cat or other predator enters the garden, which will make a big difference.
You don't say what size or type of garden you have, so it's difficult to offer any advice or options, but if you don't have trees, shrubs, hedges etc, and if it's possible, then consider putting one or more in.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
It is a tough one. The pandemic has meant that more cats are beign adopted into homes. One partial fix we can do is to change how we feed the birds. For example, I have ensured that the tree outside my window is unclimable by all but the most athletic of cats (which the neighbours' cats are NOT haha) and then put scattered little feeders up on the branches. It is a bit more work to feed them but it is worth it for the chaffinches which suddenly showed up this year! I feel your pain, bird friend, and know that we are all in this together. If they adapt, so can we!
Editing to add to this that, as mentioned above, the problem is often mis-spoken. Although cats do not solely bear responsibility for the sheer downturn in numbers and do not objectively kill most of the wild creatures they are claimed to, they do have an impact on an already strained system which can only hinder rather than help due to their sher numbers and the fact that they are the only pet in this country which does not require any restraining whatsoever on a legal level. This is definitely not sustainable or even sensible but I don't think that we need to panic about it. As was mentioned, the birds do learn to work around the problem and in time all things will balance themselves out. If the cat numbers burgeon too much local authorities or groups will start to step in, they always do. That, and other cats will keep their own numbers down as they often do in countries with a high feral population. They don't tolerate being crowded in any more than any other carnivore does and will take action on their own kind if need be. Change is hard but it is never the end, exactly. Oh and may I suggest a cradle feeder? Suspended on a thin line (also a good perch for birds!) such as a dog lead runner, these are a little table or shallow bowl entirely untouchable by cats. Although be sure to shelter it from above too or you might see a rise in hawk numbers in your garden.
One of the biggest and underrated issues with disappearing wildlife, is man.
Underrated is probably the wrong word, though I deliberately used it, more like swept under the carpet, I feel politicians "talk the talk", but unless there's money in it, they "don't walk the walk".
We need to stop building on the open countryside and removing woodland, because it is not infinite.
Here I'm surrounded by HS2 construction, and now we have two very large solar farms under going planning application, both of which are taking away vast swathes of countryside when completed.
We are also on the housing estate seeing more wildlife, particularly badgers, foxes and birds appearing in gardens, many without feeders or intentional encouragement.
My son has a very nice new build house, with a but. He can't plant trees or deep rooting plants. I had contacted the the site agents, who endeavoured to find out why. After weeks of no response, I felt it fell on stoney ground, then out the blue, a response, complete with apology for the delay, arrived.
The no tree request is because tree roots can and will over time damage foundations which could subject the house, and adjoining houses to structural issues later in the lifespan of the house and adjoining houses.
Having spent many years, as I'm sure many others have and many still do, working under the "work smarter not work harder" scenario, I often feel the countryside, woodland and wetlands are being pushed along a similar scenario.
Whilst I'm having a pop at society, I'm also saying the issue isn't one particular thing, it will be a combination of events, predation, including natural and mankind's intervention among other events.