I have some sad news. Not for the faint of heart.

NewbOldster

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I don't have a feeder for birds in my yard. I like birds just fine, but don't want to deal with the squirrels and the dead grass under the feeder. Been there done that.

I do, however, have seed-producing plants that birds like. One of those is a wild grass right outside my back door, and I watch the birds feeding off of it. It's up close and personal...the window I look out of is tinted and they can't easily see me ogling them unless I move suddenly or open the door. I like watching for various kinds of them.

Cardinals are a regular visitor to my back door view. I believe that there is an assault upon the Cardinal Community in my back yard, though. Two dead Cardinals this week alone. I hope it's not the start of a full-on attack. I suspect the violence-prone hawks. Them things even stare at my little Pom when we're out and about, the ecologically vital terrorists and killers of...stuff.

But they know I can beat 'em up, so they don't even mess with my boy.

One dead bird was a female that my daughter pointed out on the driveway. The next was just this morning...in my oregano plant. I was gonna do another harvest, too. WARNING! Pics might be disturbing to some. Hawk killed the shit right outta that poor red bird.
 

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WeedHopper

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I have mine In a corner where I don't worry about the grass like I use too. And I fixed them where the Squirrels don't mess with them much. Plus my Dog has already killed enough of them I think they are scared of him.😁
 

Patwi

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we feed 'em .. all birds but crows, vultures, hawks and owls ..

7 yrs back saw a red tail hawk swoop down and take one of the brightest red male cardinals off a 4ft post .. sad but bad arse

we had chickens then so that was the homing magnet for the hawk

but yeah, .. cats are definitely more murderous ..




We have a pair of painted buntings hanging around in the bush .. cool



.
 

NewbOldster

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You sure it's a hawk? Most of the dead birds around here are courtesy of the stray cats.
There's only one domestic cat roaming my 'hood that I know of - and it's not known to consume its kills. It just leaves them laying where they die. The dead one in the driveway was just...dead. It wasn't injured that I could see.

Those feathers were all that was left of that Cardinal. I don't think it was a cat. Coulda been, I guess. But I don' t'ink so.
 

NewbOldster

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we feed 'em .. all birds but crows, vultures, hawks and owls ..

7 yrs back saw a red tail hawk swoop down and take one of the brightest red male cardinals off a 4ft post .. sad but bad arse

we had chickens then so that was the homing magnet for the hawk

but yeah, .. cats are definitely more murderous ..




We have a pair of painted buntings hanging around in the bush .. cool



.
Cats are killers, no doubt. But I've personally never seen a domestic cat eat what it kills. There wasn't nothin' left of that bird. We have lots of hawks, too. It happened while I was in the shower, otherwise I could have possibly seen what actually transpired.

We get indigo buntings, they are gorgeous. Also tufted titmouse, goldfinches, sparrows, grackles. I love it when the bluejays come through, but they usually stay up in the trees.
 

oldfogey8

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Cats are killers, no doubt. But I've personally never seen a domestic cat eat what it kills. There wasn't nothin' left of that bird. We have lots of hawks, too. It happened while I was in the shower, otherwise I could have possibly seen what actually transpired.

We get indigo buntings, they are gorgeous. Also tufted titmouse, goldfinches, sparrows, grackles. I love it when the bluejays come through, but they usually stay up in the trees.
My cat killed a rat I have been taking pot shots at with my BB gun for several months. Dennis is a good boy(even though he does get the occasional bird)…
IMG_2062.jpeg
 

Bubba

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Cats are killers, no doubt. But I've personally never seen a domestic cat eat what it kills. There wasn't nothin' left of that bird. We have lots of hawks, too. It happened while I was in the shower, otherwise I could have possibly seen what actually transpired.

We get indigo buntings, they are gorgeous. Also tufted titmouse, goldfinches, sparrows, grackles. I love it when the bluejays come through, but they usually stay up in the trees.
I have. Jasper, not that big of a cat, could catch and kill squirrels like nothing. Quickly bit them on the back of the neck. The only thing he left was the tail. Hide, head, everything else was gone .

Unless he hide a big stash of heads somewhere. Wouldn't surprise me. I saw him walk into the living room, stop and freeze staring at the glass doors shut on the fireplace. Then took off like a shot, crashing head on into those closed doors!

Bubba
 

Bubba

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Cats are killers, no doubt. But I've personally never seen a domestic cat eat what it kills. There wasn't nothin' left of that bird. We have lots of hawks, too. It happened while I was in the shower, otherwise I could have possibly seen what actually transpired.

We get indigo buntings, they are gorgeous. Also tufted titmouse, goldfinches, sparrows, grackles. I love it when the bluejays come through, but they usually stay up in the trees.
Yes. Predator killers!
 

SubmarineGirl

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Cats are killers, no doubt. But I've personally never seen a domestic cat eat what it kills. There wasn't nothin' left of that bird. We have lots of hawks, too. It happened while I was in the shower, otherwise I could have possibly seen what actually transpired.

We get indigo buntings, they are gorgeous. Also tufted titmouse, goldfinches, sparrows, grackles. I love it when the bluejays come through, but they usually stay up in the trees.
You have never seen my cat Fritz then. Or Wilbur they both ate the birds and squirrels they caught. I have inside cats now but a load of birds that I’m sure if they were let out to roam a bit they would learn the gig too.
 

boo

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He better be more stealth than the armadillo that Ivan got a hold of last night… I don’t turn my animals on any creature in my yard but I can’t stop the inevitable from happening if the find prey
 

boo

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I call armadillos yard pigs because they smelled something fierce… once a dog breaks the shell of the armadillo. It’s all over… when Dutch was in his prime, he would crack the shell, and then shake the animal violently, slinging the guts everywhere… it was bathtime there after
 

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