The =^..^=s Blog #4
"Requiem for an American Kestrel"
2010FEB04©SusanDykhuis












American Kestrel: photo©Susan-Dykhuis_January 8th 2010

About birds, cats, and humans...

My husband AKA Sidekick and Norman & Felix, two of our three strictly indoor felines, noticed a young bird who had burrowed into the snow on our front lawn. Knowing via life experience that there are awful boys everywhere who sadistically use slingshots and stones to kill birds — not to mention humans who harm abandoned pets in city neighbourhoods and rural areas, Sidekick and I were very worried.

Once our ancestors realized felines were great ratters and mousers, they saw the value of felines as a working ally Vs vermin so humans domesticated felines. Since that's been done: listen up, people! Cats do not abandon themselves; people abandon cats.

Looking at this gorgeous bird we knew he was a raptor but not what kind. A person who knows all about birds is Dr. Bird (David M. Bird, Ph.D. — Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University). I e-mailed Dr. Bird asking for identification and advice on how to protect our beautiful visitor.

Worried, I went outside to see if he was injured. When this young raptor saw me, he flew into our tree and then onto the electric wire running through the branches. He stayed there for a very long time. We wanted him safe; continued checking to make sure he was okay. Last check was midnight; little raptor was still on the wire in the tree. Early next morning I went to find him. Alas! He must have gone back to his burrowed spot in the snow. Looking for him we found bloodstains, scattered feathers, part of one wing. Tears flowed freely at his loss. So sad; later we learned via email from Dr. Bird that our precious little visitor was an American Kestrel, member of the raptor family.

I want to know how to safely rescue a bird, squirrel or other small animal needing help. If anyone can tell me how to do this, please post in the comments section.

Those who abandon cats: I wish you a very long life filled with the worst life has to offer.

Misguided ones who think being nice to a pet cat by allowing it outside unattended — you are risking your cat’s life. Your disregard of birds, squirrels and other creatures, all entitled to their lives, is callous. Misguided ones are responsible for the dead birds, the feral colonies the pain caused to pets hit by cars, left right there on the road, injured and suffering. Pets have been tortured (could happen to your cat)by vile humans — future serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, the Wisconsin sicko who impaled animals on stakes prior to torturing 16 people to death.

Domestic pets
We did the domesticating so we're responsible for their safety and for their actions. Blaming domestic / feral felines for the millions of dead birds each year is just us, passing the buck again. # 1 murderer of birds and every other species including our own is Us.

Unsterilized domestic felines create feral kittens and thus the human-created problem “feral feline colonies” began.

The Goddess Bastet and Mother Nature must be seriously fed-up with our relentless destruction of Mother Earth. Felines are creatures of Mother Nature. Left to fend for themselves, they follow her command to survive which means hunting smaller animals like rats, mice, birds. Humans blaming felines for bird attrition = ridiculous! Outdoor pet cats, abandoned domestic cats and feral cats are not to blame. Regarding the 100 Million birds killed by House Cats — Indoor Cats ask: “Who let the Cats out?” People let the cats out. You who let your cats out are responsible for that horrific number. You with the rest of humanity are responsible for every other number. We are the cause not the cure!

At Fawn’s page http://www.freerepublic.com/~fawn I found the website http://www.currykerlinger.com/birds.htm Reading the information in the Curry & Kerlinger, LLC website simply reinforces my belief that the human race is the worst killer of birds and every other living creature on Earth, including our own species.

We kill birds for food, for ‘sport’; with the pesticides we spray on crops. We kill them by habitat destruction, with cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, fishing fleets, live stock plants, oil and gas spills, clear glass window panes of multi-story buildings and our homes; we are the Birds killers.

Human Causes Birds Murdered Per Year in Millions
Glass Windows: 100 to 900+
House Cats: 100
Autos/Trucks: 50 to 100
Electric Transmission Line Collisions: up to 174
Agriculture: 67
Land Development: *unknown
Communication Towers: 4 to 10
Stock Tank Drowning: **unknown
Oil & Gas Extraction: *** 1 to 2
Logging & Strip Mining: unknown
Commercial Fishing" unknown
Electrocutions: Raptors, more than 1 thousand a year
Hunting: 100+

For Wind Power & Bird Studies click onto: http://www.currykerlinger.com/studies.htm

*The National Audubon Society says loss of habitat is the greatest threat to bird populations.
**U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and other conservationists believe the number is large.
***The National Audubon Society says habitat destruction is the leading cause of bird population declines.

Please ID tag your pet collars with vital information such as your name and phone numbers where you can be reached. This helps Finder of pet and you to reunite. Found a lost pet without ID? Bring to a no-kill shelter or to your veterinarian. Most abandoned pets are NOT sterilized or inoculated against diseases. SIR (Sterilize, Inoculate, Release) action is used by many cities rather than euthanizing healthy felines who are then released to cat colonies. Sponsoring a cat for SIR action prevents new litters being conceived, spreading of diseases between felines and humanely reduces the number of strays in cat colonies through attrition.

The =^..^=s Blog #4
"Requiem for an American Kestrel" 2010FEB04©SusanDykhuis