The Unreported Perils of Bird Feeders

The large pine tree outside our front door has become what I affectionately refer to as The Bird Tree.  It shades the small winter coop, it's where the Stubborn Hens sleep each night, and it houses the one bird feeder around here that is consistently full.  This feeder provides endless hours of entertainment for Lou and myself.  It's a busy intersection for the small birds in our area; plus the Hens are more likely to stick around when the feeder is full and there's lots of activity.  I think they miss the racous social scene of this summer.

Bird feeders are such an easy and inexpensive way to enjoy and nurture the nature around you.  But what I hadn't realized was that they were also a death trap for birds.  A cruel lure to an untimely demise.  Birds are fooled into believing that I am simply providing some extra calories this winter, that I have their best interests in mind, and while my intentions are pure, the intentions of my two cats most certainly are not.  Believe me, I've seen the way they watch that feeder, the lust in their eyes.

Bird feeders make easy targets of the birds they attract.  While the birds may get a quick meal, they are also likely to become a quick meal.  By bringing birds into my yard I am unwittingly increasing the odds that some of these birds will be killed by my cats.  It's certainly not unrealistic to think that my cats could indeed catch a bird.  It wouldn't be the first time.  Actually Aiko, my little lady, got three bats last summer.  THREE BATS.  How does a cat catch a bat?  I have no idea.  All I know is that on three separate occasions last summer I woke up to a dead bat waiting for me by the garden.

And even if these birds are not killed by my cats, am I simply creating a new generation of lazy birds, dependant on the bird feeder welfare system?  What happens if I suddenly move?  Will the birds be able to find new feeders?  Will they expand their territory to include new feeders?  Will they even know how to survive long enough to find a new feeder?  Maybe I should put a TV out there too and constantly play an informational video on how to catch worms, bugs, and scavenge for bread crumbs. 

Has anyone ever published a study detailing the number of birds killed by cats in yards with bird feeders compared to yards without feeders?  How come no one seems to be as concerned about this issue as I am?  Where's PETA?  Maybe I'll just take down the feeder until I know for sure whether or not it's safe. 

Or maybe not, what if the birds starve?