October 08, 2020
Today, in Vermont, we are past our peak foliage color display, and the first snow fell in the White Mountains last night in nearby NH. Many species of birds have already migrated through, on their way to wintering locations to the south.
A few weeks ago, we saw this unidentified Thrush species, with a few other birds, grazing over a period of days as they fed for the long flights to come. And today, there were Dark-eyed Juncos and a small flock of these Sparrows.
Which brings us to the topic of cats, Birdsbesafe collar covers, and fall migration patterns. When birds feed in small flocks, and spend more time on the ground, they are more vulnerable to cats hunting them.
Birdsbesafe cat collar covers are highly effective at protecting most birds, most of the time, but protecting in the fall, in North America, is a little more difficult. The U.S. field study conducted by St. Lawrence University in upstate New York found a lesser rate of effectiveness in the fall (about 70% reduction in birds) compared to spring (about 95%). So, we know there is more risk. (Read more here.)
We, at Birdsbesafe LLC, think that the cause is increased feeding time on the ground, in yards, in the fall. Perhaps a secondary cause is some matching of our products' colors to fall foliage. We are looking forward to some minor modifications that may help with this.
But what you can do, meanwhile, is check your yard for high levels of bird feeding activity in the fall--and restrict your cat's access if you can. Perhaps your cat could use a cat harness and leash a few weeks out of the year. Or use a litter box for a few weeks. Or at least limit the cat's time outdoors.
Birdsbesafe collar covers are a great bird-protecting tool, but nature is complex and our products are not, alas, 100% effective. They can protect most birds, which gives you options.
Thank you for caring about cats and birds! Together, we have made the difference for many, many birds!
February 12, 2021
Results of a scientific field study, led by Univ. of Exeter's Dr. Robbie MacDonald, were published in the journal Current Biology this week."Fitting Birdsbesafe collar covers reduced the numbers of birds captured and brought home by 42% but had no discernible effect on mammals."
And, the research paper characterized it: "Birdsbesafe is a colorful collar cover that works as a visual warning, increasing the visibility of cats to potential prey animals with color vision. It exhibited pronounced effectiveness in reducing killing of birds, and more generally, prey with good color vision, including herpetofauna."
November 28, 2020
As we enter the holiday season, in 2020, it is remarkable how very unique 2020 has been around the globe. What remained the same, for us at Birdsbesafe company, was our devotion to helping cat owners save birds!
October 17, 2020
We really enjoy hearing from you about your successes with Birdsbesafe® collar covers on your cats protecting birds in your yards. Here's just a sampling of some recent emails that we have received! We appreciate every one of them.
Thanks for caring about cats and birds.
"We love your product, it’s amazingly effective…not a single caught bird since we’ve started using the collar covers. Wish all cat owners who let their cats outside knew about these."
