Are domestic cats the biggest threat to British birds?

 

Red Kite

If foxes have to been controlled then I can't think of a more stupid way of trying to do it, than fox hunting. Foxes are a much-maligned creature and they do a good job in keeping the rodent population under control. Urban foxes have little to fear from man. One fox walked past me when I was walking down the road one Sunday evening in the town centre of Stalybridge. I have never been that close to a fox in my life. It wasn't startled at all nor did it fear me or threaten me.

Weasels and stoats kill rabbits because it's in their nature to do so, and they need to eat. As for Britain's bird population, their biggest threat is the domestic cat. They say that domestic cats kill an estimated 40 to 70 million birds annually in Britain but they also kill rats and mice.

Richmond Park in London is known for its deer, but these are continuously culled. The public doesn't see this because it's done at night. The park authorities say that if they didn't do this, there would be no deer and no park.

During the lockdown, I used to go to Ashton Park. People took their dogs into the park and let them off their lead. These dogs constantly chased grey squirrels. It's in the nature of dogs to hunt and kill and some are better at it than others. They also seem to like killing. I've no time for gamekeepers or anyone who shoots or poisons raptors. I would jail those who kill birds like the Red Kite. I've seen Magpies kill birds and I once saw a Sparrowhawk take a bird on the pavement. It was an amazing thing to see.