We only have 13 acres, but we have badgers and hedgehogs, foxes, rabbits and hares. I feed birds all year round and many come to the bird feeders, and many nest here but there are also ground nesters like skylark, lapwing and curlew in the fields. There are frogs and toads as well. Though one visited for a few days earlier this year, we don't have squirrels, which must help the small birds and the local farmers control crow numbers ditto.
We see the hares regularly, one used to come into the garden. The rabbits have increased in number and now come into the garden every day. For the first time ever all my vegetables have been eaten. Before the last couple of years it was rare to see one, unless it was suffering from myxomatosis, which will probably soon bring the numbers down again. We rarely see either foxes or badgers but when there is frost or snow you can see all the paw prints and tell the amount of traffic and the badger sett shows signs of much activity.
I currently have 2 cats. They are both old - 17/18, but a younger one died recently. The tortoiseshell has never caught anything in her life. She came face to face with a rat once, they eyed each other for a few moments, then both turned away! The male will catch some things - baby rats, baby rabbits, mice and voles and the occasional mole, but he doesn't hunt every day and he doesn't catch birds. Neither did the younger one, though she fed herself most days. There are enough voles and mice to sustain a barn owl and also tawny and short-eared owls, so there must be a healthy population.The cats learned that them catching birds upset me and didn't do it any more, they are much more sensitive to my mood than the dogs.Though they are free to roam, the cats have never gone far from the garden, it seems to supply all they need. To me it seems that our little ecosystem is fairly well balanced and not too adversely affected by the current 2 cats. I decided against getting another when Koshka died because I didn't want to risk the welfare of the birds with a cat less well attuned to me.
Really annoyed that the RSPB have issued such a weak and incorrect statement in that article. At a time when opinions seem to be changing among some cat owners and there are also thousands of new cat owners due to the pandemic pet boom, you would think guidance in the right direction would be their mandate. All they've done once again is provide excuses for poor pet keeping.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
All that The Guardian article really proves is that people, supposed scientists or the lay public, will find evidence to support their own prejudices. It's the same on this forum.
All that The Guardian article really proves is that people, supposed scientists or the lay public, will find evidence to support their own prejudices. It's the same on this forum.
Surely one could say that about everything , EVERYBODY says?
Well no. If an autopsy finds a bleed on the brain or instruments measure the height of a building, there's not much room for discussion. But fluffy animals? You can't get truth, accuracy or objective analysis for love or money.
Well no. If an autopsy finds a bleed on the brain or instruments measure the height of a building, there's not much room for discussion. But fluffy animals? You can't get truth, accuracy or objective analysis for love or money.
Therein lying the distinction between facts and opinions. Too many find it hard to accept that THEIR opinions aren't always factually accurate.
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But fluffy animals? You can't get truth, accuracy or objective analysis for love or money.
Too many find it hard to accept that THEIR opinions aren't always factually accurate.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.