Early Birds and Cat-killed Glaucomys...

Some birds have been showing up in Maine lately that we don't usually see during winter.  It's only mid-February and we've had Turkey Vultures cropping up all over the state, Northern Harriers making appearances, and warblers and woodpeckers (think Red-bellied and Red-headed) that just don't seem normal for these parts this time of year.  This isn't too surprising given the mild winter and continued reports of summer birds being spotted all over Maine (think orioles and warblers), but I'm grateful for the infusion of birds anyway...

I've spent a lot of time looking at the usual suspects this winter.  Loads of ducks, juncos, American Tree Sparrows, and sometimes just empty, birdless landscapes...

This week I was visited by some early birdies at my feeders - a Hermit Thrush showed up...providing what COULD have been a sweet berry-in-the-bill shot...if I had myself a better camera...

  

And then as if the Hermit wasn't enough, it was joined by this adorable little Pine Warbler...that I almost peripherally wrote off as an AMGO (American Goldfinch)...

These photos may be the final straw on needing a new camera.  They could have been great shots, but they're clearly sub par.  Yikes, a new camera is not really in the budget now...perhaps I can convince my sister to loan me her old one (the Florida AVICATION part I and II photos were taken with that one)...


And on a depressing note, there has been a cat lurking around my property lately.  I'm not sure if it belongs to someone or not, but if it does have an owner I really wish they'd keep it inside.  There has been a pissing incident in the garage already, and nobody likes the smell of cat urine - especially if you don't even have a cat.  Needless to say, Scoobs was not impressed.  There have been cat tracks in the snow and now the resident Glaucomys are starting to fall victim to the wanton killing of this potentially feral cat.  This little guy was found in the garage, barely consumed.  Wasted wildlife really chaps me.  I hope it leaves the birds alone, but I doubt it... 

 

But what course of action do I really have?  I could try and attach a note to the cat (if it even has a collar) to inform the owners (if it even has owners) that their cat is destructive?  Somehow I don't think that would work, I'd have to live-trap the thing and that seems like going a bit too far.  And the cat is only around at night, do people really leave their pets out all night?  If it were a strange dog pooping in a person's yard and killing their chickens I bet something would (or could) be done.  Civil suits would ensue and neighbors would become enemies!  Why are cats any different?  

And to leave you on a positive note, I'm really looking forward to seeing one of my favorite authors, Bernd Heinrich, give a talk on ravens tonight at Bowdoin.  I can savor the feel of being on a college campus again for a couple of hours - cradled by the intelligent arms of academia, all while listening to one of the most entertaining writers of the natural and biological world.  Oh, and it's FREE!  While I realize that most people get this excited only over rock concerts, nerds like myself clearly get much more fired up over informational lectures on corvid behaviors!  I'll keep you posted...