My neighborhood has an ever-changing population of stray and feral cats,
along with a number of housecats whose owners let them roam outside at all
hours. The neighborhood also has a good selection of the usual backyard
songbirds for my region, and I’d like to make a first effort at estimating the
impact of the cats on the bird population.
I’d like to start by making a survey of what households in the neighborhood
have cats, how many of them are indoor vs. outdoor, and how often they bring
“presents” to their owners. I recognize this by itself will be an
underestimate of cat predation, but I’d like to get a basic sense of how many
cats are taking birds—and how many owners are aware of it.
I’d be very interested in hearing from anyone else who has done a survey
like this, and I would especially appreciate any advice on the survey
instrument or what methodology would be appropriate in this situation. Please
contact me off-list, with my thanks and appreciation in advance.
- J. A.
