Hens can generally take care of themselves - my cat has learned a healthy respect for a clucking hen with flapping feathers! Chicks can fall prey to wiley cats and I have lost several to barn cats, but then when the chicks are big enough to get outdoors they can fall prey to Gulls etc so they have live a fragile existence when small. Birds such as Oystercatchers, Lapwings etc do get predated upon by the cat population, although there is some protection when they all nest on the healthland together. A cat would have to be completely deaf to be able to tolerate the alarm cries of the birds! I vaguely remember reading something a few summers ago that the RSPB were concerned for healthland birds etc falling prey to cats. Having seen how an Oystercatcher protects it chick I'm not surprised. They fly away from the chick making lots of noise in the hope of drawing predators away, if all else fails they will walk along the ground trailing a wing to give the impression they are injured - again to draw predators away from chick. However cats are not impressed and then end up having free access to the chicks. But there seem to be lots of Oystercatchers along the shore in Graemsay so I suppose they still have a reasonable success rate! Sian > > Message: 8 > Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:47:04 -0500 > From: Meg Greenwood <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Cats > To: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > With such a high population of fowl in and about the islands, is a feral > cat population considered a threat to certain bird species including any > locally kept dinner varieties [chickens] ? Nest location and possibly > size and temperment of the bird would have to be a factor in predation. > > Many feral populations of cats in the US are [as funds and volunteers > allow] managed in the same manner, its an uphill battle but results are > good if neutering can be accomplished. Then there is always the new > arrival that's been dropped off because a litter is due. Maybe not so > much a possibility on North Ronaldshay though. MegG in OK > ================== > > >