A “lucky” camera shot from Vancouver Cat Count: Interesting but not unexpected!
We all know that cats and birds do not mix. Excellent hunters, cats kill between 100 and 350 million birds every year in Canada alone (Blancher 2013). The number of birds killed by outdoor cats depends on the number of cats and the environment where they roam unsupervised. When it comes to Vancouver, do we know how many unsupervised cats are in the city?
Vancouver Cat Count research was launched in 2020 and asked the same questions: how many outdoor cats are in Vancouver? What areas have the most outdoor cats: residential, industrial, commercial or parklands? To answer these questions, trail cameras were installed across the city to monitor outdoor cat activity. Thousands of images were collected and one particular photo caught our attention.
The photo below was captured by our research camera in November 2020. The image was from the Grandview – Woodland subdivision of Vancouver near East Hastings. What you see is an owned cat (notice a cat collar) with a freshly caught prey bird in its mouth. After looking closely at different characteristics of the bird’s body, it was identified that the bird in the photo is a Pacific Wren, a small songbird native to British Columbia.
During the summer month, Pacific Wrens breed in conifer forests, like those in Pacific Spirit Regional Park or on the North Shore. But in the winter, they congregate in cedar hedges and laurel bushes in our urban communities. Unfortunately, this puts them at risk from cats, and it’s not just wrens that are at increased risk of cat predation; other ground-dwelling birds, bats and rodents also fall prey to unsupervised cats. As birds and other wildlife face mounting threats from climate change and habitat degradation, one way that we can be good neighbours and make a difference is by keeping our cats indoors.
In addition to knowing how many cats are in Vancouver, we also wanted to know how many birds are in areas where we see more outdoor cats. To find out, the Greater Vancouver Urban Landbird Count was launched in parallel with our cat count. Harold Eyster has surveyed birds in many neighbourhoods of Vancouver. Pacific Wren was one of the birds frequently observed during Harold’s surveys. Both research projects were possible with funding and support from the Environment and Climate Change Canada and other funders. The fieldwork for both projects was completed this year. Our research team is currently analyzing their data. Stay tuned for Cats and Birds research results!
To protect native birds and other wildlife, it is essential to keep your pets at home. Indoor lifestyle and outdoor supervision of pets are better for you, your companion and our environment. Protect songbirds by supervising your cats and ensuring your community adopts the best practices of responsible pet ownership.
For more information about Cats and Birds and how you can help, click below:
