One of the wonderful things about Tropicalia is its community of readers, who are also often generous writers.
A couple of times a year, I dedicate this space to a sampling of what they share, and today's the day.
First, a note from William Jones in response to the swallow-tailed kite migration story (which, by the way, became part of a fascinating Gulf Coast Live! segment on WGCU-FM, in which Mike Kiniry interviewed kite expert Ken Meyer, executive director at the Avian Research and Conservation Institute).
William wrote:
Hello, Amy.
I thought I could save you a lot of time and trouble. I attached a shot from Cornell's eBird of all the swallow-tailed kites in just Lee County alone and for March only. (I saw three in Feb.) There are hundreds of observations, including more than a dozen that I've seen — and many hundreds in the state. (Editor's note: The landing page is here, and once you create an account, you can see maps and all kinds of other fascinating content: https://ebird.org/home)
While I still have your ear (I hope), could you do a column on the huge avian damage done by free running cats? They kill hundreds of millions of birds a year. You can check the facts with any enviro org such Audubon. Or just Google: How many wild birds do feral cats kill every year? (1 to over 3 BILLION) You wrote a column about a year (?) ago in which you tacitly approved outdoor and feral cats. You did not respond to my email on the subject at the time. Please note that I've cared for several rescued cats, but none of them ever stepped outside and they were all perfectly healthy and happy.
— William (Bill) Jones, Bird Patrol, Bonita Beach
Dear Bill,
Thanks for this; several people have referred me to online aggregating resources, which I’ll include in my follow-up. My column wasn’t because I was unable to google and find them, but to involve people who aren’t higher-level birders in a community-wide exercise. Scientific? Nope. Fun? I hope so, and perhaps will nudge some of them in the direction of more serious observation.
As for the cat question: My apologies for not responding last year. Emails can get lost in our system, or Spam filtered, or we get overwhelmed and don’t get back, etc., etc. I really do try, but fail more often than I’d like. I don’t know what to tell you, except I’m horrified at those numbers, but yes, am guilty as charged. We do have cats as rodent killers (we have grain-eating livestock), but I’m sure they don’t limit their depredations to mammals. I feel awful about it, and have tried confinement on and off with very poor results. I’m not going to put the cats down, so am stuck in the classic hypocrite’s position in which I could only urge readers to do as I say and not as I’ve done.
On the plus side, I’m aggressively anti-any-more-cats, so at least I won’t be making the problem worse. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer for you, and am most grateful for your advocacy.
— Amy
And, dear readers, the column to which I think Bill was referring was this one: "Abandoned cat Kipling offered another reason to do as I say, not as I do: Risk of heart trouble."
Some of you have asked if Kipling ever returned, and though I would welcome him back with my whole hypocritical heart, he hasn't.
Finally, this poetic lagniappe from Bokeelia's Sharon Gilmour:
Hi Amy,
As this cold front passes through, I thought I would toss this spring poem into the mix. Hope you like it!
in March
Waves capped with Guinness-froth
slam the pier, which keeps its balance
despite feeling tipsy.
Lion roars dominance to Lamb.
Lee-side she levels her visor
to address Heliconia, whose jungle tiaras
over-danced Mardi Gras.
Serrated bread knife saws errant stems.
Resident Black Racer laces Carissa hedge,
contemplates shedding his skin —
that yard-long stretch of reptilian chicharron
he’ll abandon as penance
to be texted in pixels to awestruck children
who shriek at the gossamer snake shape —
the mouth, the eyes remembered in crust,
Racer’s exit port merely a slit in the nape.
— Sharon R. Gilmour