Well, it appears as though the neighbors cat must have gotten him.
Maybe a fox. We have a lot of foxes running around. I haven't seen him around and there were a few feathers in the grass next to the driveway.
Did I tell ya about my air rifle? It's pretty bad ass. It's a Gamo Varmit Velocity. I think it was about 75 bucks at Cabala's, but I used my points and got it without forking out any cash. It shoots a 17 cal. 6 grain lead pellet at 1250fps. It has a 3X scope on top and I've got it sighted in at 50 yards. If I were to shoot at this bird from 10 yards, it would probably shoot a little high and I would probably miss him on the first shot. That would force me to take a second shot at him. I think I would aim about 1" lower on the second shot in order to hit him. But we'll never know because the neighbors cat got him.
I'm glad the "cat" got it.
For future reference, regarding the "third S", you may want to consider what your State agency has to say on the matter.
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/MBirdTreatyAct.aspxPertinent parts quoted:
"The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the primary legislation protecting native birds in the United States and one of this country's earliest environmental laws.
It prohibits the "taking" any native birds; "taking" can mean killing a wild bird or possessing parts of a wild bird, including feathers, nests, or eggs. Exceptions are allowed for hunting game birds and for research purposes, both of which require licenses or permits. It is also illegal to try to incubate wild bird eggs, to keep nests or eggs even for "show and tell" educational purposes, or to have road-killed birds in your possession without a permit. (Note: Injured native birds should be brought immediately to a licensed, trained wildlife rehabilitator who handles such species.) " (my bold)
"It is illegal to transport, trap or kill native non-game adult birds like Blue Jays or Mockingbirds without a permit, even if they are harassing birds at nest boxes or feeders.
"Despite the title, the Act also protects birds that are not considered "migratory" (like eagles, hawks, and Chickadees). "
I'm surprised birdwatcher didn't bring this up........then again he catches a lot of flack around here for other things so maybe he was just keeping his head low.
Be grateful for the neighbor's cat!
But, as someone else mentioned, might be best to not bring these things up on a public forum. (look at the penalties in the article). Someone here might get angry at you sometime, I hear it happens, all the way across country even.
Geno
PS, if bird crap bothers some of you folks, you don't want to see my truck when the robins are here for the winter eating juniper berries. They LOVE my lumber rack.
