There are three things I worry about with cats (all of which may be at least partially unfounded). One is that the cat would kill a lot of birds. I hear people talking about this a lot, but am unsure exactly how much of a problem it would be. Another is that the cat might not really do the job. I've heard that some cats are good at getting rid of rodents and others just have no interest. I'd hate to have one make friends with my voles. The last is that the cat would damage things itself. I know other gardens have cats that don't seem to do much damage, but I've seen cats dig up plants, heard about cats killing grass and plants with urine, and seen them leave poop surprises in my flower beds. It's not a good feeling when you realize the dirt clod you just broke up was a little more than dirt.

I fully agree. I have a pair of birds apparently nesting somewhere on my property that I frequently see mating (or snagging birds from my birdfeeder. . . .) that I can't get close enough to with my binoculars to readily identify. Although I have fairly positively identified Coopers as being around, this pair could be either species. What's interesting is that I also have mated pairs of both Red Tails & Red Shoulders on the property, & the 3 pairs are always bickering between themselves. Even the crows won't get involved when they're going at it - lol!

Cooper's Hawk, note the pale nape, and the overall large size of the bird.

Thanks JPOB for the input. However, I think if I saw a Kestral I would still be in the yard right now with my mouth wide open given those distinct head markings. This was definately either Coop or SS b/c I got a good look at the tail pattern, the streaked breast area and the yellow legs. Hmm...maybe I need to just dress-up like a song-bird and peck around and see if I get attacked? ;)