Why do middle aged people become obsessed with birds?

[HauntedBungalow]

I have seen it many times. Onset appears to be between 40-45 and by 50 they are deep in the grip of it.

What is going on?

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Depends on the cat. Are they hunters? Not all are. We have always had bird feeders and our cat has never been interested; in all her eighteen years she’s only brought in a bird once.

She brought it in from the garden, muffled yowling excitedly, and placed it carefully at my feet. The young blue tit was completely unharmed, it fluffed out its feathers and flew straight back out the door. I very much suspect she’d come across it sitting on the ground (as fledglings sometimes do) rather than stalked it. She’s just not stalky, and isn’t even interested in watching them.

@VenusClapTrap my childhood cat was a bird killer. She'd eat the whole thing (feet, beak, feathers.....) and then usually puke it all up afterwards - which served her right 😂
Current cat of my parents watches the birds but that's it as far as it goes - she seems a bit wary.
Previous cat would see a bird and scream "I don't like them - they're scary" and run into the house and cry "protect me from the scary mean birds".
I think this stems from childhood cat becoming an enemy of the blackbirds. A war was declared after she killed a baby one and the blackbirds were vicious little thugs who got revenge by frequently pecking her painfully on her head (which as above - served her right 😂).
The current generation of birds still seem to technically be at war. They take one look at the neighbourhood cats and declare "bring it on".
The birds are winning the fight. The cats are wimps.
Go Birds 🐦
😂

I agree. Crows are bastards because they pulled up my lawn the other year looking for chafer grubs.
I will make an exception for jays because they are rare and pretty, and the ravens at the Tower of London.

Cats will still scare off birds even if they aren't predatory ( birds don't know that). I joined the Swift conservation society. Numbers are rapidly declining.
Amazing birds - never land except to breed. Eat and sleep on the wing. Partner for life and return to the same nest every year. I had a Swift box installed but it needs a few more in my neighbourhood to attract them. Swift bricks should be in all new build homes.

https://www.swift-conservation.org/