We hate rats too. We hate rat poison even more though. The best rat assassins are natural rat predators, like eagles and owls. Cats are great too! Sadly, our neighborhood, blessed with magnificent wild birds and their abundant birdsong, has experienced several tragedies recently.

Two tremendous owls were found in bad health in shrubs on The Point. A raptor specialist from The Ark tried to rescue them and rushed them to a facility in Orlando, but the owls both died. The cause of death was likely rat poison. A few days later, a male eagle and two eaglets were found dead near Yerkes Park. The Audubon Society suspects the cause of these deaths to be rat poison as well.

Rat poisons don’t just kill rats. Rat poisons also kill the natural predators that eat rats. Rat poison can be very harmful to pets and small children too.

We formed a coalition called Project Birdsong because we want our leafy neighborhood to be a safe home for natural rat predators. Right now, we are spreading awareness about the damaging effects of rat poison. Please do not use rat poison, especially outside.

You can join us and make several efforts to help attract these gorgeous creatures, which prefer high pine trees for their nest locations but will opt for oaks sometimes, to Ortega.

1. Sign up (link to sign up page with option to Venmo a donation)

2. Retrieve a yard sign and place in your yard

3. Contact XYZ to plant a pine tree that will grow over time into a potential nest location

We love our birds, our trees, and Ortega. If you want to join Project Birdsong, please sign up on our website, which will tell you how to get a sign for your yard and/or plant a pine tree in your yard.