I wonder if the neighborhood cats are smart enough to differentiate between sparrows and finches... probably too much to hope for...
Right now, though, the sparrows at the feeders outnumber the finches by a measure of about five to one, so if there is any cat-on-bird action, its likely the victim will be a sparrow.
Lest you think I'm a horrible person for promoting cat-on-bird violence, let me say this: it's best not to get sentimental about sparrows, at least not house sparrows (the ones that visit my feeders). House sparrows aren't endemic to this part of the world (and when I say "part of the world" I mean this continent), but they thrive because they're highly adaptive to human environments. They're not covered by the migratory bird treaty. They're mean little buggers. If you put food out for finches, grosbeaks, flickers, nuthatches, juncos, etc., the sparrows will take full advantage. And if Ghost the neighborhood cat happened to snack on one, there would be five more to take its place.
