I have also seen such birds from time to time...and did a little research about it here: http://ruralchatter.blogspot.com/search/label/Sick%20birds (and included several links to more information) I see birds with what must be conjunctivitis (swollen, crusty eyes; sneezing, coughing) and also Pox (lumps and tumors on the head and face) and perhaps others like Salmonella...as sometimes a bird is lethargic and puffed up, with no evident disease. While birds are infected with such diseases in the wild…our bringing birds in to our feeders, in large numbers to small areas, makes infecting more birds in greater numbers the sad fact. Most bird-watching/feeding enthusiasts know to keep feeders and water basins clean, including a good scrubbing with a 10% bleach solution every month or so. I’ve come up with a couple ideas to reduce seed loss when cleaning feeders……….as it is a HUGE no-no to save the ‘old’ seed to re-fill clean feeders. Please forgive me, I realize many of you will already know this stuff…I’m speaking to newbies, like myself. By the way, last year I had a Red-winged blackbird with a malformed beak; top side curved up, bottom side curved down…very odd looking, not to mention making feeding somewhat difficult! The bird looked fine, quite fat and healthy. Yesterday I noticed another without a beak at all! It didn’t look so healthy, was fluffed up and disheveled looking…feeding with some difficulty on the ground under feeders…alone. I wonder if it could have been the same bird. Probably not, given how many birds end up with misshapen bills. Did you all know Cornell is also interested in them? Check it out: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/attracting/challenges/strange_birds and http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/landbirds/beak_deformity/index.html and http://news.opb.org/article/3485-deformed-bird-beaks-mystify-bird-watchers-researchers/ Beverly Jensen La Veta, Huerfano County, CO www.RuralChatter.blogspot.com
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail --- On Sun, 4/5/09, Dennis Garrison <[email protected]> wrote: From: Dennis Garrison <[email protected]> Subject: [cobirds] mycoplasmal conjunctivitis in house finches on the west slope? To: "cobirds" <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, April 5, 2009, 10:12 PM #yiv1958846242 .hmmessage P { margin:0px;padding:0px;} #yiv1958846242 { font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;} I had at least two house finches at the feeder in Paonia the last two days with swelling around the eyes, that may be mycoplasmal conjunctivitis (house finch disease). No other signs which might indicate pox. Cornell's house finch disease website did not (as far as I could tell) indicate the current extent of the disease, although I did find, while googling, two threads on COBIRDS indicating affected birds on the front range. Was wondering if anyone had any info on this disease on the west side of the state. Photos of the birds at the feeders here: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk296/Paoniabirds/2009/house%20finch/ I have an email in to the house finch address at Cornell. Will let you know what I learn there. Dennis Garrison Paonia Rediscover Hotmail®: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox. Check it out. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Join us at the 2009 Convention in Alamosa: http://cfo-link.org/convention/index.php You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
