If anyone can suggest solutions to Lin & Tim, please do (and post them on
Cobirds too).
Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO
Hello, fellow birders.
The inclement weather brought hordes of birds to our yard Wednesday--and among
them was a house finch with avian pox. It broke our hearts to look at all the
growths over its head, and to see how sick the poor thing was. This happened
to
us at the beginning of June. We spied a mourning dove with dry pox (exterior
nodules), and a few listless birds that mostly likely had wet pox (oral cavity
and upper respiratory tract). As recommended, we brought in all our feeders,
discarded the food, and sanitized the feeders with bleach. The birds
dispersed,
as predicted. A week later, we hung out a few feeders, most of our "regulars"
returned, and we saw no more signs of the virus.
Just to be clear, we have always thoroughly washed our bird feeders, changed
the
feeders to different locations, and kept the area under the feeders well raked.
We also scrub out the birdbaths regularly, and change the water 2-3 times
daily.
Unfortunately, none of our "preventive measures" have worked. We have been
bird-feeding for over 30 years, but not until we moved to Colorado did we
encounter avian pox. We assume that's the result of the high population of
house finches, which seem more susceptible to the disease. About 75% of our
guests are house finches.
The most frustrating aspect of this situation is that the virus is here, birds
are infected, and every time one finds its way to our feeders, we have to halt
our feeding program. I honestly don't believe that a "temporary halt" will
change anything. A week or a month from now, we could spot another bird, and
have to stop feeding again. For all we know, it could take years for the virus
to work its way through the bird population and finally go away. It's probable
that wherever birds congregate, no amount of hygiene can keep the disease from
showing up and spreading. According to research I've done, the virus can live
for 2-3 years in the scars of infected birds that recover--not very encouraging
information.
We live in "central Highlands Ranch," bordered by County Line, Broadway,
University, and Quebec. If any of you notice any sick birds in your
area--particularly house finches, please let us know. Also, any suggestions,
knowledge, or experience with this virus would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your help,
Linda & Tim Williams
<[email protected]>
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