I did not realize that this same discussion was going on at MnBird. I found a site with a description and photos that match exactly what we've been seeing, so it definitely looks like salmonella:
http://journeythroughgrace.blogspot.com/2009/03/pine-siskin-with-salmonella.html I think it's unusual that I've had so many all of a sudden, as my overall redpoll and siskin numbers have been quite a bit lower than others are reporting...I suppose they could be visiting busier feeders elsewhere. I get a lot of pigeons as well. :-( Here is my big question(s) now: If this is a soil-borne bacteria, does this mean the ground beneath my feeders will be contaminated for a long time? Even if I wait until things dry up to resume feeding, are the ground-feeding birds still at risk? On 4/4/09, Laura Erickson <[email protected]> wrote: > This time of year, redpolls and siskins are vulnerable to salmonella. This > disease, caused by a soil-borne bacteria, is pretty common in ground > feeders, especially when thawing and new snow and more thawing are the > order > of the day. Cleaning out feeders and raking the ground are helpful in > limiting the number of birds that become sick, because the droppings of the > sick birds can be especially dangerous. Fortunately, as Shawn saw, some > individuals are far more vulnerable than others. Sadly, this disease is > especially likely to be found in these confiding winter finches that feed > so > closely together and pick up seeds off the ground. > > It's natural, but nevertheless extremely sad. > > Best, Laura Erickson > > > > > On Sat, Apr 4, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Shawn Conrad <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Recently, I found 2 disabled redpolls and 1 dead one in my yard. I >> thought I may have been dealing with window strikes or other injuries, >> but then late on Thursday, another observer (Courtney Kerns) from >> Grand Rapids noted multiple sick redpolls in more than one location. >> >> Early yesterday morning, I took down all of the feeders, and because I >> was not going to be around long in the morning, I shoveled a heap of >> snow on top of each pile of seed litter to keep them away until I >> could clean it well, which I plan on doing today if the snow crust >> allows. While I was out there, I found 4 sick redpolls, at least 2 of >> them completely unable to fly. They appeared bloated, had feathers >> missing from their wings, obvious feather loss on the rump, and were >> breathing very hard...looked like panting. They seemed to be >> oblivious to my presence. Courtney noted that the sick birds were >> females, and now that I think about it, it does seem like those in my >> yard were females. >> >> Also, I remember a few days ago having one unusually tame Pine Siskin >> under the feeder. In hindsight, this bird was likely sick as well. >> The other usual visitors seem fine, which maybe indicates that >> contaminated seed and suet isn't a culprit. >> >> I plan on posting to the MOU listserv to 1) let others know to watch >> for this, 2) see if anyone has the expertise to attempt a 'diagnosis' >> and can provide additional guidance or maybe even say whether the >> likely affliction is avian-only or something like salmonella that >> would warrant taking personal precautions. >> >> For now, the squirrels and chickadees are bouncing from shepherd's >> crook to shepherd's crook wondering why the gravy train left the >> station. I don't plan on rehanging the feeders until I've soaked them >> in bleach solution and until the redpolls have pretty much hit the >> road. >> >> Courtney provided these links: >> >> >> http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact_sheets/coping_with_diseases_at_birdfeeders.jsp >> >> http://birding.about.com/od/birdconservation/a/spreadillness.htm >> >> -- >> Shawn Conrad >> http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ >> >> ---- >> Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net >> Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >> > > > > -- > Laura Erickson > Twin Beaks! www.twinbeaks.blogspot.com > iTunes podcast of For the BIrds > http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=288123640 > > For the love, understanding, and protection of birds > > There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. > There > is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the > assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. > > --Rachel Carson > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. > -- Shawn Conrad http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
