5 replies to this topic

[stewie]

A week or so ago a Common Grackle showed up at our feeders, it seemed lethargic and uncoordinated, it was around for a day and haven't seen it since. It is very late in the year for a Grackle to be in our area.

Since then I have noticed a number of  House Sparrows behaving oddly. Several have taken to grouping, on the ground, against our garage door and against the house wall behind our BBQ. When approached they fly a short distance and sit until approached and again just fly a short distance. I have also noticed a number of Sparrows sitting puffed up on the ground beneath our feeders, they to do not move far when approached. Last night I found a dead Sparrow at our garage door.

Upon searching for sick birds at feeders I found this site;

 http://www.birds.cor...seasedBirds.htm

I suspect the birds are suffering from  Salmonellosis.

I have removed all feeders and have run them through our dishwasher at high temperature with a bit of chlorine bleach. Won't feed them again for a week and hope things return to normal next week. It isn't very cold for this time of year and we have very little snow so I hope the birds who feed from us regularly don't have to much trouble finding food.  

[threeofhardts]

That's too bad stewie.  You say you don't have much snow, is it still possible to rake up the excess seed that has fallen on the ground?  I had a House Finch show up at the feeders with what I believe was conjunctivitis.  I cleaned all the feeders and raked up as much of the old seed on the ground that I could.  What I couldn't get up, I burned.  (My lawn isn't exactly going to make it in Home & Garden Magazine.)

I hope you can get this under control and that it doesn't spread to your other feathered friends.

[stewie]

Got as much off the snow and ground as I could, any left over is mixed with snow and unlikely to be eaten until the snow melts. Hopefully any germs or bacteria will have died by then.

Part of removing the food is also to get the birds to disperse so the sick ones move on or die off without infecting any more food or the birds they might come into physical contact with while feeding. 

Our yard isn't gong to win any awards either, but, that doesn't seem to bother the birds any. 

[stewie]

Seems to have worked, birds dispersed, after a week I put out food and we had very few birds showing up for a few weeks after that we began getting Sparrows, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Chickadees and Woodpeckers, although not in the numbers we usually get this time of year. We haven't seen any Red Breasted Nuthatches or Finches we usually see over the winter.  

[cabirds]

Glad you got a handle on it!

For future reference:  I use a wet/dry shopvac to pick-up moldy seed from the ground here.  Works great!

[stewie]

Thanks for the shop vac tip.

In summer the seed gets scattered  and mulched by the lawnmower, winter the seed usually gets covered with snow but this year we have had very little snow. In spring I rake it up and run the lawnmower over the area several times.

First time we've had diseased birds come to our feeders.