Baby birds are dropping dead :: 'Keep your feeders down,' experts say

[NurseJackie]

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/birds-dying-disease-2021-virginia-dc-maryland-dmv-take-down-bird-feeders/65-9e135025-86bc-4e29-bd44-9cb44dd43909

Baby birds are dropping dead :: 'Keep your feeders down,' experts say

Reports of dead or stumbling birds with crusty, swollen eyes, are pouring into wildlife agencies in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. No one knows what's causing it.

Author: Eliana Block, Evan Koslof
Published: 12:18 PM EDT July 23, 2021
Updated: 8:59 AM EDT July 26, 2021

WASHINGTON — A porch, a cup of coffee, a newspaper and a feeder full of birds: it's one of the few reliable experiences that got us through the pandemic of 2020. But as people flock back to bistros and concerts, birds in the DMV are encountering their own epidemic.

In June, wildlife organizations advised the public to take down their bird feeders and dry out their birdbaths to contain a potential contagion killing and infecting baby birds. Their announcements described birds dropping dead, or found stumbling with crusty, swollen eyes and signs of neurological issues.

Weeks passed without any conclusions as to what is making these chicks sick. That's when viewer Ralph from Gaithersburg contacted the Verify team.

QUESTION: Should you put your birdfeeders back up?

ANSWER: Wildlife officials in D.C., Maryland and Virginia all say no; keep your bird feeders down for now.

WHAT WE FOUND: Right around late April, early May, Meagan Thomas said she remembers getting calls about sick and dead birds.

"Really swollen or crusty eyes, lots of discharge," Thomas, a watchable wildlife biologist, said. "In a lot of cases, there was also some sort of evidence of neurological problems...some equilibrium issues or they were just kind of circling in place."

The species at risk are Starlings, Blue Jays, the Common Grackle, and Robins, and the illness has been noted in fledglings, or young birds.

While the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has received over 1,400 reports of dead or sick birds, Thomas says that around 400-500 birds displayed these specific symptoms.

Most of the reports came from northern Virginia, including hot spots in Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria and Loudoun County.

Without a precise cause, wildlife officials don't have a precise name for it. For now, authorities are calling it a "mortality event."

"We're not labeling it with like 'disease,' or anything like that at this point," Thomas said.

(more at link...)

POLL QUESTION: Do you have a bird-feeder at home?

22 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes. I have a bird-feeder.
	16 (73%)
	No. I do not have a bird-feeder.
	6 (27%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[johnp3907]

1. We've taken our feeders down.

[NurseJackie]

2. Same here. I miss watching them during the day. I also miss...

... watching Mr. Squirrel try to defeat the anti-squirrel baffles and the spring-loaded snap-tight doors.

[marie999]

3. Eastern North Carolina, no, I don't have any bird feeders,

but with 9 chickens and 12 turkeys, I spread a lot of feed on the ground around the yard, chicken hen laying feed, scratch feed, and wild bird feed and they get fresh water twice a day. A lot of wild birds eat the feed. I have not noticed any sick birds.

[NurseJackie]

4. Sounds fun! I'm glad you haven't seen any problems. It appears to be localized in the DC/MD/VA area...

... for now. I hope it doesn't spread.

[Fresh_Start]

5. we've taken down feeders except for hummingbirds nt

nt

[NurseJackie]

7. I can't get hummingbirds to visit. The only thing my hummingbird feeders attracted...

... was ANTS! I gave up.

[Niagara]

31. I have my feeder hanging from a garden shepards hook.

I had problems with ants at first too. I placed a small amount of baby oil on my fingers and coated the shepards hook with it. No more ants.

[NurseJackie]

33. I used a shepherd's hook also... but I never thought of treating it to deter the ants.

That's a good idea!

[tosh]

17. Same here.

Our only feeders (two) are for hummers.

And boy, are they busy!

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Odd, we have a ton of Robins here and I never see them on a bird feeder.

.

Perhaps it's a water-born disease.

.

[NurseJackie]

9. Our robins stick to the ground... they like bugs and worms.

I've never even seen them near the scattered/fallen seed around our feeder either.

[TheBlackAdder]

11. Yep. Makes me wonder if it's water-born.

.

Mourning Doves will eat the seed I throw on the ground.

Some birds will hit the thistle feeder, some the droppings from it. Others will hit the Nut & Berry Mix feeder, such as Cardinals, Jays, Woodpeckers and a slew of other smaller birds. And some of the smaller birds will grab the dropping from that along with the squirrels.

.

[haele]

8. I remember a decade or so, there was a problem with commercial millet for birdseed...

Pesticide residue on millet and maybe thistle in some lots were damaging to small birds, and there were several recalls both for wild birdseed and pet birdseed - think it was Hartz and Katy. This was considered a processing issue, as the seeds weren't properly cleaned prior to being bagged.
The question is whether the current is in the processing environment or in the physical environment; perhaps by not cleaning out bird feeders regularly or climate change issues (increased fungal spores, pollution, bacteria due to warming).

Haele

[NurseJackie]

10. You make an excellent point about keeping the feeders clean...

... I'll wash my feeder about every other fill-up. I had not heard about feed being a source of contamination and disease. I buy the "Audubon" brand feed from Costco. It's a good blend that attracts many different types of birds.

[TheBlackAdder]

13. Same here. The thistle feeder is emptied every 2-3 days, the fruit & nut mix feeder every 4-5 days.

Last edited Mon Jul 26, 2021, 02:02 PM - Edit history (1)

.

The bags are stored in the entry hallway in a dry semi-lit area, not in darkness.

.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. That Seems Wise

Seeds & fruits are prime sources for mold development. Eating too much of that can't be good for the birds, although they probably eat some in nature.
We've only ever had a hummingbird feeder, but we rarely saw any so I took it down.
I used to dump it, rinse it, and add sweet water about every 10 days. The water never smelled or looked funny, so I think it worked.
But, cleaning out the feeders is a good plan.

[cilla4progress]

12. I am in Washington and when we first learned of this last year

we took our birdfeeders down. Sad and tragic.

[NurseJackie]

14. I know. I hate the thought that I may have contributed to the problem.

Our feeders are empty, but they stay up... mounted to a pole.

I have about 30 pounds of birdseed remaining. I hope it doesn't expire or go rancid.

[Peachhead22]

16. I took my birdfeeder down

It kinda sucked. I love watching the birds from my window and being woken up by their chirping and songs. For a couple days after I took it down I even had a pair of male and female cardinals that were sitting on the perch where the birdfeeder was looking at me and chirping.

But whatever it is it's killing birds in Connecticut too. I hope the wildlife biologists can figure out what is and help somehow.

[NurseJackie]

18. I miss the cardinals too. It's quiet around here when they're gone.

We also have a lot of Carolina Chickadees

[Talitha]

19. My 40 acres has lots of food sources for our feathered friends.

I used to feed the Birds though, but stopped many years ago.

Watching the Birds was very enjoyable, but the seeds also attracted Chipmunks, Ground Squirrels, Racoons, Shrews, Mice, Meadow Voles, Red and Grey Squirrels, and an occasional Black Bear.

Taking the feeder in at sunset definitely stopped the large nocturnal animals from emptying the contents every night. But the little animals (Mice, Shrews, etc) continued to scrounge at night for fallen seeds. Then the Foxes and Coyotes started showing up to get the Mice, etc.

I finally put my foot down after my Dog got canine influenza from the Coyotes. Poor baby was a wreck for a few days but loved the diet of ground beef and rice the Vet told me to cook for her.

[NurseJackie]

21. Yikes! We've never had any bears here... but we do have:

Yikes! We've never had any bears here... but we do have: deer, foxes, skunks, gophers, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, foxes, owls, hawks, opossums, moles, woodchucks, bats and snakes.

My bird feeder also attracted the occasional feral cat (who would stalk the birds and squirrels that feed on the ground. I couldn't have that so I'd trap them and give them to animal control so that they could be adopted.

I'm sorry to hear your dog got the flu... but very pleased that she recovered and enjoyed the pampering you gave her.

[11 Bravo]

20. I'm in NOVA, and this is the first I've heard of this.

I went out and removed the birdfeeder from one of our backyard dogwoods before responding to the OP.

[NurseJackie]

22. Thank you! (Tell your neighbors.)

[11 Bravo]

23. Will do!

[Ms. Toad]

24. Our feeders have been down for most of a month, though.

Whatever this is isn't in our area yet, supposedly. But I found a baby robin that seemed to be suffering from this about 4 weeks ago.

[NurseJackie]

25. I hope the experts find out what it is.

I remember we used to have a lot of bats in our neighborhood, but a nose-fungus (or something) wiped them all out. Now we have none. Our neighbor even did some research in how to make bat-houses to try and attract them... but none came.

The whole thing is upsetting. (And I'm sure the birds aren't too happy about it either.)

[iemanja]

26. I have a birdfeeder I never fill

the birds have plenty to eat in my yard anyway.

[librechik]

27. My kitty loves to catch birds. A feeder is a trap for birds in my yard.

maybe a hummingbird feeder way up on one of the windows. Someday.

[KewlKat]

28. My feeders are wide open and cleaned daily. I also provide water with all these high temps. I have

few Robins, mostly Sparrows and Finches and our beloved Quail...lots of Quail. I've even had a pair of mallards that visited several times a day in Jun.

We keep the squirrel feed away from the bird area and neither seem to bother each other. Watching them all helps to keep me sane.

[maxsolomon]

29. People are taking the feeders down all across the country

but WHERE is this happening? All across the country?

[Niagara]

30. I have a hummingbird feeder.

My one and only hummingbird feeder had a seal break and it kept leaking.



I repurposed a Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottle to replace the broken feeder. It was working well up until a week ago and now the hummingbirds can't get at the feeder because the hornets are hogging it all the time.


Time to go buy a real hummingbird feeder again.

[GusBob]

32. I had a bird feeder until the drought here

The rattlesnakes were coming into my backyard

[Greybnk48]

34. All of our feeders are down, including hummingbird and oriole.

Our birdbath is dry as well. I plan to Clorox them all before they go back up, when we get the green light.