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Groups warn of salmonella killing pine siskins and finches all across the western United States

 

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Has anyone else heard anything about this? We have multiple feeders- mostly socks and tubes- and lots and lots of finch in our yard every day all day. And I know some of you have mentioned a lot of pine siskins in your yards. Please read this article and let me know what you think. They don¡¯t mention Sacramento specifically but are urging everything to discontinue their feeders through the end of February to stop the spread. What have you folks heard? What do you think?

https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/groups-warn-of-salmonella-killing-finches-at-tahoe-carson/

EXCERPT:?Most of the affected birds are Pine Siskins, but Lesser Goldfinch and other finch species can fall victim to salmonellosis as well.

The bacteria are spread through droppings, especially where bird seed piles up beneath feeders or in-tray feeders where the birds can simply stand among the seeds.

Community members can help stop the spread of salmonellosis by discontinuing backyard bird feeding through February, to encourage these birds to disperse and forage naturally, officials said. Given the widespread and lethal impacts of the outbreak, tray feeders should not be used at this time, they said.
 

Di,?
I am concerned, but a bit skeptical about their "science".? We have an abundance of House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, and this season Pine Siskins as well.? I observe them a lot, and have a couple of maintained feeders as well as an often visited thistle sock.? The? siskins and goldfinches never are on the ground below the feeders.? House Finches, yes.? If the debris below the feeders was a primary source of the bacteria, I would expect to see problems with the doves, quail, towhees, and sparrows that are always there.? ?Both my tray feeders have narrow seed trays which may catch the odd dropping, but the way birds position themselves while feeding, would not catch them often.? ?Thistle socks do not retain droppings.? ?I think this report should be taken seriously, but would expect a more detailed alert from Cornell if this were widespread.? ?At this point I will keep maintaining the feeders, and be even more watchful.
Thanks, Troy

On Sunday, February 7, 2021, 08:05:00 PM PST, Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote:


Has anyone else heard anything about this? We have multiple feeders- mostly socks and tubes- and lots and lots of finch in our yard every day all day. And I know some of you have mentioned a lot of pine siskins in your yards. Please read this article and let me know what you think. They don¡¯t mention Sacramento specifically but are urging everything to discontinue their feeders through the end of February to stop the spread. What have you folks heard? What do you think?

https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/groups-warn-of-salmonella-killing-finches-at-tahoe-carson/

EXCERPT:?Most of the affected birds are Pine Siskins, but Lesser Goldfinch and other finch species can fall victim to salmonellosis as well.

The bacteria are spread through droppings, especially where bird seed piles up beneath feeders or in-tray feeders where the birds can simply stand among the seeds.

Community members can help stop the spread of salmonellosis by discontinuing backyard bird feeding through February, to encourage these birds to disperse and forage naturally, officials said. Given the widespread and lethal impacts of the outbreak, tray feeders should not be used at this time, they said.
 

Thanks so much, Troy, for your response. We tend to agree with you that while we are concerned, we are not going to panic because all the finch seem just fine and we have mostly sock feeders (which we change out often as they are so inexpensive) and tube feeders (which we alternate and wash often). We have only one tray feeder and it is frequented by doves and sparrows- not finch as they prefer the socks and tubes.

We also were wondering the same thing you are- if there¡¯s any salmonella down in the seed that falls from the feeders, it would seem the doves, sparrows, and squirrels would be getting sick since they are always down there and the finches never are. So I think we¡¯re going to do the same thing you are¨C be very vigilant to be sure we don¡¯t see any sick or dead birds and keep everything super clean as we always do. Let¡¯s keep one another posted as to what we hear from other sources. Thanks again for your reply!
 

Our yard in Orangevale has had large numbers of siskins for about a month now. While I agree that there is no reason to panic regarding the current Salmonella outbreak, those who maintain feeders and birdbaths should be keeping an extra close watch on the birds in their yards, and sanitizing daily.

Most people will never find a dead bird in their yard, but this does not mean that there aren¡¯t sick birds around. Watch out for birds that fluff up their feathers and stay that way, often not moving much for long periods of time (several minutes). Additionally, sick birds are sometimes unusually tame (not flying away when you approach) or seen closing their eyes or squinting.

Out of the ~50 siskins that visited our yard lately, last week at least three were clearly ill. If you don¡¯t have as many siskins around, your likelihood of encountering a sick individual is lower, but all it takes is one bird to start the spread.

Think of removing your bird feeders as you do wearing a mask in public. It¡¯s all about reducing the risk of a very real problem.

Don¡¯t forget to clean birdbaths at least every day as well.

While tube and sock feeders seem to be more hygienic than tray feeders, from personal experience I know that they do still get feces on them and also should be temporarily taken down if not sanitized daily.

For now I¡¯m throwing seed haphazardly throughout the yard, and all of the birds have adapted and become ground feeders.

Max Brodie
Orangevale

On Feb 7, 2021, at 9:44 PM, Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote:

?Thanks so much, Troy, for your response. We tend to agree with you that while we are concerned, we are not going to panic because all the finch seem just fine and we have mostly sock feeders (which we change out often as they are so inexpensive) and tube feeders (which we alternate and wash often). We have only one tray feeder and it is frequented by doves and sparrows- not finch as they prefer the socks and tubes.

We also were wondering the same thing you are- if there¡¯s any salmonella down in the seed that falls from the feeders, it would seem the doves, sparrows, and squirrels would be getting sick since they are always down there and the finches never are. So I think we¡¯re going to do the same thing you are¨C be very vigilant to be sure we don¡¯t see any sick or dead birds and keep everything super clean as we always do. Let¡¯s keep one another posted as to what we hear from other sources. Thanks again for your reply!
 

I live right outside of Folsom and have not had any issues, but a friend who lives in Folsom, about 3 miles away has had 2 PS die . She took one to Gold Country Rescue and it did not survive the night, the other she found in her backyard.

Ellen


On Sunday, February 7, 2021, 09:44:44 PM PST, Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote:


Thanks so much, Troy, for your response. We tend to agree with you that while we are concerned, we are not going to panic because all the finch seem just fine and we have mostly sock feeders (which we change out often as they are so inexpensive) and tube feeders (which we alternate and wash often). We have only one tray feeder and it is frequented by doves and sparrows- not finch as they prefer the socks and tubes.

We also were wondering the same thing you are- if there¡¯s any salmonella down in the seed that falls from the feeders, it would seem the doves, sparrows, and squirrels would be getting sick since they are always down there and the finches never are. So I think we¡¯re going to do the same thing you are¨C be very vigilant to be sure we don¡¯t see any sick or dead birds and keep everything super clean as we always do. Let¡¯s keep one another posted as to what we hear from other sources. Thanks again for your reply!
 

?Oh, no! Now I AM starting to panic! Not sure what to do. Has anyone heard anything from any of the bird groups like Audubon or Cornell about this? What are the rest of you folks going to do? Take down your feeders and stop your water fountains? We don¡¯t have a birdbath with standing water which does sound like a breeding ground for salmonella but we do have a fountain and the birds love it and have come to depend on it so we hate to turn it off. The water runs continuously and it¡¯s recirculating constantly. We could wash it off every evening with the power washer after the birds leave for the day to be sure no fecal matter lingers. The finch do not ever use the water in the bottom basin.

We already took our tray feeder down and as I said, we change out our sock feeders very often and will do it even more often now. Plus we do wash out our tube feeders periodically with hot soapy water and let them air dry thoroughly while alternating a second set. But now we will use the bleach solution recommended by that article.

I am very reluctant to start throwing seed haphazardly out for them as that is where the salmonella seems to be breeding- on the ground. The article said to be sure to clean up all the seed several times a day so throwing it down haphazardly would make that a lot harder....

I would really appreciate a few more of you more knowledgeable and experienced birders commenting on what you are planning to do and please, if you¡¯ve heard anything else from any other bird-protection organization, please let us know!

Worried and stressed in the Pocket Area,

Di
 

Hi everyone,?

The biggest thing to remember is that bird feeders are for us. Even birds that come to feeders are getting a lot of their food elsewhere. If you take down your feeders the birds will move on and find wild food elsewhere. If you start seeing sick birds it is probably safest to take them down at least for a while (a couple weeks) and clean them well with a diluted bleach solution before putting them back up. I'm keeping a close watch on my feeder and around my yard for sick birds. I'm glad people are thinking about this issue.?

Cliff Hawley
Sacramento, CA


On Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 10:12 AM Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote:
Oh, no! Now I AM starting to panic! Not sure what to do. Has anyone heard anything from any of the bird groups like Audubon or Cornell about this? What are the rest of you folks going to do? Take down your feeders and stop your water fountains? We don¡¯t have a birdbath with standing water which does sound like a breeding ground for salmonella but we do have a fountain and the birds love it and have come to depend on it so we hate to turn it off. The water runs continuously and it¡¯s recirculating constantly. We could wash it off every evening with the power washer after the birds leave for the day to be sure no fecal matter lingers. The finch do not ever use the water in the bottom basin.

We already took our tray feeder down and as I said, we change out our sock feeders very often and will do it even more often now. Plus we do wash out our tube feeders periodically with hot soapy water and let them air dry thoroughly while alternating a second set. But now we will use the bleach solution recommended by that article.

I am very reluctant to start throwing seed haphazardly out for them as that is where the salmonella seems to be breeding- on the ground. The article said to be sure to clean up all the seed several times a day so throwing it down haphazardly would make that a lot harder....

I would really appreciate a few more of you more knowledgeable and experienced birders commenting on what you are planning to do and please, if you¡¯ve heard anything else from any other bird-protection organization, please let us know!

Worried and stressed in the Pocket Area,

Di
 

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Interestingly enough, I was just looking at the Cornell feedercam, they still have a tray feeder. Maybe in Ithaca it's cold enough that bacterial infections aren't a problem?

Judith

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Clifford Hawley <yellowhammerCA@...>
Sent: Monday, February 8, 2021 10:20 AM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [sacramento-birds] Groups warn of salmonella killing pine siskins and finches all across the western United States
?
Hi everyone,?

The biggest thing to remember is that bird feeders are for us. Even birds that come to feeders are getting a lot of their food elsewhere. If you take down your feeders the birds will move on and find wild food elsewhere. If you start seeing sick birds it is probably safest to take them down at least for a while (a couple weeks) and clean them well with a diluted bleach solution before putting them back up. I'm keeping a close watch on my feeder and around my yard for sick birds. I'm glad people are thinking about this issue.?

Cliff Hawley
Sacramento, CA

On Mon, Feb 8, 2021, 10:12 AM Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote:
Oh, no! Now I AM starting to panic! Not sure what to do. Has anyone heard anything from any of the bird groups like Audubon or Cornell about this? What are the rest of you folks going to do? Take down your feeders and stop your water fountains? We don¡¯t have a birdbath with standing water which does sound like a breeding ground for salmonella but we do have a fountain and the birds love it and have come to depend on it so we hate to turn it off. The water runs continuously and it¡¯s recirculating constantly. We could wash it off every evening with the power washer after the birds leave for the day to be sure no fecal matter lingers. The finch do not ever use the water in the bottom basin.

We already took our tray feeder down and as I said, we change out our sock feeders very often and will do it even more often now. Plus we do wash out our tube feeders periodically with hot soapy water and let them air dry thoroughly while alternating a second set. But now we will use the bleach solution recommended by that article.

I am very reluctant to start throwing seed haphazardly out for them as that is where the salmonella seems to be breeding- on the ground. The article said to be sure to clean up all the seed several times a day so throwing it down haphazardly would make that a lot harder....

I would really appreciate a few more of you more knowledgeable and experienced birders commenting on what you are planning to do and please, if you¡¯ve heard anything else from any other bird-protection organization, please let us know!

Worried and stressed in the Pocket Area,

Di

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