Friday 9 April 2010

Keep it clean

I had this through from one of readers and its very worthy of note

Something maybe people should be aware of has been flagged up in the 
Mail today for the US and UK. Might make a nice little blog. Apparently 
we should be really proud of ourselves that we bother to go out and buy 
feeders to help the bird populations but unfortunately we are not 
cleaning them regularly enough and bird baths are becoming infected 
also, it is suggested once a fortnight with water and weak bleach. There 
are signs now that species can dwindle due to two diseases that can be 
picked up from dirty feeders. It is estimated 500,000 greenfinches died 
as a result of trichomoniasis in the UK in 2007 according to BTO (one in 
5 since 2005)and in the US dirty bird feeders are fuelling an epidemic 
of an infectious eye disease called mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. It has 
wiped out 60 per cent of house finches in the Eastern US. Bird feeders 
can also house salmonella and ecoli. Don't scrap the feeders as they 
save thousands of birds lives but remove old food and clean regularly is 
the advice. Finches showing symptoms of 'trich' will have fluffed up 
plumage so stop feeding for a couple of weeks.

Dave

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