Bird deaths

[Cazzie]

Yes! Just a few weeks ago someone posted a similar affliction and it was a Chaffy too... I'll try and find the thread for ya so hang on a bit....

Found it!

Female Chaffinch - Foot

Hope that helps a bit

[Tormentil]

Cheers Cazzie. I thought I'd seen a thread about it, but couldn't find it.

[Rodjohn]

I have same problem in Warwickshire, but it only seems to affect Greenfinches. No deaths or symptoms in Robins, Chaffinches, dunnocks, sparrows , pigeons, collared doves or tits . I am grateful for info and will take in feeders as reccommended. What about fat ball cages and mealworm dishes which are visited by blackbirds, robins, and starlings

[Hillbillie]

Hi Rodjon,

I'm pleased to say that we have not experienced any further greenfinch deaths since - I think - last year sometime.

ACTION TAKEN: When the problem was at its height in this area, my wife had the stroke of genius to scatter our birdseed on the lawn, rather than attempt to disinfect the feeders/birdtables. This was intended to minimise the possibility of infection transmission at a few 'focused' common feeding points.

BTW, her idea had a beneficial spin-off: the lawn is scarified free of charge and moss disapears like magic

Hope this helps.

scar

[pegasus]

At the risk of sounding flippant---could some bird deaths be attributed to old age or other natural causes of death?.Given that many of the smaller species may only live 3-5 years and show no obvious signs of ageing[unlike say us or dogs] maybe they just "popped their clogs" as we say up here.--for example how do you distinguish an old aged Magpie from a normal adult bird?