Why no chaffinches or greenfinches?

[doke]

Can anyone suggest why my urban west london garden never gets any chaffinches or greenfinches? We have had goldfinches, plenty of tits, house sparrows, sparrowhawk, goldcrest, willow warbler, grey heron, all the common thrushes... even a redpoll, but in the 3 years I have lived there I have never once seen a chaffinch or greenfinch!

Thanks!

[RKB]

Cos they're all dead, thanks to too many bird tables and not enough hygiene: BBC News - Disease threat to UK garden birds

[Madmills]

I think it's going to take a long time before enough people realise and then action the work needed to keep a hygienic area.

I see some disgusting feeders around so clearly most people are too lazy to do the cleaning - i wonder what their own homes are like

Definately more education is needed on the subject.

[Wild-Woman]

In the article, it has been suggested that the disease has jumped across from Wood Pigeons. I suppose the WP's have some immunity to it now but can still carry the microbe.

Perhaps the design of feeders should be looked at so that disassembling them could be made easier for cleaning.

[rossy]

think it might be more transmittent in the water, as wood pigeons cant get at most feeders, therefore one finch kops for it,after drinking, and then goes to the feeder , and more become infected, true ,then you would have to take down and clean the feeders,, rossy.

[RKB]

One question that is not being asked is: do we need this many bird tables? Is it a good thing to have so many people (1 in 3 households) feeding birds? Can bird tables ever be safe, or is the concentration of so many birds in so small an area inevitably going to lead to disease and predation? If so, then should bird feeding always be encouraged as 'a good thing', when it can have consequences such as these? I'm not expressing an opinion, just asking a wider question.

I know the RSPB and the BTO encourage it regardless, but these organisations do make money through endorsements of birdfood and equipment, so does that compromise the message?

Is bird feeding for people or birds, and if the birds are being killed, how does that change things? It does seem a little back to front to suggest that what is needed is a solution (hygiene) to a problem (disease) that could be more easily stopped by prevention (not feeding). Is it like suggesting that we need a hangover pill to sort out the problem of drinking too much, rather than people drinking less?!