dunnocks getting sick and dying.

[scarymonster]

Hi all,

I have found 4 dead dunnocks in the garden near the house over the last month and am wondering if there are any diseases doing the rounds that could be affecting them. I usually notice them hanging around late in the day and not flying very far or high when approached. I watched one two nights ago and it went into next doors broken air brick and the next morning I found it dead in the doorway of one of my hedgehog houses. I am getting used to spotting the signs now.

Feeding stations and paths where I put seed down are clean (I use no mess birdseed which really helps) and there is no dirty water lying anywhere in the garden so I am hoping it is nothing I have introduced by feeding the birds.

All other birds appear healthy.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[scarymonster]

Had another one in the garden today until it got dark. It keeps having little 'sleeps' putting its head under its wing and then 5 minutes later having another walk about. It is eating but not flying much, usually below knee level and not very far and always coming back to the front of the cottage it seems. Its very cold out tonight and getting frosty already so I don't suppose it will last the night. I just wish there was something I could do but I expect not.

[MidsRambler]

Hi, I haven't had any experience of the dunnocks by me getting sick but a couple of years ago the collared doves were dropping like flies. Someone told my dad about a disease collared doves are prone to, can't remember the name, but he advised to stop feeding them for a while to prevent further spreading. I have no idea whether the same disease can be contracted by smaller birds such as dunnocks.

I actually found a dead dove in the garden yesterday so have acted quickly and scrubbed all the feeders and the garden paths. I try to do this regularly anyway but must admit have fell behind recently due to ill health.

I would have thought if a number of them are falling ill it must be some kind of disease but then I'm no expert. Hope it clears up soon, poor things.

[Farplace]

Have you spoken to your local vet? They might be able to offer some answers.

[RKB]

If you're finding a lot of sick birds, then the problem is likely to be in your garden. You should stop feeding for a couple of weeks, as you're attracting healthy birds into a small area alongside sick birds, and birds are getting continually infected. No matter how clean you think the area is, the birds are still pooping everywhere around the feeders and then searching for titbits among it.

The disease could be trichonomas, salmonellosis or even botulinum.

So there definitely is something you can do: stop feeding for a fortnight, take the feeders down and disinfect them, dig over the areas under the feeder, and when you put the feeders back up do it somewhere a few yards away so they're not above the same spot.

No bird relies on one food source, so they wont starve, they'll just disperse and spend most of their time elsewhere, away from the source of the disease.

[SheffieldLass]

There is/was the Garden Bird Health Initiative (easily found by googling) which has a telephone contact number and a reporting form. I don't know if the project is still running though the websites still have details. Worth a try, anyway.

[bigdave60dog]

Your local RSPB are often a good starting point.
It`s been a peculiar time with dead birds falling from the sky all over the place.
Robins were dying from a virus in some places a couple of years ago. Maybe your Dunnocks have got something like this.
Dave

[~T~]

Didn't you have the same problem with house sparrows dying round your place?

[bigdave60dog]

I sure did but that was a good number of years ago. Also had a pair of swallows collide in mid air killing each other.
Dave

[~T~]

Originally Posted by bigdave60dog

I sure did but that was a good number of years ago. Also had a pair of swallows collide in mid air killing each other.
Dave

I was meaning the OP, they posted about house sparrows dying a month or so back.