Cleanliness, Feeder Placement, Squirrels

You may have noticed that each month in the GardenFoundation Newsletter I suggest we all clean our bird feeders. I don't recommend this because I'm a neat freak, I recommend it because it helps to keep down the spread of diseases among the birds that visit our feeders. Normally wild birds wouldn't congregate as closely together as they do when using our bird feeders. This unnatural closeness does sometimes cause outbreaks of some pretty awful diseases among the very birds we enjoy viewing, as well as expose them to deadly molds, such as aspergillis. I never really thought this kind of thing could be true until I saw a horribly diseased house finch at one of my feeders a few years ago. Please check out the following links for more information. I hope that you will be inspired to get out the ol' brush & bleach more often!

House Finch Disease Survey

House Finch Disease Study Results

Oregon State University article

Remember, it doesn't take a lot of effort to keep bird feeders clean! If you want, just clean one feeder a week, rather than clean them all at once. Or perhaps it's easier to simply clean a feeder before you refill it (let it dry first before you put seed in it, lest the seed rot).

To clean a feeder, use warm soapy water first, then water with chlorine bleach (one part bleach to nine parts water). Be sure to scrub/scrape off any crusts, debris, or gross stuff that might be clinging anywhere. And pry out any clumps of "no good" seed that might be stuck inside.

If you notice that seed seems to spoil because no one's eating it all fast enough, then try putting out LESS. That way it will be consumed before it rots. Rotting seed and seed hulls can harbor bacteria (Aspergillus fumigatus)that are dangerous to our feathered friends.

Periodically check your supply of bird food - sometimes it gets infested with bugs. You might want to consider keeping your supplies in air-tight containers of some sort. This will also safe-guard your home from bugs who might have hitchhiked home with the seed when you purchased it (like the infamous Indian Meal Moth!). If you do notice that the supply gets moldy or spoiled, PLEASE throw it out. Giving it to the birds will only make them sick.

If seed hulls keep accumulating beneath your feeders, either use a feeder tray to catch the falling debris, or make sure you periodically rake the hulls to help them biodegrade.

Finally, check your feeders now & again to make sure that they haven't become chipped or cracked. Sharp edges can injure birds, and can also harbor disease organisms.

 

 

 

WATER BRUSH

TUBE FEEDER BRUSH
(I use something very similar to this!)