Remember to Clean Your Feeders!
During the winter, with lots of birds possibly gathering at your feeders, it’s important to remember to clean them regularly in order to avoid the possible spread of disease. A recent (January 2022) update from Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated they have been receiving some reports of dead or sick Pine Siskins and other songbirds. They went on to say,
“At this point we are hesitant to declare this an outbreak like last year's salmonellosis outbreak in birds, but we do want to remind people that if you find a dead or sick bird (common signs are that they appear tame, lethargic, and have fluffed out feathers) near your bird feeder, please take it down for a couple weeks to encourage birds to spread out and not spread salmonellosis to each other. Or, if you don't want to take your feeder down, you can thoroughly wash it every day. Information on salmonellosis in birds, as well as how to effectively clean feeders and report dead or sick birds to help us track this illness is in a blog post we originally posted last year at Frequently asked questions on salmonellosis in wild birds | by The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | Medium.”
Seattle Audubon also has posted feeder guidance to limit disease. Please take some time this season to protect the birds you feed.