UK finch disease (1 Viewer)

Ok, ok, I know this has been done to death on the other thread, but the information on there is patchy and conflicting. Both the BTO and RSPB seem to have been caught on the hop a little with this. Anyway, clear information and advice is now available. This was summed up well in today's Times, with useful links and advice: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2355593,00.html

For those still in doubt about whether to keep feeding or not, the advice is now crystal clear: if you see sick birds (or are in an area where outbreaks are occurring) then stop feeding and watering for at least 2 weeks. The disease is a protozoan called Trichomonas, and it's killing birds in large numbers, with garden feeding stations being the major suspect for high transmission rates.

Poecile said:

Ok, ok, I know this has been done to death on the other thread, but the information on there is patchy and conflicting. Both the BTO and RSPB seem to have been caught on the hop a little with this. Anyway, clear information and advice is now available. This was summed up well in today's Times, with useful links and advice: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2355593,00.html

For those still in doubt about whether to keep feeding or not, the advice is now crystal clear: if you see sick birds (or are in an area where outbreaks are occurring) then stop feeding and watering for at least 2 weeks. The disease is a protozoan called Trichomonas, and it's killing birds in large numbers, with garden feeding stations being the major suspect for high transmission rates.

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I believe this outbreak is the direct result of the 'feed all year' mania that seems to have taken hold in the last two years or so thanks to RSPB endorsement of the practice: (all quotes from the RSPB's website). Time will prove me right one way or the other.

http://www.rspb.org/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/when_to_feed.asp

"Although winter feeding benefits birds most, food shortages can occur at any time of the year. By feeding year round, we are giving birds a better chance to survive the periods of food shortage whenever they may occur."

"Only selected foods should be fed at this time and good hygiene is vital, or feeding may do more harm than good." ... so at least they admit that summer feeding is potentially problematic.

"During the summer months birds require high protein foods, especially while they are moulting."

"Black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins and currants, mild grated cheese, mealworms, waxworms, mixes for insectivorous birds, good seed mixtures without loose peanuts, RSPB food bars :eek!: and summer seed mixture :eek!: (corporate opportunity not left unexploited) can all be used."

"Temporary food shortage can occur at almost any time of the year, and if this happens during the breeding season, extra food on the bird table can make a big difference to the survival of young."

"Birds time their breeding period to exploit the availability of natural foods, in the case of blackbirds and song thrushes, earthworms; in the case of tits and chaffinches, caterpillars. It is now known that if the weather turns cold or wet during the spring or summer months, severe shortage of insect food can occur, and if the weather is exceptionally dry, earthworms will be unavailable to the ground feeders because of the hard soil."

Even winter feeding (which gives everyone a lot of pleasure) might be distorting populations. High overwinter survival of resident species (tits, dunnocks, robins, finches) thanks to feeding may reduce the niches available to trans-Saharan migrants on their return. The uplands of Scotland and Wales as well as the Alps and eastern Europe are dominated by long-distance migrant bird communities because winter temperatures are so low. Feeding birds allows species to overwinter and reduces migrant birds' opportunities.

In short.... summer feeding is nuts.

Poecile said:

Ok, ok, I know this has been done to death on the other thread, but the information on there is patchy and conflicting. Both the BTO and RSPB seem to have been caught on the hop a little with this. Anyway, clear information and advice is now available. This was summed up well in today's Times, with useful links and advice: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2355593,00.html

For those still in doubt about whether to keep feeding or not, the advice is now crystal clear: if you see sick birds (or are in an area where outbreaks are occurring) then stop feeding and watering for at least 2 weeks. The disease is a protozoan called Trichomonas, and it's killing birds in large numbers, with garden feeding stations being the major suspect for high transmission rates.

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I was just going to start a thread on this with The Times link, thought I better check on Birdforum first before starting it!!!! I was browsing in WH Smiths in lunchhour and my eye caught the front page of The Times "Mystery virus hits garden finches" - good thats it being broadcast to make people aware. Also just noticed the RSPB website have a link to it as well http://www.rspb.org/inthenews/index.asp

Touty said:

I believe this outbreak is the direct result of the 'feed all year' mania that seems to have taken hold in the last two years or so thanks to RSPB endorsement of the practice: (all quotes from the RSPB's website). Time will prove me right one way or the other.
...

In short.... summer feeding is nuts.

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You know - you have something there. Odd how things creep up on us unawares. I can't even remember when I started feeding right through but, as you say, it's big - and very profitable - business. It can't be necessary, surely?

also see today's Habitat http://www.habitat.org.uk/news1.htm

I have been feeding all year round for well turned 20 years now and have only ever seen 2 sick birds with a long period in between (both collared doves).

Fortunately, i haven't seen any sick birds yet (touch wood) and always try to ensure everything is clean and jetwashed.

Also, regardless of my feeding, we are surrounded by fields where 100's of birds feed and gather together and the small wood down by the river, is inundated with birds again, sharing that space.

We rarely have the heat though and even here in the North East it was incredible this year.I feel that there may be a connection there.

Finding fresh water had to be so difficult at that time,more so than food and it was really hard for me to keep the baths filled(through work).I believed it was so much more important to provide fresh water.

I think bad stagnent water could have been a factor created by the heat and lack of rain.

Ofcourse, once the disease got hold it could transport from any where birds congregate.

I will wait to see the outcome before i judge but hygiene should always be important to any body who feeds and cares for their garden birds.

It really amazes me when I read so much miss-information, miss-quoting and supposition about scenarios, ie the current spread of Trichomoniasis in finches, which is/as yet are not fully understood by the people who are actually working with, and researching into the said problem/s such as the current evolving disease situation.
Salmonella, in it's various phages/variants, is taking far more birds at this time than any other disease.

Trichomoniasis in Finches has been found/suspected from April to December, the majority being between September and December inclusive, only due to the fact that this was when the post mortems were carried out on the Finches. Post mortems were carried out previous to this dates on other species, and Trichomoniasis was found.


Human nature. Ain't it wonderfull.


Regards

Malky.

alcedo.atthis said:

It really amazes me when I read so much miss-information, miss-quoting and supposition about scenarios, ie the current spread of Trichomoniasis in finches, which is/as yet are not fully understood by the people who are actually working with, and researching into the said problem/s such as the current evolving disease situation.Malky.

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I'm one of them. And Trich is spreading like wildfire at the moment, with huge mortality, and the main vector seems to be bird tables. If you're in an affected area (seems to be mainly Lincs, the midlands and the SW), then stop feeding now, as it's only a matter of time til it probably gets to you, and if you see sick birds then also stop feeding and watering immediately, disinfect your birdfeeders, maybe move your bird table and leave it fallow for at least 2 weeks and preferably until the first frosts.

Mary - the point about bird tables and feeders is that you have large numbers of birds congregating in a very small area, and sharing food and water. That's the best conditions for spreading disease. Birds out in a field are much more spread out.

Lets face it there should be an abundance of food available naturally to birds at this time of year so im sure a couple of weeks not feeding isn't going to hurt them.

valley boy said:

Lets face it there should be an abundance of food available naturally to birds at this time of year so im sure a couple of weeks not feeding isn't going to hurt them.

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Exactly. They'll be fine until the end of november at least.

valley boy said:

Lets face it there should be an abundance of food available naturally to birds at this time of year so im sure a couple of weeks not feeding isn't going to hurt them.

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and if a couple of weeks not feeding at this time of year is going to hurt them British avifauna has a bigger problem than Trich

Poecile said:

Mary - the point about bird tables and feeders is that you have large numbers of birds congregating in a very small area, and sharing food and water. That's the best conditions for spreading disease. Birds out in a field are much more spread out.

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It's hardly rocket science is it? How come the disease was restricted to pigeons and doves (in the wild)? They congregate in large flocks in late summer around stackyards, grain silos, stubbles, free-range hen runs, and outside kebab houses and eat from ground contaminated with their own faeces and those of domestic fowl. Trich is rife in gamebirds reared for release and kept at bay with dimetridazole and other antiprotozoal drugs. We created identical conditions in greenfinches and sparrows with summer feeding. It only needed a 'carrier pigeon'
:-O to crap in the niger and it was away.

Unfortunately it's hit our garden (North Yorkshire). Noticed today a couple of greenfinches not looking right, went over to the feeders and 1 of them flew off while the other just sat there. Obviously I could get quite a close look and it definitly wasn't well.

Took a while before it flew off so I could take the feeders down but they've no come down and been cleaned and I'll put them back out in a few weeks.

Very sad.

Sad indeed, NYSte - but not proven to be Trich. yet.

I think you've done the right thing by removing the feeders - please do a quick search each day looking for casualties - they need to be sent for analysis, if you can find any.

http://www.ufaw.org.uk/documents/FinchFatalitiesPressRelease.pdf said:

Becki Lawson, a wildlife veterinarian from the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, is the coordinator of the project and emphasised the need to investigate the epidemic. “The dramatic increase in the number of garden bird mortality incidents reported by members of the public is deeply concerning,” she commented. “It is essential that further research is now undertaken so that we can gain a better understanding of the reasons for the disease emergence, and to assess the parasite’s impact on our bird populations”.

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(My bold.)

Without real evidence, an accurate assessment is likely to be difficult in the short-term.

Andrew Rowlands said:

Without real evidence, an accurate assessment is likely to be difficult in the short-term.

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The potentially worrying thing is that the Garden Bird Health Initiative is funded mainly by the bird feeding industry:

http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz/projects/garden_bird_health_initiative.htm

"The GBHi would like to acknowledge the following for their generous financial support:

BirdCare Standards Association
British Veterinary Association: Animal Welfare Foundation
CJ WildBird Foods Ltd.
Cranswick Pet Products
Gardman Ltd.
RSPB
UFAW"

It is obvious that some, almost cetainly all, of these contributors are beyond reproach in wanting to get to the bottom of this epidemic even if it costs them money in lost revenue.

If this were a pharmaceutical research effort by academics into the causes of and cures for a disease then potential conflicts of interests (such as funding by a bird food producer into a disease perhaps spread by feeding wild birds, or (to give a blatant example) Diageo contributing money into the investigation of causes of cirrhosis of the liver) would be stated in the final paper. I'm sure they will be.

I don't feel I explained that very well.

"Becki Lawson, a wildlife veterinarian from the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, is the coordinator of the project and emphasised the need to investigate the epidemic. “The dramatic increase in the number of garden bird mortality incidents reported by members of the public is deeply concerning,” she commented. “It is essential that further research is now undertaken so that we can gain a better understanding of the reasons for the disease emergence, and to assess the parasite’s impact on our bird populations”.

It's always bloody FRIN, FRIN, FRIN - (Further Research Is Needed). What about SFN? (Stop Feeding Now) as Aquila said a couple of weeks ago?

"It's always bloody FRIN, FRIN, FRIN - (Further Research Is Needed). What about SFN? (Stop Feeding Now) as Aquila said a couple of weeks ago?"


Probably due to the fact that the transmission vectors are as yet not understood. By stopping feeding, the vectors dissipate, the knowledge and learning curve is lessened, and the answers/conclusions take more time to come to fruition.
It' the old problem, sacrifice a few in the present to save the majority in the future.
One then just has to decide which of the "few"??

Regards

Malky

alcedo.atthis said:

"It's always bloody FRIN, FRIN, FRIN - (Further Research Is Needed). What about SFN? (Stop Feeding Now) as Aquila said a couple of weeks ago?"


Probably due to the fact that the transmission vectors are as yet not understood. By stopping feeding, the vectors dissipate, the knowledge and learning curve is lessened, and the answers/conclusions take more time to come to fruition. Steve Church
It' the old problem, sacrifice a few in the present to save the majority in the future.
One then just has to decide which of the "few"??

Regards Malky

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The "sh*t = disease = trich" line was established about a century ago by gamekeepers and chicken farmers. Absolute cleanliness was the only way to avoid it. Their work (game and chick rearing) was summer work.

Like I said. It ain't rocket science and doesn't require everyone carry on feeding especially as the UFAW labs have said they don't want corpses.

There's a precautionary principle at work. We carried on feeding infected feed to cows for a decade in the BSE crisis until Steve Churchill died from nvCJD-BSE in '95. The industrial interests (the feed lobby) were too powerful.

Half-a-dozen bird tables at labs here and there will suffice.

some info

http://www.ufaw.org.uk/documents/FinchFatalitiesPressRelease.pdf