Carson
Well-known member
I'd like everyone who lives in damp places to consider this. I live in Vancouver. I think this applies to Seattle as well, and it might apply to places in England.
Hulled sunflower seed, i.e. without the protective shell, is one of the most popular bird foods used here. It is less messy than sunflower seed with the shells on.
In recent years, there have been massive die-offs of HOUSE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS, generally related to salmonella and similar problems. Now, please be careful reading this: it is well-known that Pine Siskin populations fluctuate naturally. This is beyond that.
People feeding birds see occasional dead siskins and House Finches, and they also see birds that are puffed up, and are having trouble eating. The birds remain in misery for days before they die.
Two conclusions dismiss the problem: (1) Birds die anyway, and there will always be a few dying close to feeders and other shelters. (2) My seed is clean and dry, but perhaps my neighbour is allowing her seed to become damp.
If what you have read so far is familiar to you, I would REALLY like you to re-write the last paragraph, so it reads like this:
MY bird seed is killing these birds. It may have come from the store as an already toxic feed. Or it may be that in a damp climate (such as in Vancouver) the seed is never perfectly dry. In any case, the birds are being poisoned at MY feeders--not at my neighbours'. In a good situation, conclusion (1), above, is not noticeable. The fact is: you should not be seeing sick and dying, or dead, birds.
We have implicated hulled sunflower seeds as the culprit. Again, please read this carefully. There are several red-herrings here which can easily confuse the issue.
It may be that sunflower seed stored without the shell is simply not safe. I think that is the case. The shell acts as a natural protection until the seed is eaten. When the shell is removed, the seed may be host to various moulds, EVEN WHEN THE SEED APPEARS TO BE DRY AND PROPERLY STORED.
Once the diseases are in the House Finch and Pine Siskin population, they spread with or without the seed. To perform the experiment I am about to suggest, you will need months, not weeks, to watch for results.
We tried this, and it appears to have worked. Here it is:
If you are seeing dead or sick birds, AND if you are using hulled sunflower seeds, PLEASE completely stop using the open sunflower seed altogether. Either stop feeding the birds entirely, or go back to sunflower seeds WITH THE SHELLS ON.
Two immediate reactions:
(1) No, your birdseed-supply store will not agree.
(2) Here is a red-herring, and it is both accurate, and it is suggested by people who do know their facts: "But I do NOT use hulled sunflower seeds, or else I use seed WITH the shells, and I see a few dead birds ANYway."
-- Yes, but I think there are ADDITIONAL problems here, and (2) is addressing these. I am addressing ONLY the problem of the opened sunflower seeds. It will not solve 100% of bird deaths from birds eating at feeders. It is VERY important to understand this.
What I am saying is that we believe very strongly that if you cease using hulled sunflower seeds, you will cease seeing dying birds. This probably applies only to some places. Vancouver is definitely one. Here the humidity may approach 100% on a chilly, cloudy day, throughout the year.
I have fed birds for more than 40 years. We never used to see House Finches or Pine Siskins dying--and there was no hulled sunflower seed available then.
In recent years, we saw these afflicted birds, and we thought it was someone else's doing, or else that the birds were simply susceptible to disease.
In time, we could no longer live with those beliefs. We tried everything. We changed the water, and we kept the place spotlessly clean. And then we began eliminating various kinds of food we were placing out.
The hulled sunflower seed was our own favourite, because our feeders were on a balcony of an apartment in the city. The hulled seed was the easiest to clean up after. And I believed it was very nutricious.
WHEN WE STOPPED USING IT, WE SAW NO MORE DYING OR DEAD BIRDS. The results took awhile to show, because, indeed, the disease(s) perpetuate through the bird population. But, for two years now, we have had not one single dead bird; not one single puffed-up bird.
Please try it.
My plea to you is based on testing a rather easy-to-test theory. If people wish to pursue the matter intellectually, detailing every possible exception, the birds will continue to die. This indeed is happening in many situations. What-ifs are suggested, and the issue becomes murky, and people simply say, "Well, maybe we'll just be extra sure our seed is dry."
That's not good enough.
The affected seed, I repeat, may seem to be completely dry.
If you simply try the simple substitution of sunflower seed, I believe you will see the results, within one to several months.
Because the experiment harms nothing, it is worth trying.
Actually, we have found the discarded shells are really pretty easy to sweep up. They look messy, but they are easily disposed of.
Easier to dispose of than, say, another dead House Finch.
And, I maintain this very strongly: I would rather see a healthy bird at a distance, than a dying bird close up.
Remember you are rarely doing THE BIRDS much of a favour when you feed them in climates like Vancouver's. Your feeders are popular, but they are unnecessary--you are doing yourself a favour, bringing in the birds for your own entertainment.
You folk in drier, perhaps colder climates: Hopefully, you've never seen this problem. I doubt it pertains to you.
Thank you, everyone, for reading this and considering it. Please, scientifically analytical people, understand the basic value in carrying this experiment out without having totally conclusive data first. It has all the appearances of having worked for us. And, as I said, it is a harmless experiment.
There is a great deal of harm occurring without it.
Thank you, one and all.
Hulled sunflower seed, i.e. without the protective shell, is one of the most popular bird foods used here. It is less messy than sunflower seed with the shells on.
In recent years, there have been massive die-offs of HOUSE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS, generally related to salmonella and similar problems. Now, please be careful reading this: it is well-known that Pine Siskin populations fluctuate naturally. This is beyond that.
People feeding birds see occasional dead siskins and House Finches, and they also see birds that are puffed up, and are having trouble eating. The birds remain in misery for days before they die.
Two conclusions dismiss the problem: (1) Birds die anyway, and there will always be a few dying close to feeders and other shelters. (2) My seed is clean and dry, but perhaps my neighbour is allowing her seed to become damp.
If what you have read so far is familiar to you, I would REALLY like you to re-write the last paragraph, so it reads like this:
MY bird seed is killing these birds. It may have come from the store as an already toxic feed. Or it may be that in a damp climate (such as in Vancouver) the seed is never perfectly dry. In any case, the birds are being poisoned at MY feeders--not at my neighbours'. In a good situation, conclusion (1), above, is not noticeable. The fact is: you should not be seeing sick and dying, or dead, birds.
We have implicated hulled sunflower seeds as the culprit. Again, please read this carefully. There are several red-herrings here which can easily confuse the issue.
It may be that sunflower seed stored without the shell is simply not safe. I think that is the case. The shell acts as a natural protection until the seed is eaten. When the shell is removed, the seed may be host to various moulds, EVEN WHEN THE SEED APPEARS TO BE DRY AND PROPERLY STORED.
Once the diseases are in the House Finch and Pine Siskin population, they spread with or without the seed. To perform the experiment I am about to suggest, you will need months, not weeks, to watch for results.
We tried this, and it appears to have worked. Here it is:
If you are seeing dead or sick birds, AND if you are using hulled sunflower seeds, PLEASE completely stop using the open sunflower seed altogether. Either stop feeding the birds entirely, or go back to sunflower seeds WITH THE SHELLS ON.
Two immediate reactions:
(1) No, your birdseed-supply store will not agree.
(2) Here is a red-herring, and it is both accurate, and it is suggested by people who do know their facts: "But I do NOT use hulled sunflower seeds, or else I use seed WITH the shells, and I see a few dead birds ANYway."
-- Yes, but I think there are ADDITIONAL problems here, and (2) is addressing these. I am addressing ONLY the problem of the opened sunflower seeds. It will not solve 100% of bird deaths from birds eating at feeders. It is VERY important to understand this.
What I am saying is that we believe very strongly that if you cease using hulled sunflower seeds, you will cease seeing dying birds. This probably applies only to some places. Vancouver is definitely one. Here the humidity may approach 100% on a chilly, cloudy day, throughout the year.
I have fed birds for more than 40 years. We never used to see House Finches or Pine Siskins dying--and there was no hulled sunflower seed available then.
In recent years, we saw these afflicted birds, and we thought it was someone else's doing, or else that the birds were simply susceptible to disease.
In time, we could no longer live with those beliefs. We tried everything. We changed the water, and we kept the place spotlessly clean. And then we began eliminating various kinds of food we were placing out.
The hulled sunflower seed was our own favourite, because our feeders were on a balcony of an apartment in the city. The hulled seed was the easiest to clean up after. And I believed it was very nutricious.
WHEN WE STOPPED USING IT, WE SAW NO MORE DYING OR DEAD BIRDS. The results took awhile to show, because, indeed, the disease(s) perpetuate through the bird population. But, for two years now, we have had not one single dead bird; not one single puffed-up bird.
Please try it.
My plea to you is based on testing a rather easy-to-test theory. If people wish to pursue the matter intellectually, detailing every possible exception, the birds will continue to die. This indeed is happening in many situations. What-ifs are suggested, and the issue becomes murky, and people simply say, "Well, maybe we'll just be extra sure our seed is dry."
That's not good enough.
The affected seed, I repeat, may seem to be completely dry.
If you simply try the simple substitution of sunflower seed, I believe you will see the results, within one to several months.
Because the experiment harms nothing, it is worth trying.
Actually, we have found the discarded shells are really pretty easy to sweep up. They look messy, but they are easily disposed of.
Easier to dispose of than, say, another dead House Finch.
And, I maintain this very strongly: I would rather see a healthy bird at a distance, than a dying bird close up.
Remember you are rarely doing THE BIRDS much of a favour when you feed them in climates like Vancouver's. Your feeders are popular, but they are unnecessary--you are doing yourself a favour, bringing in the birds for your own entertainment.
You folk in drier, perhaps colder climates: Hopefully, you've never seen this problem. I doubt it pertains to you.
Thank you, everyone, for reading this and considering it. Please, scientifically analytical people, understand the basic value in carrying this experiment out without having totally conclusive data first. It has all the appearances of having worked for us. And, as I said, it is a harmless experiment.
There is a great deal of harm occurring without it.
Thank you, one and all.
