Goldfinch Deaths (1 Viewer)

I live in Northeast Tennessee. In recent days we have found some dead Goldfinches on our property. Is anyone aware of any disease or other problem in Northeast tennessee that is affecting Goldfinches?

Thanks,

John Mellon

I live in Southern Middle Tennessee and my feeders are full of goldfinches. No problems here. Sorry to hear about that.

John, did you happen to notice if their eyes looked infected? There is a problem with goldfinches, house finches and purple finches regarding conjuntivitis. I had one at my feeder (purple finch) that had it; one day he was just gone, but I assume he died.
If your goldfinches had this problem, then they say to wash your feeders weekly with a bleach solution because it is contagious to the other birds.
If they look like they've been injured, then it might be a starling or grackle that have juveniles in the area. They are very aggressive with other birds, even the cute little goldfinches. I've experienced that before and took away all other food except for the niger seed and finch seed (in tube feeders). I hope you find out what happened. Let us know if you do.

ELAINER said:

John, did you happen to notice if their eyes looked infected? There is a problem with goldfinches, house finches and purple finches regarding conjuntivitis. I had one at my feeder (purple finch) that had it; one day he was just gone, but I assume he died.
If your goldfinches had this problem, then they say to wash your feeders weekly with a bleach solution because it is contagious to the other birds.
If they look like they've been injured, then it might be a starling or grackle that have juveniles in the area. They are very aggressive with other birds, even the cute little goldfinches. I've experienced that before and took away all other food except for the niger seed and finch seed (in tube feeders). I hope you find out what happened. Let us know if you do.

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Elaine,

No eye problems that I could determine. I looked closely at the birds that I found. My problem may have been related to my platform feeders. They were wood and may not have been cleaned often enough. I replaced the wood platform feeders with easy to remove and clean plastic cutting boards. I now remove and clean the feeders every other day and pressure clean the surounding deck. I hope that this cures the problem. I am very upset with the thought that I may have contributed to their loss.

John

John: Did the goldfinches have any sort of noticeable injuries? Why do you think the deaths were related to your wooden feeders? Do you have bird baths? I know mine get pretty nasty. You might try calling your local wildlife center; you know the places you can take an injured bird or when you're having problems with wildlife. They might have some information on what may be happening to the goldfinches in the area. I know how you feel about maybe contributing to their end. Don't fret, you're doing the right thing with your feeders - I think that's about all you can do. Good luck and do let us know if you see any improvement.
Elaine

ELAINER said:

John: Did the goldfinches have any sort of noticeable injuries? Why do you think the deaths were related to your wooden feeders? Do you have bird baths? I know mine get pretty nasty. You might try calling your local wildlife center; you know the places you can take an injured bird or when you're having problems with wildlife. They might have some information on what may be happening to the goldfinches in the area. I know how you feel about maybe contributing to their end. Don't fret, you're doing the right thing with your feeders - I think that's about all you can do. Good luck and do let us know if you see any improvement.
Elaine

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Elaine,

They had no noticible injuries. A lot of different birds used the wooden platform feeders. Even though we clean them, I was concerned about the wood holding bacteria, etc. We have bird baths and usually keep the clean. The bird baths are my second suspect. We are also cleaning them every couple of days now. We can not find a local wildlife center in the Greeneville, TN area. If you have a suggestion, I would appreciate it. I now change the feeders out with clean ones every couple of days. I have not found any more dead birds since I changed from the wooden platform feeders. I hope that this fixes the problem. You are right, the thought that I might be causing the problem really bothers me.

John

John, glad to hear you're seeing improvement and your efforts are paying off. I've read about diseases other than conjunctivitis, like salmonella that can originate in the bird bath water. So it's good you're cleaning your bird bath more often too. Good idea about changing out the feeders - I bought some cheaper ones to take the old ones down to clean. (Seems like cleaning the birding stuff takes longer when the weather has been so cold and can't hook up a hose). I also am going to buy a product called Birdola that is put in the bird bath to keep it cleaner for a longer period of time (kills some bacteria). I still wonder if some of the more aggressive birds didn't get at your little goldies, even though they didn't show any injuries. I've watched the grackles in my back yard in years past just b-line the tube feeder where the goldfinch is and just knock it so hard the poor thing is just about dead. Then they leave it alone - they just want all the feeders for themselves and their family. Another item I plan to purchase is a goldfinch feeder that is enclosed in a cage; the holes are only big enough for the smaller birds to enter. Then they can feast in peace! (That's also another way to prevent the bigger birds from eating all the seed).
It's a struggle sometimes, I know, doing all of this for our birds, but they give us such pleasure, don't they? Sometimes I am late for work because I want to sit and watch the birds! Happy Birding and hope there isn't any more bad news.