songbird6666
Registered User
Some of you may remember back in the winter how I had an awful problem here with Greenfinches dropping like flies and how upsetting it all was for me. At the time I read the articles kindly provided by alcedo.atthis (Malky) concerning salmonella, and was certain that was what my flock had. Well it's happening again. Five at least in the past week, one my neighbour put out of its misery for me (I just can't bring myself) one a cat or hawk got after I had been trying to feed him all day on the ground, and last night, the most heartbreaking of all, a tiny hen which I had perched on my finger for over an hour with her head tucked under her wing, finally went into the death convulsions and reduced me to tears as always.
The thing is, I know I should stop all feeding at present, disinfect everywhere but that would be very difficult, I feed in four different places in my garden, and only one is paved, the rest is on grass. But what about all my other birds that aren't affected? The ones it has taken me five years to encourage (the goldfinches) my siskins, collared doves, my tame blackbird, and robins? At this moment I am looking out at some 30-plus house sparrows in just one of my feeding areas outside my lounge window, they are sunbathing on the lawn, playing in the blackcurrent bushes, bathing in my new birdbath .... I haven't replenished any of my feeders today with a view to stopping the feeding, I know it would probably be the right thing to do, to disperse the flock of finches, but would I just be shifting the problem elsewhere, a case of out of sight, out of mind? They will just die in someone else's garden, although I don't know of anywhere else in the village that does feed them. I know it's going to break my heart seeing the rows of little disappointed faces in the morning if all the feeders are gone or empty. I also have to put out a certain amount of food, as I have three free range chickens in my garden, they mainly eat corn or the wild bird seed though.
I have to say that none of this problem ever arose until I started using the sunflower hearts, and I saw an article last night after a google search where another chap had come to the same conclusion, although he was in Canada I believe.
Sorry this post is so long, but please someone tell me what I must do for the best, I feel so down, birds in my garden are such a great part of my life. |=(|
The thing is, I know I should stop all feeding at present, disinfect everywhere but that would be very difficult, I feed in four different places in my garden, and only one is paved, the rest is on grass. But what about all my other birds that aren't affected? The ones it has taken me five years to encourage (the goldfinches) my siskins, collared doves, my tame blackbird, and robins? At this moment I am looking out at some 30-plus house sparrows in just one of my feeding areas outside my lounge window, they are sunbathing on the lawn, playing in the blackcurrent bushes, bathing in my new birdbath .... I haven't replenished any of my feeders today with a view to stopping the feeding, I know it would probably be the right thing to do, to disperse the flock of finches, but would I just be shifting the problem elsewhere, a case of out of sight, out of mind? They will just die in someone else's garden, although I don't know of anywhere else in the village that does feed them. I know it's going to break my heart seeing the rows of little disappointed faces in the morning if all the feeders are gone or empty. I also have to put out a certain amount of food, as I have three free range chickens in my garden, they mainly eat corn or the wild bird seed though.
I have to say that none of this problem ever arose until I started using the sunflower hearts, and I saw an article last night after a google search where another chap had come to the same conclusion, although he was in Canada I believe.
Sorry this post is so long, but please someone tell me what I must do for the best, I feel so down, birds in my garden are such a great part of my life. |=(|