I mentioned in a previous post how there were two little Pine Siskens at our feeder (back deck railing) that just let me scoop them up and hold them in my hands. They seemed to almost be tamed. So around here my new nickname is Snow White.
It turns out that these birds, along with many more throughout North Carolina and Tennessee have a form of Salmonella and are dying. There was an article on our front page this morning. I found this one through google.
The two birds at my feeder had all of the symptoms that the article in our paper mentioned: Affected birds sit on feeders and are not scared when people approach. Birds may have difficulty swallowing, congregate around a water source , display ruffled feathers and have a general "sick" appearance. The article also mentioned that this is a natural occurrence among the finches.
So, it looks like I will be cleaning our decks today and getting rid of old sunflower seed shells. I'll also be praying that I don't see any more sick birds.
• Mar. 21, 2009 - Wow!
Mikki
http://mybibleandacupofcoffee.blogspot.com/