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AVIAN FLUE AND BIRD FEEDING IN GEORGIA
Recent reports that a new virulent strain of avian influenza (HPAI) has been found in wild birds in Georgia and more than 29 other states have raised concerns that feeding backyard birds might play a role in the spread of this deadly disease in the Peach State.
To date, the only species affected by the disease in Georgia have been lesser scaup, gadwall, and bald eagle. However, avian flu has been detected in at least 100 species of wild birds and other animals.
Avian influenza also infects chickens, wild and domestic waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans), quail, pheasants, and other domestic birds,
The disease is spread in the droppings and nasal secretions of infected birds. It has also been reported healthy birds can also catch the disease when they walk across surfaces contaminated by infected birds.
While it is possible for wild birds to contract the disease form domestic poultry, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found that, in every case they have investigated this year, domestic flocks were infected by wild birds.
Fortunately, as of March 30, no commercial or backyard flocks of poultry have been infected in Georgia. However, such is not the case in 23 other states. Most of these outbreaks have occurred in the Midwest and East. This has resulted in the slaughter of 27 million chickens.
If you enjoy feeding birds in your yard, you are probably wondering if you should cease feeding bird in your backyard until the disease subsided. So far, the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Section has not recommended that people stop birds in their yards.
However, the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Section urges the public to report dead or sick eagles to their office in Forsyth (478-994-1438). (Three bald eagles were found killed by the disease along the Georgia Coast.)
In comparison, the USDA suggests that homeowners can continue feeding birds unless they keep domestic birds. On the other hand, extension specialists at Cornell University recommend that the public cease feeding “until the threat of the disease has passed.”
I will let you know if the outbreak becomes more serious in Georgia and if Georgia officials issue any recommendations concerning feeding wild birds. Those bloggers that live in other states should check with their state wildlife agencies to see if they recommend that feeding birds be discontinued in their states.
SHOULD I HELP BLUEBIRDS FEED THEIR YOUNG?
I am sure you have wondered if eastern bluebirds have difficulty feeding their young in the spring when temperatures are low a rainy weather dominates the weather for days on end. Actually, bluebird parents can sometimes find it hard to find enough insects and other invertebrates to feed their seemingly insatiable nestlings during times when these important food items are not moving about.
If you suspect this is happening in your yard, you can offer the adult bluebirds a number of supplemental foods. Here are some of the food items you might try: mealworms, fruits and berries, sunflower hearts and suet. Some bluebird enthusiasts even feed bluebirds scrambled eggs during these trying times.
Experiment with different foods until you determine which delicacies are favored by your bluebirds and then focus on feeding the bluebirds only their preferred foods.
Your feeding efforts can actually save the lives of many young bluebirds. However, even if the parents don’t actually need additional food to meet the demands of their young, the extra food you provide will most likely be gobbled up by other birds. In the meantime, you will sleep better knowing that you did all you could to ensure a new generation of bluebirds lived through a potential food shortage.
DOES RAIN DILUTE NECTAR IN HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS?
Recently severe weather has been sweeping across the Peach State dropping heavy rain in our backyards. The last front that passed over my home dropped almost three inches of rain in just a few hours. When such an event occurs, you cannot help but wonder if heavy rain dilutes the sugar water in our hummingbird feeders.
Although many hummingbird fanciers are convinced that heavy rainfall can dilute the concentration of sugar in a feeder, I do not know of any studies that corroborate this claim. However, enough people believe this to be the case that some manufacturers of hummingbird feeders offer feeders that are less susceptible to rain flowing into the food reservoirs on their feeders. In an effort to hinder rain draining through feeding portals, some hummingbird fans place a plastic dome over their feeders. Others simply shroud their feeders with plastic plates. Others address the problem by purchasing feeders featuring very small feeding portals. If water pouring into a feeder is a problem, it makes sense to use feeders equipped with small feeding ports.
If you find that hummingbird use of your feeder drops off significantly after heavy rain, this could be an indication that your hummer food is diluted. It has been shown that when given a choice hummingbirds prefer flowers that produce nectar with the a high sugar content. Since that is the case, it is understandable that they would also prefer hummingbird food with at least a 25 percent concentration of sugar.
The best advice I can offer is until we know for sure if rainfall can dilute hummingbird food, if feel your food is diluted, go ahead and replace it.
IN SPRING, REDBUD TREES FEED MORE THAN POLLINATORS
The redbud trees growing around my home are now in full bloom. These native trees are pleasing to the eye and are currently feeding a surprising number of my backyard neighbors.
One thing that is impossible to notice is that redbud blossoms attract an amazing number of bees and other pollinators. In fact, on a warm late winter or early spring day my largest redbud seems to buzz. The buzzing sound is made by the countless numbers of bees foraging among the dark pink blossoms that cover the tree’s branches.
If the redbud blossoms do not fall before the year’s first ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive, I will have a chance of spotting a hummer or two visiting the trees flowers. Although redbud blooms are not the greatest source of nectar for the birds, when it is one of the few nectar plants that are blooming at this time of the year, they will make feeding forays to the tree.
Birds such as northern cardinals and cedar waxwings sometimes visit redbud trees in full bloom. They are not there seeking nectar or pollen. To the contrary, they actually eat the redbud’s buds and flowers. Although these birds might seem to eat more than their share of these tasty morsels, there are more than enough blossoms to feed the birds and pollinators.
Since the redbud’s blooms appear before its leaves, while I am admiring the tree’s floral show, from time to time I sometimes spot tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees and downy woodpeckers hunting for insects and their eggs hidden on the bark of the tree. Once the leaves appear, it is far more difficult to see these birds foraging for food.
My only regret is that the redbud’s floral show is way too short. When redbud blossoms litter the ground, I know I must wait 12 months to enjoy its next stunning floral show and the wide variety of animals drawn to it.
HOORAY! HUMMINGBIRDS ARE ON THE WAY
Now that February is in our rearview mirror we need to be on the lookout for arrival of the first ruby-throated hummingbird of the year. In fact, I would not be surprised if a vanguard of rubythroats has already reached the Peach State.
I live in Monroe County just north of Macon. To my knowledge, the earliest that a ruby-throated hummingbird has been seen in the county is March 12. However, friends living in southwest Georgia have told me that some years they see their first hummer during the first ten days of March. On the other hand, folks living in north Georgia tell me they often do not see their first hummingbird of the spring until the end of March or in April.
Now that you know rubythroats are on the way, go ahead and pour some fresh nectar into a feeder and hang it out in the same spot where it was hung last year. If you don’t, you may well look out your window one morning and spot a rubythroat hovering where a feeder was hung a year ago. If that does not make you feel like a heel, nothing else will.
Please let me know when you experience the excitement of seeing your first rubythroat of the year!
BACKYARD SECRET—THE BLUE JAY’S DIET CONTAINS MORE CALCIUM THAN OTHER BIRDS
Some time ago, I wrote a Backyard Secret regarding the blue jay’s unusual habit of eating paint chips. At the time, I reported that the bird’s need for calcium might be the reason that blue jays will literally chip bits of paint off buildings and eat them.
Research conducted by Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology found that blue jays consumed more than double the amount of calcium eaten by any of the other species studied. Consequently, these findings offer credence to the theory the birds are obtaining needed calcium from the chips.
It is interesting to note that folks living in the Northeast have reported this habit more often. Here acid rain has had a deleterious impact on the region’s soils. It seems acid rain has been depleting naturally occurring calcium in the soil.
One way in which some people living in this part of the country cope with the problem is to offer feeder birds chicken eggshells. In order to thwart the spread of disease, the shells either heated in an oven or boiled before offering them to the birds.