Finches succumb to disease

The first inkling of a disease outbreak among the wild birds around Sisters surfaced around the end of June when Kristen Newton noticed dead red crossbills under her feeder.

A few days later, Newton's neighbor on Wilt Road, Barbara Egan, discovered more dead crossbills at her feeding stations. The Egans also noticed several dead evening grosbeaks and pine siskins among the crossbills.

Both the Newtons and Egans called Lynn and Bob Scobee, wildlife rehabilitators in the Bend area, to report what they found. Scobee did not know of any other wild bird sickness in the immediate area.

Within a week, Dave Hart, also of the Wilt Road area, and Barbara Fuller, who lives near Oak Street and Black Crater Avenue in Sisters, reported they had found more than 30 dead crossbills at their feeders.

Those reporting the crossbill deaths also noted that there have been "hordes"of the birds coming to feeders every day.

Most of the dying crossbills seemed to be confined to a few local spots near Wilt Road and in Sisters, but when Shir- ley Ludeman of Indian Ford called about dead crossbills beneath her feeder, the problem expanded to near epidemic proportions.

According to the Scobees, who have been rehabilitating wild birds for a number of years, and Corey Heath, biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, flocks of siskins and crossbills are not uncommon this time of the year.

Scobee was able to deliver five specimens to Dr. Little Lieblad of the Deschutes Veterinary Clinic in Bend for examination.

Dr. Lieblad, a bird disease specialist, said, "the birds I autopsied had the classic symptoms of Salmonellosis. However, I will check in the near future for any additional (disease) problems.

Salmonellosis is a disease caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella; it is also known as fowl typhoid and is generally very uncommon in wild bird populations.

The most common bacterium is Salmonella typhimurium, which occurs as an intestinal infection, often resulting in intritis (inflammation of the intestines), diarrhea and finally septicemia (blood poisoning), which is usually fatal.

Although Salmonellosis cases are rare in the human community, the bacterium has been known to infect humans. However, it is not as harmful to people as it is to birds.

Most birds infected by the salmonella bacterium become very weak and dehydrated, and they die.

As the population thins the spread of the disease slows, and by the time the birds begin to migrate to their winter quarters the disease no longer affects the surviving birds.

Reservoirs for Salmonellosis are found in house sparrows (also known as English sparrows), cowbirds and other small birds. Under normal population conditions, host birds often live with salmonella bacteria, showing no symptoms of the infection.

As the local bird population builds, however, crowding and stress from lack of food weaken them and the disease kicks in.

Populations then plummet and the areas where the birds have been feeding become highly contagious because of the droppings of the infected birds.

The disease then spreads rapidly to ground-feeding wild birds such as crossbills, siskins and evening grosbeaks, all members of the finch family.

The best way to combat Salmonellosis is to stop feeding immediately.

All dead birds should be picked up (wear rubber gloves while doing so) and buried at least three feet deep in an area where they won't be disturbed. Without an active host, the bacteria will die.

Wash the feeders with a 10 percent solution of household bleach and rinse thoroughly. Do not resume feeding wild birds again for about a month.

Rake up all the seed husks and food under the feeders and burn it, or turn all the soil under.

If the soil is not turned under, spray the area a number of times with the bleach solution to ensure that all the bacteria have been killed.

Botulism, a bacterial intoxicant, is another killer of birds as well as humans.

In birds it is produced by feeding moldy seed, or food contaminated with poison produced by Clostridium botulinum (Type C), bacteria found naturally in soil.