Songbirds dying in alarming numbers- we can help - Page 3 - Wildlife Gardeners

trillium · 05-13-2009, 04:47 PM

Ha I wish I had that kind of time! I can remember my Grandma always made suet pudding for Christmas. Took like two days,and ugh the smell.

I think it would be cool if there were a way to have just native seed for birdfood. I'm not sure a person could produce enough for the effort though, and it would be so expensive, I'm not sure it would go over.

Tundi · 06-01-2009, 04:45 AM

Hello!
We live in NW massachusetts, in an area where people are working alot with native gardens, habitat restoration, and organic gardening. Therefore I was alarmed and puzzled to find four dead or dying birds around our bird feeder - all pine siskins or goldfinches. The moribund birds were puffed out and had drooping wings - symptoms of some kind of poisoning. A quick internet search (which introduced me to this fantastic website, for which I am very grateful) leads me to believe it is salmonella poisoning from the "Feathered Friends Premium Blend Shell-less Select" birdseed, which contains peanuts. I have the carcass of the pine siskin that we unsuccessfully tried to nurse back to health, as well as the birdseed, and am trying to find someone at U Mass or elsewhere to test for salmonella. In the meantime, I have bleached the feeder (we have only one - put out in front of the house so my young children can delight in bird-watching) and have switched to pure shell-less sunflower seed.
I would be curious to hear if anyone else in New England has had a similar experience, as well as leads on how to get the samples tested, and advice on how best to publicize the dangers if it indeed turns out to be salmonella.
Many thanks!

TheLorax · 06-01-2009, 10:20 AM

I would suggest you contact Cornell and Agway. Cornell would be able to direct you to an appropriate agency to report your suspicions but please know corn can be contaminated with aflatoxins particularly if it was stored in plastic bags or allowed to get wet. I believe Agway is the distributor for Feathered Friend products-Agway - Lawn, Garden, Pet, Bird and Farm Specialists | Browse: Bird > Wild Bird Food > No Waste > 5# FEATHERED FRIEND SHELL-LESS SELECT. Perhaps they have a customer service link.

NEWisc · 06-02-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

We live in NW massachusetts, in an area where people are working alot with native gardens, habitat restoration, and organic gardening.

Welcome to the Wildlife Gardeners!

If you check the mission statement of this website, I think you'll find that a lot of the people here share your interests. It's right under the beautiful photo on this page:
Wildlife Gardeners

06-01-2009, 04:45 AM	#22
Tundi Carbon Join Date: May 2009 Location: Massachusetts	Pine siskins and goldfinches dying in New England Hello! We live in NW massachusetts, in an area where people are working alot with native gardens, habitat restoration, and organic gardening. Therefore I was alarmed and puzzled to find four dead or dying birds around our bird feeder - all pine siskins or goldfinches. The moribund birds were puffed out and had drooping wings - symptoms of some kind of poisoning. A quick internet search (which introduced me to this fantastic website, for which I am very grateful) leads me to believe it is salmonella poisoning from the "Feathered Friends Premium Blend Shell-less Select" birdseed, which contains peanuts. I have the carcass of the pine siskin that we unsuccessfully tried to nurse back to health, as well as the birdseed, and am trying to find someone at U Mass or elsewhere to test for salmonella. In the meantime, I have bleached the feeder (we have only one - put out in front of the house so my young children can delight in bird-watching) and have switched to pure shell-less sunflower seed. I would be curious to hear if anyone else in New England has had a similar experience, as well as leads on how to get the samples tested, and advice on how best to publicize the dangers if it indeed turns out to be salmonella. Many thanks!

06-01-2009, 10:20 AM	#23
TheLorax Unicellular Fungi Join Date: Nov 2008	I would suggest you contact Cornell and Agway. Cornell would be able to direct you to an appropriate agency to report your suspicions but please know corn can be contaminated with aflatoxins particularly if it was stored in plastic bags or allowed to get wet. I believe Agway is the distributor for Feathered Friend products-Agway - Lawn, Garden, Pet, Bird and Farm Specialists \| Browse: Bird > Wild Bird Food > No Waste > 5# FEATHERED FRIEND SHELL-LESS SELECT. Perhaps they have a customer service link. __________________ "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist

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05-13-2009, 04:47 PM	#21
trillium Grub Join Date: May 2009	Ha I wish I had that kind of time! I can remember my Grandma always made suet pudding for Christmas. Took like two days,and ugh the smell. I think it would be cool if there were a way to have just native seed for birdfood. I'm not sure a person could produce enough for the effort though, and it would be so expensive, I'm not sure it would go over.