Bird flu, H5N1 is here. Our feathered friends need food, especially through the winter. To keep them from clustering together where feeders can be contaminated, please toss some of your crumbs and seeds on the ground.
Many birders and photographers prefer feeders. Feeders and birdbaths provide the best opportunities to share lives of these frequent backyard visitors. If you do keep them, just make sure they stay clean with simple disinfection. Pick up dropped or rotted hulls and shells to keep surrounding areas less likely to cause trouble. With a bird bath, hose and scrub with a stiff brush and keep water clean and fresh.
If possible, have more than one feeder available to keep birds from concentrating to closely, and to keep birds taking turns. If you are dedicated to keeping feeders up, clean them weekly by scrubbing in a dish pan or bowl of water with a half teaspoon of soap, nine parts water and one part bleach.
Remember that birds are also fighting climate crisis disasters, too. Fires, floods, pollution and diminished ecosystems impact their lives. And, all birds impact all of our lives.
In addition, our overuse of pesticides and fertilizers means less protein food and more monocultures that displace their most common habitats.
We owe so much to birds. They pollinate, plant vegetation with seeds and spores, work in symbiosis to control insect pests, regenerate forests, and create nesting and cavity abodes for a variety of life forms.
For us, they also provide endless entertainment and a source of learning. Their song is a psychic tonic. They enhance mood and fight anxiety and stress. Let’s not forget they are also beautiful and were the original producers of all song, music, dance, and even artwork.
Food? Yes, birds are also a major food source. H5N1 is threatening all domesticated as well as wild birds. If you would always wish to afford turkey, goose, duck, pheasant, or fried chicken (or her eggs) then do your part to keep them — and us — as safe as possible.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Asdrubal luna on Unsplash
