Posted on 07/05/2021 5:59:42 AM PDT by P.O.E.
HARRISBURG, PA - Wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Futures Program (WFP) at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) and officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission are investigating more than 70 general public reports of songbirds that are sick or dying due to an emerging health condition that is presently unknown.
As of July 1, 2021, reports from the public chronicle both adult and young birds exhibiting signs of the condition. The most common clinical symptoms include discharge and/or crusting around the eyes, eye lesions, and/or neurologic signs such as falling over or head tremors.
Affected birds are being tested for several toxins, parasites, bacterial diseases, and viral infections. To date, test results have been inconclusive.
Twelve species have been reported: Blue Jay, European Starling, Common Grackle, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, House Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, and Carolina Wren.
(Excerpt) Read more at media.pa.gov ...
Besides their beauty & companionship - birds eat a lot of insects.
No problem with mockingbirds around here. They’re squawking all the time.
grackles and blue jays aint songbirds.
The species listed are probably the some of the most common birds in North America. We love our backyard birds.
Same warning in Indiana. We were asked to remove all backyard feeders.
We have some mocking birds at our house. There is one in particular that follows me around when I mow the lawn. It almost lands in my from time to time. I think it’s actually after the bugs that get kicked up from mowing.
squawking and crapping!
Dr. Fauci said it was definitely Covid. They refused to get vaccinated and this is what happens.
Insect numbers are down where I live especially butterflies.
Cicadas abundant after 17 years in bunker, fireflies pretty good. Dragonflies fewer. Carpenter bees insanely present.
Tree frogs up.
They are thinking it is from cicadas.
Just an F.Y.I...there is a disease that you can get called histoplasmosis from birds and bats droppings in the soil.
I had never heard of it. I suspect many Doctors are clueless as well and dont think of it when seeing the symptoms.
Back in the winter, I observed a house finch perched on the outside windowsill and just not moving much.
I was literally within inches of the bird. I observed it carefully and noted a small spherical blob at the corner of the bird’s eye. I can say with a degree of certainty the bird had the malady
Our mockingbirds are in control of their territories and carrying on melodiously as usual.
A blue jay ate the baby wrens
Usually those are Purple Martins that fly and dive bomb around while mowing. They’re feeding off the bugs you’re stirring up. Really fun to watch.
Thats kinda weird though, those birds dont eat the same things. What kind of feeder would be spreading it to all those different kinds of birds? Sounds like something else is afoot.
What eats Carpenter Bees?
THey must leave a very strong scent.
I can kill off the males that hover and another one zooms in.
Come back to the same area every year to try to gnaw on my porch.
Some of those little house catchers work great..others not so much.
The bees are killing them.
Here in Hamilton County, Ohio I have been finding many dead birds in my yard. On five acres, mostly lawn but an acre of solid woods adjoining eight square miles of green space, I have found dozens of dead small birds in the past few weeks.
Mainly bluebirds, woodpeckers and finches. It is very unusual to see that many dead birds.
I have pet chickens here as well and they are so far unaffected.
Sad.
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Neither are starlings. They’re actually an invasive species.
Yes. So what else do they have in common? Water and air is about it. I live in SW Pennsylvania and there are birds all over in our neighborhood. We have a pair of Mourning Doves nesting in one of our hanging flower baskets on the front porch. I water the flowers and momma dove just looks at me.
Can’t figure out why they are having such difficulty identifying the cause of deaths. I’d bet a lot it is avian flu.
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