They are certainly killing small branches of trees around here. Our yards are littered with fallen twigs full of dead leaves. And dead husks of cicadas. We live near a woods, and when they were first swarming up, the drone-scream-buzz was deafening.
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 ...
Not a single cicada yet where I live in Indiana.
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.
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Here in the mountains of Garrett County, MD, elevation about 2,800 ft. I have four feeders hanging in my Eastern Hemlocks. Have not found any dead birds but enjoy watching dozens of species of living ones. The only nuisance birds are the ubiquitous Barn Swallows I have to fight off every Spring that are determined to build their nests on my porch!
“.. warning in Indiana..”
Same here in Maryland. We have a ton of nesting birds that use the feeder and bird bath.. but I scrub them out every 3 days.
China’s new Bird Flu, for when COVID has run its course, in time for 2024?
Mother Nature is a mean mama.
I’ve always been unnerved by the massive flocks both of those species assemble in.
I’m in Indiana, too, just west of Indy. I heard the usual cicadas for the first time yesterday. I heard that Bloomington had the 17 year variety in May, but we didn’t have anything here.
I hope they figure out soon what is causing the birds to get sick and die. I have lots of birds nesting in and around my yard. The Bluebirds had their first clutch middle to late May, and they are off training them I guess. I saw a juvenile Baltimore Oriole at the jelly feeder (and both parents, but at different times) yesterday. The House Wren is in her second brood. There’s a Robin nest in a Japanese Maple that has 3 eggs in it that I can almost see. Plus a mama Cardinal out in the woods with her 3 that should hatch soon. Also young Tufted Titmice have been all over, and the Catbirds too. Plus the usual House Finches, and House Sparrows (which I detest).
Are you in the north?
They are certainly killing small branches of trees around here. Our yards are littered with fallen twigs full of dead leaves. And dead husks of cicadas. We live near a woods, and when they were first swarming up, the drone-scream-buzz was deafening.
I have noticed in my area in rural eastern Washington fewer song birds....fewer finches for sure, although I do have some...have not got the variety of birds either....junkos,chickdees,robins, nuthatches, both house and yellow finches, maybe a grobeck occassionally, a few wood peckers....
have not seen a stellar jay here since we built.
my new blessing is that I've seen my Woody Woodpecker a few times....
Along with the starlings and house sparrows, they're on my Shoot On Sight list.......
See photo in post 89.
The worst was when they would congregate, maybe 40 or 50 of them, on the bedroom window screens around 2 or 3 A.M. Even with double-glazed windows closed and the air conditioning on, they would set up a megadecibel vibration that would involve the glass and wake the dead. I actually feared that the glass would shatter. And that's even before the cat would screech and "attack" the window, screechgrowling and fruitlessly clawing the glass. So glad they're almost gone now.
Nah!
They ignored the warnings and got vaccinated and all of them have died or can’t lay eggs.
A blue jay ate the baby wrens.
We have put wren houses in our back yard and by our front porch.
Often we see a female wren sizing up the homes for a future nesting. They may go into the wren houses and stay a short time.
A local bird watcher neighbor said it was due to all the Western Scrub Blue Jays in our back yard, hers and our neighbors’, nesting and looking for close food for their babies. A pair of peregrine falcons nest in her side yard and other baby birds and squirrels are everyday edible staples for the young/baby falcons. We often find a young squirrel’s tail that was a left over.
I notice that Robins are on the list, but I have never seen one at my feeders, and I must have every type of feeder known to mankind at my stations. I only see Robins go to eat worms in the grass or they hang out in the shrubs or trees, never the feeders. So how are the Robins getting it?
If only Dr. Fauci could figure out a way to get the birds to socially distance themselves, or maybe where little masks on their beaks, this wouldn’t be such a big problem! Oh wait, he’s figured it out. Backyard feeders are non-essential! No go off little birdies and shelter in place!! Dr. Fauci is gonna save you!
BOL or reverse it and make backyard feeders the isolation areas.
My usual massive flocks of Starlings, Sparrows and Grackles are gone
Robins are okay but the Wrens, Mockingbirds and Catbirds are rare.
Haven’t see a Thrush in ages.
Somebody’s doing something evil, somewhere.
/probably those damn bird blenders
My usual mob of butterflies are scarce and I’ve seen ONE dragonfly.
About the only butterflies I’ve seen in normal numbers are the Bluettes.
One Luna moth, some cabbage Moths and a couple of Swallowtails.
This is NOT normal.
Usually my “wild” backyard is like an airport for everything.
Starlings have the largest song repertoire of any birds.
That is why they were brought here.
https://pages.vassar.edu/sensoryecology/european-starling-song/
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