Summer bird feeding requires disease precautions

Bird feeding is an enormously popular activity. That does not come as a surprise to many people, as we all have friends and neighbors who are fascinated by watching and identifying the birds that come to their feeders.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 55 million people in the U.S. feed wild birds.

Even bird feeding is not without controversy. Many bird experts believe that putting food out for birds has negative effects upon avian populations, and they cite studies to support their positions. Other avian experts support supplemental feeding and have their own studies to support that position.

People who oppose feeding have concerns about creating a dependency on supplemental feed, altering natural bird distribution or density or migration patterns, causing malnutrition, spreading disease, increasing predation opportunities (mostly by housecats) and increasing the risk of death from flying into windows.

Those who feed birds get great pleasure from seeing wild birds up close and identifying them. Their songs and bright spring breeding plumage can cheer us up on even the gloomiest of days. Supplemental feed may help birds survive when non-native species compete, or when natural habitats are altered. Birds attracted to backyard feeders also eat things we sometimes consider pests such as mosquitoes, beetles, ants, caterpillars and spiders. People generally like birds and enjoy having them around.

There is not enough room in one newspaper article to debate the positive aspects or the potential downsides of bird feeding. If you are feeding birds or thinking about starting, you can get all the information you want online and make your own choice about feeding, not feeding, or feeding only during the winter.

Winter is the period when natural food supplies are low and feeding may be most beneficial to birds. However, different species will visit your feeders during spring and fall migrations and nesting seasons and if you only feed in winter you are not likely to see them.

As an alternative to putting out feeders for birds, a landowner can landscape in ways that provide birds with food and security from weather and predators.

Trees provide both seeds and shelter, as do shrubs. Trees and shrubs that produce fruits or berries attract birds. Seed-producing flowers and grasses provide food for birds in the winter.

Summer bird feeding requires some special precautions because the warm temperatures encourage the growth of mold, bacteria and parasites.

Four diseases can be fairly common at bird feeders in the summer.

These include salmonellosis (spread through the Salmonella bacteria in bird droppings), trichomoniasis (a protozoan parasite spread through contaminated food that mostly affects doves and pigeons), aspergillosis (a fungus that grows on damp food and in the debris beneath feeders that can be inhaled) and avian pox (a virus spread by direct contact of birds).

All four of the above can lead to death of birds, some directly and others as a result of an inability to eat or drink. Sick birds can be identified because they are less alert, less active, feed less, cower at the feeder and are slower to or refuse to take flight.

Crowding is a key factor in the spread of these conditions, so if you choose to feed birds in the summer try to give them lots of space by putting out several feeders.

Keep feeders clean by disinfecting them weekly using a 10 percent solution of chlorine bleach and warm water to immerse an empty feeder for five minutes. Allow the feeders to completely dry in the hot sun before refilling them.

Rake up wasted feed from the ground and dispose of it, as it will be wet and contain bird droppings.

Discard stored old food, food which has mold visible and food that has a damp moldy smell. Disinfect the food container with the same chlorine solution before replacing the feed with a new bag. Keep rodents out of bird food.

Prevention is key to avoiding bird disease problems. Infected birds from your feeders can contribute to disease problems elsewhere.

The only birds that I feed in the summer are hummingbirds. While they would be around even if I didn't feed them, I enjoy the feeders because I can see the birds up close. When making hummingbird food, boil it and change it regularly to avoid fermentation.

In the winter, I provide seed and suet. The cooler temperatures retard the growth of molds and bacteria, decreasing the likelihood of disease problems.

The value to birds of supplemental feeding is and will be forever debated. Whether it is beneficial or detrimental is not likely to be conclusively proven.

With proper precautions intended to keep feeders clean and disease free, bird feeding is a hobby that can be enjoyed all year long.

Phil Cooper is a wildlife conservation educator in Coeur d'Alene for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.