I’ve been trying to figure out whether or not to be taking down bird feeders early this year. With the appearance of the avian flu, it could be time.
For the past several years, there have been recommendation to take feeders down once temperatures get above freezing. That’s because of a nasty little parasite that has been infecting some of the birds.
But generally, the birds have plenty to eat when the temperature is above freezing. I would rather they find food close to my field of vision, but I also prefer my birds to be live, so I have been taking them down during the warmer months.
Now there have been reported cases of H5N1 avian flu in some birds, both wild and domestic. Does that mean we shouldn’t be feeding them?
Since the province has said feeding should be avoided, I guess that is the case. Although the way it was phrased makes it a bit difficult.
The quote in the provincial news release from Bob Petrie, Director of Wildlife, Natural Resources and Renewables said, “Avian influenza poses little risk to people, but the virus is highly infectious and potentially deadly in wild and domestic birds. We urge the public to avoid feeding or handling wild birds like ducks, geese, pheasants, pigeons and gulls to prevent disease spread.”
Since I can’t be specific about which birds I feed, I guess I should stop. I don’t get a lot of ducks and geese in my back yard. Pheasants and gulls are pretty rare. Pigeons do show up. And you can’t tell them to stop. There’s no going out into the yard and saying, “Stop eating that, you pigeons. That food isn’t for you.” I’ve tried. They don’t listen.
So I guess I’ll take the feeders down early this year. Live birds are much better to have around.
By the way, if you do see any dead birds around, don’t touch them. Report them to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.
