Put the bird feeders away to avoid spread of deadly avian disease, expert warns

A bird expert in the Moncton area is warning residents to put their bird feeders away to prevent diseases like trichomonosis from spreading.

"We've got to understand, we do not feed birds for the birds, we do that for us," said Alain Clavette. 

"Birds do not need us to feed them with a non-natural source of food."

There have been at least four suspected cases of trichomonosis in purple finches across Nova Scotia this year.

Trichomonosis is caused by a microscopic parasite transmitted from bird to bird through moist bird seed, damp areas and bird baths.  

• Fatal wild bird disease suspected to be back in N.S. 
• Don't feed the birds: Wild bird infection may be back in N.S. and N.B.

The disease particularly affects social, seed-eating birds, such as goldfinches and purple finches in Atlantic Canada.

The parasite infects a bird's upper digestive tract, liver and lungs, and makes it difficult for the bird to eat and breathe.

The parasite has been present in Atlantic Canada since 2007 and reports of bird deaths typically begin around mid-June. The disease doesn't affect humans or other animals, but it can spread to domestic birds and chickens.

Dr. Jim Goltz, New Brunswick's chief veterinarian, said his lab is looking into one bird death. But he said so far there haven't been any reported cases of the deadly infection this year.

Don't feed the birds

Clavette said bird feeders and bird baths can be dangerous for birds.

While he understands the appeal, Clavette said they can also cause the spread of other diseases, more window collisions and attract more predators, like red squirrels. 

"We have to think about the unbalance that those feeders create in our bird population," said Clavette.

"They don't serve all the birds."

Fifteen years ago, Clavette said he used to have 23 feeding stations at his home.

"I was known to feed birds really, really heavy," he said.

We've got to understand, we do not feed birds for the birds, we do that for us.- Allain Clavette, bird expert

Since then, he's noticed a large decline in the diversity of the birds in his area, including thrushes and woodpeckers.

So he took all the bird feeders down. 

"There were a lot of birds in the yard, but they were all the same thing, blue jays, goldfinch, doves, crows," he said.

The bird expert used the example of neotropical migratory birds, which breed in Canada and the United-States but spend the winter in warmer places like Mexico and Central America. He said those birds will travel up to 7,000 kilometres to raise their clutch in New Brunswick. But often times, they get their nests raided and eggs eaten by blue jays "that we fatten up with our feeders."

"This is just one example of the imbalance that will be created by these feeders," he said.

How to protect the birds

In about 40 years time, he said he expects bird feeders to be frowned upon.

If people want to protect birds living near their homes, he said they should mimic the bird's natural habitat by planting trees, flowers, making a small pond, having a section of grass that isn't mowed, letting bramble grow in the yard so insects can reproduce, allowing birds to feed.

• 'It doesn't get any rarer than this': Mistle thrush could be continent's first

And if people do want to keep their bird feeders or bird baths out, Clavette said they should be kept clean.

They can do this by cleaning feeders once a week using bleach, cleaning the area and raking old seeds nearby.