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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Mission and Vision Statement
    • Equality and Diversity Policy
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    • BSBO Staff
    • Visit BSBO >
      • Directions
      • Building Improvements
      • Anna Macke Mikolajczyk Window On Wildlife
      • John Gallagher Memorial Birding Trail
    • eNews
    • BSBO Blogs >
      • BSBO CONSERVATION BLOG
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
      • BSBO Education and Outreach Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Support BSBO
    • 2024 Year-End Appeal
    • Donate
    • Join or Renew
    • BSBO Swamp Shop
    • Bartlett Big Sit
    • Education Center
    • Sponsor A Mist Net
    • Help BSBO while you shop
    • Birds and Business Alliance
    • Birder Tea Fundraiser
  • RESEARCH
    • Peer-Reviewed Publications
    • Songbird Research >
      • Migration Monitoring >
        • Migration Tracking
      • Prothonotary Warbler Research
      • Building Collision Study
      • Oak Openings
    • Morning Flight Count
    • Project SNOWstorm >
      • About Project SNOWstorm
      • Meet Buckeye
      • Meet Wolverine
    • Research Highlights >
      • Gray-Cheeked Thrush from Colombia, South America
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
    • Past Research >
      • Colonial Wading Birds
      • Ohio Winter Bird Atlas
      • Shorebirds
    • Reports >
      • Annual Project Reports
      • Navarre Marsh Annual Banding and Survey Data
    • Research Volunteer Form
    • Research Volunteer Page
  • EDUCATION
    • Bird Migration Profiles
    • Family Activities >
      • Free Online Resources
    • Young Birders >
      • Ohio Young Birders Club
      • Youth Birding Camps
    • Teachers >
      • Songbird Banding and Migration Programs
      • Students Against Balloon Releases
    • Group Programs >
      • Presentations by Request
    • BSBO Bird Knowins
  • Conservation
    • BioBlitzes
    • Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Communities
    • Responsible Wind Energy
    • Conservation Updates
    • Position Statement on Feral and Free-Ranging Cats
    • Habitat Designations
    • Easy Ways for YOU to Support Conservation
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birding with BSBO >
      • BSBO's Biggest Week In American Birding
      • Frequent Flyer Birding
      • Lake Erie Pelagics
    • Birds at Home
    • Highway Clean-up
    • Calendar of Events
  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
    • Regional Bird Checklist
    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • Spring Migration Wave Theory
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio

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Kelleys Island Field Station Nature Camp

7/11/2024

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Not that anyone needs another reason to love summer, but if they did, we have two words for you: Nature Camp!

Black Swamp Bird Observatory staff traveled to Kelleys Island Field Station to participate in their 2024 Nature Camp. Each day, educators joined these young naturalists focusing on a different nature topic to help the campers develop authentic connections and deepen their understanding of the local ecology through investigation and observation.
​Our first day of camp was June 24 and we had two groups of students varying in ages 4-8. The youngest campers learned about bird identification by having their own Audubon plush stuffed bird, learning about the different adaptations birds have with their beaks and feet! We finished the session by creating a bird craft that campers got to take home.

Older campers rotated through three different stations. Campers went with Miss Jackie Taylor, Field Station Director, to look for pollinators in the beautiful pollinator garden at the field station. They also visited Jasmine and Jamie from BSBO where campers learned about bird identification and adaptations of beaks and feet. They also played a fun and educational game where campers pretend to be birds, competing to see who could gather the most worms (spaghetti) and seeds (real seeds!). They learned about different adaptations, but mostly, we learned that being a bird is hard work! The third station was a take home bird craft.
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​The second day of camp was July 3 and the BSBO staff team of Jamie and Annalise headed to the field station for Environmental Adventure Camp for campers varying in ages 9-12.

The first group, ages 9-10, were incredibly excited to get out and do some birding! We went over birding basics like being quiet, how to use binoculars, and using field guides. The group was quick to spot over a dozen species on our short walk and the kids loved practicing how to look up the birds they found in their field guides. We ended our session with information about owls and had fun dissecting owl pellets. The kids dug in, literally, and found all sorts of cool bones!
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The second group, ages 11-12, enjoyed the opportunity to visit Kelleys Island State Park, just across the street, where we found quite a few species. The favorites were Baltimore Oriole and Northern Flicker. The campers were really into the owl pellets and enjoyed learning about all of the owl species that can be found throughout Ohio. The campers ended their session with a fun migration relay game that helps them understand how important stopover habitat is to birds. 
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Black Swamp Bird Observatory would like to thank the Kelleys Island Field Station School, the Kelleys Island Audubon Club, and the Ohio State Parks & Watercraft for the opportunity to be part of these nature camp/ We relish the opportunity to teach and inspire young people to care more about birds. 
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From the Field: Toucan Love

2/2/2024

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Submitted by BSBO Development Assistant Tracy Marr
The first time I saw a toucan was while visiting a Mayan archaeological site in Belize (like cemeteries, ruins can be great places for birding).  A pair of Keel-billed Toucans flew across the open space between buildings.  I don’t remember the colors, just that distinctive silhouette.  A few years later, in Panama, I learned there was another type of toucan, the Black-mandibled Toucan (now Yellow-throated Toucan). And I kept learning about more and more species of this family.
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Yellow-throated Toucan by Tracy Marr
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Keel-billed Toucan by Tracy Marr
Toucans, toucanets, and aracaris are considered near-passerines, a tree-perching group.  Ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, the toucans are primarily fruit eaters, but will eat insects and small lizards.  Their large but light-weight bills help them regulate their body temperature, and also lets them rob other birds’ nests of eggs and nestlings.
There are more than 3 dozen species of toucans.  Some are widespread, like the Toco Toucan, and others inhabit a very limited range. And while most species are considered of least concern by, at least one, the Yellow-browed Toucanet, may have a population of fewer than 2,000 individuals.
In the years since that first sighting, I’ve seen more than a dozen species of toucans and toucanets, and become more enthralled.  They are my main target bird on any trip to the neotropics. While the hummingbirds, parrots and tanagers I’ve seen in the neotropics are gorgeous and fascinating to watch, to me, nothing has as much charisma as a toucan.
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Toco Toucans by Tracy Marr
Most recently, I visited south-east Brazil to bird in the Atlantic rainforest of Sao Paolo state. From sea level to more than 4,000 feet in elevation, I fell in love with the mountain scenery.  There was the possibility of four (4!) new toucans – the Green-billed or Red-chested Toucans, Spot-billed Toucanet, Saffron Toucanet and Channel-billed Toucan.  And I saw them all! After meeting our guides at the airport, I stressed how much I wanted to see the toucans, and the local guide just smiled and said not to worry.  Before we even reached the first lodge, we saw the Green-billed Toucan. The other 3 species showed up as promised.  We watched the spot-billed bowing as he called.  Next, a brief glimpse of the Saffron Toucanet, and finally the gorgeous Channel-billed Toucan. The channel billed toucan has a wide distribution in Brazil, and most fascinatingly, it has been divided into several races with various color morphs, from mostly blue, white and yellow in the north to orange, yellow and crimson in the south.  ​
Central and South America are full of wonders, from the amazing birds to the mammals, insects and orchids.  But for me, the symbol of the neotropics is a toucan.
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Channel-billed Toucan by Tracy Marr
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Crimson-rumped Toucanet by Tracy Marr
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Spot-billed Toucanet by Tracy Marr
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Chestnut-eared Aracari by Tracy Marr
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From the Field: Baby Pied-billed Grebes

11/14/2023

1 Comment

 
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Submitted by BSBO Development Assistant Tracy Marr
The pied-billed grebe.  A small diver with big feet.  Cute, not beautiful.  Subtle coloration, not gaudy.  The ability to do a submarine sink beneath the water and a distinctive call you can hear across the marsh.  For some reason, I love them. Several years ago, I realized it’s very peaceful to watch them float on the water, dive and re-appear, dive and re-appear.

​And then I saw the babies. Young pied-billed grebes have a cuteness factor of infinity; there’s no end to it. Seeing their zebra-striped heads with a flash of tiger orange on the back, my casual interest turned to fascination and even thralldom.  I now spend the summer months at Ottawa NWR and Howard Marsh Metropark, waiting for the babies to appear and watching
them grow up.  For such tiny juveniles, they can put on a burst of speed when they see an adult come up from a dive with food.  And sometimes, they add a tiny squeal to their zoom across the water to show their excitement. (Baby American coot and common gallinules have their odd charm, also.)​
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Pied-billed Grebe with six babies!
I knew from my reading that, as with loons, the young grebes will sometimes ride on its parent’s back.  I always looked with hope but never thought I would actually see it for myself.  But it happened!

Early this August, I was doing an early morning walk around Howard Marsh West. Most of the young grebes were already half-grown, but I still enjoyed watching the family interactions.  Then I saw a group of chicks that looked quite young.  My obsession with baby grebes means I have to photograph nearly every one I see.  While I was watching and photographing, I thought I saw something roll off the back of the adult.  Was it?  It was!!  My excitement soared, and I was able to watch the baby get on and off several times before the family moved off into the reeds.
​

It was time to get to work anyway, so off I rushed to share my best sighting of the summer. And I’m more determined to get out to the marsh more frequently next year.
​
1 Comment

From the Field: Rescuing California Quails

10/13/2023

1 Comment

 
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Submitted by BSBO Board Chair, Don Bauman
Please note that this story takes place in California!

​While sitting at her computer and looking out her window, Ming Cho saw a family of California quail crossing the entryway toward her on our street.  There were two adults and what she thought were six small chicks following in line.  They went out of view behind some hedges, then she saw them going back where they came from, seemingly in a chaotic, almost frantic race to get back.  Only this time, there were only three chicks to be seen.  Because she didn’t see the remaining chicks, she went outside to see where they might be, and she located them in a sewer drain near the curb, where they had apparently followed each other and fallen through the grate.

​Plan A.  The drain was only about 18 inches deep, so she and her mother, Una, pried off the grate to try and reach the chicks.  When they reached in, the chicks ran into the drain pipe that leads away from the drain and were out of reach.  
Plan B.  At that point, Ming ran upstairs to get my wife, Pat Whitesides, whom she knew was a knowledgeable birder, to ask for help rescuing the chicks.  Together, they contrived a plan.  They would play quail sounds on their cell phone to attract the chicks back into the drain where they could be reached and removed.  It didn’t work that easily because as soon as the chicks appeared in the drain and saw Pat and Ming waiting for them, they ran back into the drain pipe.
​

Plan C.  Get the chicks into the drain and cover the opening to the drain pipe with a sheet of cardboard to block their escape.  It worked partially.  Two of the chicks were rescued from the drain, but the remaining chicks wouldn’t come out of the drain pipe.  

Plan D.  They contacted Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, knowing they take in distressed and injured animals and will care for them.  It was already 3:15, and they had to get the chicks to the museum by 4:00, so they made a couple more tries to get the last chick but failed.  They took the two chicks to Lindsay and were told that when the chicks could protect themselves, they would be brought back into the Rossmoor area to be released back into the wild.

Plan E.  After returning home, Ming continued working to retrieve the remaining chick from the sewer and actually succeeded in retrieving two more chicks.  Following the instructions from the volunteer at Lindsay, she placed the chicks in a cardboard box, neither fed them water nor food and intended to take them to Lindsay in the morning.  Apparently, those two chicks were too stressed from their long ordeal in the sewer because they died overnight, quite possibly from a heart attack.
​

In the end, two quail chicks were rescued by the determination and prompt actions of Ming, Una, and Pat.  It is worth mentioning that these chicks were possibly only days old, given that they were only the size of golf balls.  While Pat had seen baby quail before in Rossmoor, she had never seen them so small.  Quail chicks are born to be “precocious,” meaning they can walk and feed themselves almost immediately upon hatching.  What they can’t do very well is protect themselves.  They needed Ming, Uma, and Pat for that.
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California Quail Chicks
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Adult California Quail
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From the Field: Cotton candy-colored Cuties

9/5/2023

3 Comments

 
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Submitted by Outreach Director Jasmine Cupp
I would like to echo Tyler's previous blog post and say: One of the most exciting things about birding is you never know what you'll find. 

My love of birding has blossomed into finding any little (or big!) interesting thing nature will show me while I am outside. During the summer season when birds are breeding and brooding, they can be scarce. In those times, I have fallen in love with chasing butterflies and moths! I frequently visit Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and one particular visit yielded quite a surprise.

On a hot, windy summer day, I decided to photograph some plants to try and build up my plant identification skills.
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Two Primrose Moths on evening-primrose.
I took a photo of an evening-primrose and quickly moved on along the trail. When I got home, I was eager, as always, to look through the photos and identify what I had found. The photo to the top right was a photo that I uploaded to iNaturalist and it kept suggesting "Primrose Moth" as an identification. I certainly didn't see a moth while in the field, but I looked closer, and to my surprise, there was a Primrose Moth! Not only one, but two! (They can be seen in the left bud.) I couldn't believe it! I was so excited, and I thought, "All I have to do is take some photos of evening-primrose and I'll find some pretty moths? That's easy!"

I went back the next day and along the same trail took photos of every blooming evening-primrose. One of them I could see had a moth. When I got home, I could see another plant had a moth and some eggs! Despite searching, I haven't been able to find any other Primrose Moths. And as I've learned since then, they can be quite localized and hard to find. I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at  just the right time to find these cotton candy-colored cuties.  
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Primrose Moth on evening-primrose with eggs.
The Primrose Moth (Schinia florida) has a range from Nova Scotia to the Great Lakes region to northern Florida. Larvae go through five instars before burrowing in the ground to pupate overwinter. There is one generation per year, with the adult flight period timed to coincide with the bud development of its larval host plants. Adults are nocturnal, and often rest in the flowers of evening-primroses during the day.

The mimicry of the moth to the buds of the plant is such impressive camouflage. Looking at them side-by-side, you can definitely tell how someone could overlook a moth in the flowers of an evening-primrose.

​Nature is amazing! 
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Evening-primrose with Primrose Moth.
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Evening-primrose buds.
Photos by Jasmine Cupp
​References: D.F. Hardwick (1970). "The life history of Schinia florida". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 24 (4): 282-287.
3 Comments

From the Field - Purple Martin Majesty

8/25/2023

4 Comments

 
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Submitted by BSBO Communications Specialist, Tyler Ficker
One of the most exciting things about birding is that you never know what you'll find. No matter how many times you pass a given spot, there's always the chance for something new. In this case, that spot was the Best Buy parking lot close to where I grew up. 

While sitting on the back deck at my parent's house, I noticed two Purple Martins overhead. That's a fairly exciting yard bird for the suburban property; any swallow is. On the east side of Cincinnati, Purple Martin is a regular migrant and breeding bird. We are fortunate enough to see great swallow diversity and numbers with the Ohio River, Little Miami River, and East Fork Lake State Park. However, I had only seen them a few times in that yard when I lived there. 
The next thing we knew, there was maybe 40 or 50. All of which were heading to the southwest. A friend and I ran out to pick up food, excited about the Purple Martins. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we noticed nearly 450 martins in one group! This was enough to break the Clermont County high count of Purple Martins by 50 birds!

The next weekend, I was back in Cincinnati and decided to get there a little bit earlier and see where they were all coming from. However, at that same site, we saw maybe 100 and they were all overhead going west. As we were about to leave, we looked over and noticed a cloud that we estimated to be 800 martins! We made it over to the parking lot where the cloud was only to hear them tucked into the vegetation along the edge of the parking lot. 

​The next night, we realized we needed to get there even earlier than we had. We wanted to get to this site at about the time we first noticed birds over the yard the week before. We showed up about 45 minutes before sunset this time with a tally clicker in hand ready to get to the bottom of the mystery of just how many Purple Martins were present at this roost. 

What started as a 1x1 count of birds coming into about 800 birds was very quickly turned into a 5x1 count. Then a 10x1 count. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, we clicked groups of 10 martins coming in from the southwest only. We found birds were mainly coming from the southwest, passing over our heads, doing a large loop northeast of us, then coming back in. This way we could reduce the amount of birds double counted (while still missing those birds that were coming in from the NE without passing us the first time).

Our total that evening ended at an astonishing 10,494. We repeated the process the following weekend and came up with 13,783. We shared this with some of the local birding groups and were thrilled to see other birders coming out to enjoy this mind-blowing spectacle in a suburban shopping center parking lot! Purple Martins are known to use these urban/suburban landscapes for their fall staging but had not previously used this location! 
4 Comments

BioBlitz at Earth Heart Farms

8/7/2022

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Our Ploverville Saga Continues...

8/18/2021

1 Comment

 
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The short story is that after being gone for a day and a half #TheFourWeAllAdore returned to Maumee Bay State Park. We'd predicted that that might happen, wondering if the chicks would move between nearby Cedar Point NWR and Maumee Bay SP. We waited to post anything because we weren't sure how long they'd stay.

The longer story is far more complex.

There are no gentle transitions for a #GreatLakesPipingPlover monitor.
It's more like a series of emotional explosions.
​
- OMG, WE HAVE A NEST!!
- OMG, WE HAVE AN EGG!!
- OMG, THE EGGS ARE HATCHING!!
- OMG, THE CHICKS HAVE LEFT THE PROTECTED AREA!!
- OMG, THERE'S AN OFF-LEASH DOG!!
- OMG, THE CHICKS ARE FLYING!!
- OMG, THERE'S A DRONE!!

It's totally worth the emotional rollercoaster ride to experience the joy of being part of this extraordinary project.

But, today we are faced with the sharpness of a reality that has lurked in the shadows of that joy.
Yesterday morning, our volunteers were unable to find Kickapoo. After extensive searching, some twist of fate led them to search an area of Cove 4 one last time. It was there that they found signs of predation. We confirmed that the remains were of a Piping Plover. The few signs they found indicate that the predator was a mink, but we can’t say for sure.
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Kickapoo: Image by Mandy Roberts
We agonized over how to break this news, even considered not sharing it at all. But in the end, we felt that the truth was best, and important to the integrity of the project.

Please, try not to think of this as a failure. We did absolutely all that we could to give the birds their best chance for survival. This is the sharp reality that nature is not always beautiful. Nature often seems raw and cruel, and far too intense for mere humans to understand, especially under these circumstances. But I, for one, find it “easier” to accept that this was an act of nature rather than losing one of our beloved birds to some evil act of humans.

We will carry the pain of this loss together, sharing in the sadness just as we did the joy, easing the hurt by suffering it as a community, being there for each other as we struggle to come to terms with it. And we will use this information and what we’ve learned to help inform the Great Lakes Piping Plover project so that the loss is not in vain.

My heart goes out to all of the volunteers and to all of you who faithfully follow this story. I know you love these birds, too.

Now we'll try to focus on the three remaining chicks that we need to monitor, with hope beyond hope that they’ll begin their journey safely – and soon.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Sincerely,
Kimberly Kaufman
Executive Director
Black Swamp Bird Observatory 
​
1 Comment

Mystery Bird Disease: What we know, What to do

6/29/2021

7 Comments

 
Information provided by Chris Sheley, Wild Birds Unlimited, Columbus, Ohio and Ohio Department of Natural Resources 
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A healthy fledgling American Robin
We are seeing a number of articles popping up in social media feeds and local news outlets about a novel avian disease and bird mortality event. As of now, we don't know how prevalent this illness is in Ohio or the cause of it. We want you to be as informed as possible and know that we are tracking developments closely.

What we know so far
​
  • It was first reported in the Washington D.C. area.
  • Symptoms include swollen eyes with a crusty discharge, balance and neuorological issues.
  • Birds with similar symptoms have since been discovered in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Maine.
  • Reports state that fledglings are the most affected and Blue Jays, European Starlings and Common Grackles are the main species being affected. Some other species being affected in smaller numbers include the American Crow, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, and a Barred Owl. 
  • Birds with this unknown disease are being sent to diagnostic laboratories to investigate the cause of death. Those laboratories include the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, the University of Georgia Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, and the University of Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program.
  • The current tests performed have all been negative. We have no definitive cause as of yet. Testing is continuing and results could take weeks, months or longer; no one knows.

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Fledgling Blue Jay afflicted with the disease. Photo from Blue Ridge Wildlife Center
Precautionary Measures

Until we have a better understanding of what is causing the illness and how it spreads we can take some precautionary measures. Below are some healthy bird feeding tips:
  • Focus on using only feeders that can be easily cleaned.
  • Clean feeders, birdbaths and all hardware regularly.
  • During known outbreaks cleaning as often as possible is best, but at minimum try to clean feeders weekly. 
  • Clear away any debris and feces (poop) from the feeder.
  • Scrub and wash feeder with warm, soapy water.
  • To disinfect your feeder, a 10% bleach or white vinegar solution works best (1 part vinegar/bleach to 9 parts water). If using bleach, be sure to rinse the feeder thoroughly and let the feeder dry completely in the sun to break up any remaining residue before filling.
  • Keep the area around your feeders clean and free of feces. Some diseases, such as salmonellosis, can be transmitted through a bird's fecal matter.
  • Periodically, move feeders to new locations in the yard to avoid the build up of waste materials and feces. Be sure to always keep the ground below and around the feeders clean. Rake and discard seed debris and bird droppings on a regular basis.
  • Limit the amount of seed provided in feeders to only the amount birds will consume in one or two days.
  • Give the birds more space. The addition of more feeders, spread far apart from one another, will reduce the crowding of birds that is often found around a single feeder. This will reduce the birds’ stress and the potential for disease transmission between healthy and sick birds.
  • Store all bird seed in rodent and insect proof containers to avoid contamination.
  • Always discard seed that has become wet.

What to do if you find a sick or dead bird 
  • Always use gloves while handling any sick, injured, or dead bird and always wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after working with your feeders.
  • If removing the bird or taking it in to a certified rehabber, wear gloves to minimize contact and place the bird in a sealable plastic bag (if deceased). 
  • Take down feeders for 7 - 10 days to reduce the spread of disease. When there is a known contagion in the area, taking down your feeders temporarily can help slow its spread. 
  • If you find a sick or dead bird please contact the nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
  • Please submit a report online to Ohio Department of Natural Resources using their Wildlife Species Sighting reporting system to help biologists track the spread of the disease. When reporting, select Bird - Diseased or Dead.
                                         Submit a Diseased/Dead Bird Report HERE >>>
  • You can also include photographs or videos with your report, as well as latitude and longitude coordinates to help wildlife biologists quickly verify the sighting. Remember to always view wildlife from a respectful distance for your safety as well as the safety of the animal. 
Thank you for doing your part to care for birds! 
7 Comments

Salmonella and Bird Feeders

4/6/2021

2 Comments

 
Guest post from bird feeding expert, Anna Dissanayaka
From the CDC: Birds can carry germs like Salmonella while looking healthy and clean. However, there are reports of wild songbirds, such as pine siskins (small, streaked, yellow-tinged songbirds in the finch family) sick with the same strain of Salmonella that is making people sick in this outbreak. Salmonella germs can spread between species of birds, to pets, and to people. You can get sick when you touch your mouth with unwashed hands after touching wild birds, bird feeders or bird baths, or your pets that have contact with wild birds.  (For more information on human health, visit the CDC website.) 
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In regards to the recent news about salmonella and feeder cleaning, we invited backyard bird feeding expert, Anna Dissanayaka to offer some guidance. 
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In some states people are advised to take down feeders. While it is not necessary to fully remove your feeders in Ohio right now, here are some precautions you can take:
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  • Always wash your feeders thoroughly and regularly after handling bird feeders.
  • Wash your feeder any time it appears dirty or gets food built up in the bottom. This not only prevents disease, but also illnesses from rancid or moldy food, and it prevents maggots and other larvae from living in the bottom of feeders. (I’ve seen it at my job WAY more often than I ever would have imagined.)
  • For regular cleaning, I use hot water and dish soap. If it’s really bad, use baking soda and white vinegar and let it soak first. (But you should strive never to let feeders get that dirty!) 
  • While it is safe to use 1 part bleach with 10 parts water and let it fully air dry before you put it back outside, I don’t recommend it. Birds’ lungs are far more sensitive than our own, and it’s just not necessary. It also will deteriorate your feeder faster over time, especially when combined with sunlight.
  • Fully empty feeders before you refill them. Especially trays in this case, scrape out old food that could possibly have feces on it before you pour more on top.
  • Regularly rake the mess under your feeders to prevent buildup, or better yet, use a no-mess blend. But don’t allow piles to accumulate under your feeders.
  • Do not allow dogs to forage under feeders. Not only are they susceptible to salmonella, they could get a painful, expensive, and potentially fatal compacted bowel from ingesting shells of some seeds.
  • And I repeat: Wash your hands after handling feeders.
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The mission of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory is to inspire the appreciation, enjoyment, 
and conservation of birds and their habitats through research, education, and outreach.


We are located at the entrance of the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
| 13551 W. State Route 2  |  Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449  |  419.898.4070  |