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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Mission and Vision Statement
    • Equality and Diversity Policy
    • Annual Report
    • BSBO Board of Directors
    • BSBO Staff
    • BSBO's Visitors' Center >
      • Visit BSBO
      • Anna Macke Mikolajczyk Window On Wildlife
      • John Gallagher Memorial Birding Trail
    • eNews
    • BSBO Videos >
      • BSBO's 20th Anniversary by Deb Neidert
    • BSBO Blogs >
      • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
      • BSBO Bird Bander's Blog
      • BSBO Education and Outreach Blog
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • Support BSBO
    • Donate
    • Join or Renew
    • Sponsor A Mist Net
    • Year-End Appeal
    • Help BSBO while you shop
    • Our Wish List
    • Birds and Business Alliance
  • RESEARCH
    • Peer-Reviewed Publications
    • Passerines >
      • Passerine Research
      • Prothonotary Warbler Research
      • Building Collision Study
      • Oak Openings
    • Project SNOWstorm >
      • About Project SNOWstorm
      • Meet Buckeye
      • Meet Wolverine
    • Northern Saw-whet Owls
    • 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 >
      • Navarre Marsh Annual Banding and Survey Data
      • Annual Project Reports
    • Research Volunteer Form
    • Research Volunteer Page
  • EDUCATION
    • Bird Migration Profiles >
      • Cuckoos, Nightjars, Hummingbrids
      • Hawks, Woodpeckers
      • Flycatchers, Vireos
      • Crows, Nuthatches, Creepers
      • Wrens, Gnatcatchers, Kinglets
      • Thrushes, Mimids, Waxwings
      • Finches, Sparrows
      • Blackbirds, Chat, Cardinals
      • Warblers
    • Family Activities >
      • Free Online Resources
    • Young Birders >
      • Ohio Young Birders Club
      • Young Birders Network
      • Youth Birding Camps
    • Teachers >
      • Wetland Investigation Network
      • 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
    • Breeding Bird Surveys
  • EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
    • Birds at Home
    • Lake Erie Pelagics
    • Highway Clean-up
    • Killdeer Plains Wintering Hawks & Owls Trip
    • Fremont Christmas Bird Count
    • BSBO's Biggest Week In American Birding
  • NW OHIO BIRDING
    • Responsible Owl Viewing
    • Magee Marsh WA Closures
    • Kenn Kaufman's Crane Creek - Magee Birding Blog
    • Local Birding Hotspots
    • Local eBird Tips
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    • Timing of Spring Migration
    • Timing of Fall Migration
    • Timing of Fall Shorebird Migration
    • ABA Code of Birding Ethics
    • Ohio Bird Alpha Codes
    • Birder Calling Cards
    • Birding Ohio

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Salmonella and Bird Feeders

4/6/2021

4 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.) 
Picture
In regards to the recent news about salmonella and feeder cleaning, we invited backyard bird feeding expert, Anna Dissanayaka to offer some guidance. 
​
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:
​
  • 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.
4 Comments
Jenny link
9/15/2021 04:20:51 am

This is good. Pest control is essential nowadays. Thank you for sharing this post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply
Jessa link
9/15/2021 04:30:10 am

Great article! Thank you for sharing this informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply
African Parrot link
11/3/2021 12:03:57 pm

Thanks for making this blog. It is pretty interesting. I love exotic parrots

Reply
Braden Bills link
1/5/2023 12:06:34 pm

I want to be able to watch birds in my back yard, so I want to get a bird feeder. It makes sense that I would want to keep the bird feeder nice and clean! I can see how that would help prevent both me and the birds from getting sick.

Reply



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The mission of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory is to inspire the appreciation, enjoyment, 
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