BS: Another Cat/Bird Question

Subject: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: SINSULL
Date: 11 Jun 03 - 10:08 PM

My neighbors are finding dead birds, both babies and adults, lying around their property with no signs of trauma. One is a vet's assistance. Some of the babies are found wandering, falling out of nests, or healthy but out of nests and dead later. Some appear to be disoriented.

At first everyone thought my cats were the culprits but I have seen only one of them with a bird and I suspected he found it dead. The neighbor found her dog with a dead bird - this had never happened before.

West Nile or are my cats scaring them to death? I am new to the neighborhood and will keep them in until I can get them belled. The local authorities will not begin testing dead birds until June 17. They know West NIle is in Portland.

Some other odd events: we have all noticed huge amounts of bird droppings on our properties. Again - are the cats scaring them? Is this their way of marking territory? Anybody know?
Also I have had two eggs show up at my steps. One a very dark blue and partially pierced where the baby was trying to get out. The other was tiny, white, and whole.

Any bird experts?

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 Jun 03 - 10:14 PM

West Nile.. or maybe just bug spray killin' 'em off... Or not enough food... could be a lot of things...

Take a corpse to a vet...

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: MMario
Date: 11 Jun 03 - 10:36 PM

depending on the local bird population the dead babies and eggs could be due to raiding grackles, blackbirds, crows, and even seagulls.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Sorcha
Date: 11 Jun 03 - 10:40 PM

My money is on West Nile, if you have it in Maine. Birds here are getting it already. Horses will later in summer if not vacced. DON'T TOUCH DEAD BIRDS WITH BARE HANDS!! You can get it too. Might not kill you, but you will be a sick puppy.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Giac
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 06:10 AM

Hi Sins --

Even as I was reading your post, our local news was reporting on more than 50 dead birds in Hamblin County, Tennessee. The current theory is that they are being poisoned by farm chemicals, possible sprayed tobacco insecticide. Some died as they flew, and fell from the sky. I checked the TV station's website, but they don't have anything up yet.

Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: nutty
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 06:20 AM

If this were England I would suggest that slug pellets spread around gardens could be the problem .......
You can get child/pet/bird friendly pellets but few people use them.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Watson
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 06:59 AM

I'd never heard of West Nile. For those similarly lacking in knowledge, the West Nile maps website gives a useful introduction.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 04:47 PM

Whoo, that's a happy little virus isn't it..... never heard of it before now.

I hope for your sake it isn't, but it doesn't look hopeful.

Be careful!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 05:19 PM

Cats are inside tearing the house and each other apart. Isn't this fun????

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 05:55 PM

There certainly are enough mosquitoes around here in Maine now. I would strongly recommend bagging a few birds, call a vet to find out where to take them for testing.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 06:02 PM

The neighbor works for a vet and has done that. The problem is that the state will not run tests before June (July?) 17. Don't know why. My cats visit the vet next Tuesday for annual shots. I will keep them in (I hope) until then.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 07:11 PM

There are lots of possible reasons for a high mortality rate among baby birds. Storms can blow them out of their nests. Cowbirds and cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species. The cowbird or cuckoo hatches first and pushes the other babies out of the nest. Occasionally a nest is simply unstable and falls apart. Malicious or bored kids could be knocking the nests out of the trees.

I think if it were truly West Nile virus, you'd be seeing dead adult birds as well as babies—but I'm no expert.

An unusually large number of bird droppings? Some kinds of berries give birds diarrhea. Buckthorn does this. (But buckthorn berries aren't ripe yet in my part of the world.)

Maybe people are feeling paranoid and therefore paying more attention to birds than they used to.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 08:57 PM

Also, I think it's grackles that carry encephalitis.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 09:07 PM

Dead adult birds too. The babies were found strong and healthy but out of the nest. They died shortly after.

We will wait for the testresults and see. Meantime my cats are going stir crazy.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 10:52 PM

If you think you can safely wrap them in several layers of plastic, freeze some of the birds for the state. If you think it's really a problem NOW, call the local television station and explain that you've found these birds the state says they won't test yet--and see how quickly someone comes round to pick them up.

Subject: RE: BS: Another Cat/Bird Question
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 11:09 PM

Good suggestion! Wear rubber gloves and dispose of them safely! West Nile and encephalitis are nothing to mess around with.