Stasia's Place Of Grace

Saturday, March 13, 2004

 

Not The Same Old Stuff

Hello, Gentle Reader! You come here to my Blog because you know it is a place of positivity and gratitude. I have tried to make it a place where you can come to be cheered. I thank you for reading my silly missives and for sending me your wonderful messages.

Today I must use my Blog for another purpose. I have a couple of sad-ish things of which I feel the need to make you aware... not horror stories, but things you can actually do something about.

You know I love to feed and watch wild birds. In our area, and in many others, there have been recent outbreaks of avian conjunctivitis. It is important, to stop the spread, that we keep our bird feeders clean and sanitary.

For more information on how to identify and prevent the disease, click here or here.

You may notice an adult bird (NOT the feathered, fledgling babies due later this spring! I mean true adults) with swollen or closed eyes, that is not able to fly very well, in your yard. If so, you can take a light towel outside, toss it over the bird, gently and slowly cup your hands around the bird in the towel, and put the bird in a paper bag or box and take it to a local wildlife rehabilitation center. Because of the severity and contagiousness of this illness, the bird will likely have to be euthanized, which is the best thing for it and for the other birds in your yard. Please be sure to wash your hands well.

Note: do not attempt captures when baby birds are fledging! They will appear fully-feathered, but they go through a period when they hang out on the ground and still can't fly in the late spring and early summer. Feathered birds with bright eyes should be left where they are, as long as they're not in immediate danger from other animals or children, as the parents will return to feeding them as soon as you disappear. Naked baby birds should be warmed in your hands, and returned to the nest, if you can find it... the parents will not "smell human scent" on the baby and reject it, as the old wives' tale goes; rather, rejection usually takes place if the parent notices the baby feels cold.

Call your area DNR office or wildlife rehab center for the best advice!

Here are some bird feeding guidelines to minimize spread of the conjunctivitis bacteria:

1) Space your feeders widely to discourage crowding.

2) Clean your feeders on a regular basis with a 10% bleach solution solution (1 part bleach and 9 parts water) and be sure to remove any build-ups of dirt around the food openings. Allow your feeders to dry completely before rehanging them.

3) Rake the area underneath your feeder to remove droppings and old, moldy seed.

4) If you see one or two diseased birds, take your feeder down immediately and clean it with a 10% bleach solution.

Thank you for keeping your feeders cleaned and sanitized! I will be tossing my wooden feeders and getting some that I can wash on a regular basis, and installing more platform feeders as well.

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The second sad announcement I have is that Rowe Pottery Works is closing. If you are a collector of their salt glaze pottery, you will want to hop over to their site ASAP to see if you can still get an order in. When you place it, be sure to note in the special instructions, "Please process Stasia's Albany bean pot order first." Wink.

Well, I guess I am grateful, in a way, for a reason to get that pot I've been dreaming of... I just hope it's still available!!! Lesson learned: never put off something that sparks your heart, whether it is buying a lovely object that makes you smile, or taking on a new creative challenge, or learning to speak Japanese!

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My next post will be cheerful and creative, I promise. Here's a quickie fun thing: I just came across a site for connecting with a senior penpal online. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but if you're interested, click here.

Thanks for checking in, and please tell your birdfeeding friends about the sites I mentioned above!

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