Hoosiers, Take Down Your Bird Feeders: Indiana DNR Concerned About Wave Of Songbird Deaths
By Tori Jane|Published July 05, 2021
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Tori Jane
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Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
If you’re anything like us (and we’re pretty sure you are – come on, we’re such good friends), you love all kinds of nature, and that includes birds and birdwatching. You might have a feeder or two (or twelve) in your yard, and you probably enjoy watching your feathered friends arrive to munch on the tasty seeds you leave for them. However, right now, if you’re a lover of birds, you’ll want to take your feeders down, clean them thoroughly, and only put them back up when the DNR indicates that it’s safe. The recent songbird deaths in Indiana are certainly concerning, and scientists are trying to learn why.
Some of the larger counties affected include Marion and Lake, as well as St. Joseph and Hamilton. It's not yet clear what exactly the mystery illness is, though it does appear to be neurological in origin.
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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is requesting that Hoosiers take down their bird feeders statewide, not just in the affected counties.
The symptoms in each bird are the same; they exhibit eye swelling and a crusty discharge, as well as strong signs of neurological illness, as previously mentioned. Since the exact cause of the illness is still unknown, DNR advises that bird lovers of all kinds take the appropriate precautions to avoid potentially spreading the affliction.
Once you take your feeder down, it's recommended that you thoroughly wash each of its components in a 10% bleach solution. Dry them thoroughly, and do not place them back outside until Indiana DNR declares that it is safe to do so.
Sure, it's a bit of a bummer to miss out on seeing some of our feathered friends for a little while, but that's certainly better than losing them forever to this strange and awful illness.
Do not allow pets to eat dead or dying birds! Because we don't know what's causing them to become so sick, we don't know if it will affect domesticated cats or dogs, or how severely.
Nature can be brutal at times, and it's up to us to help our feathered friends stay safe as best we can.
To report dead or dying birds that you find, and to keep up with the most up-to-date information about the current songbird illness, visit the official DNR sick and dying wildlife report page.
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