Nothing catches your attention faster than dead birds near your bird feeder.
“We are seeing a number of pine siskins dying in the vicinity of our sunflower feeder, three in the last week,” Barbara Moran of Whidbey Island wrote in an e-mail.
“We are keeping the feeding station clean, but they continue to die. It seems to take several days. They go from pecking at seeds, to simply sitting, then going into a sleeping posture. It’s really sad.”
Yes, it is, and especially frustrating when we keep our feeders clean.
Pine siskins (finches in general) are particularly susceptible to disease because they are flocking birds and crowd around feeders, usually staying until the seed is gone.
Birds have the bad habit of defecating in the feeders. This is one way diseases spread (fecal matter contaminates seed, birds eat seed). Sometimes birds will arrive already sick from a contaminated feeder or other source and continue to spread the disease.
Moran described some of the signs of what is most likely salmonella: depression, sitting still (perhaps fluffing up their feathers), loss of appetite, eyes closed, and eventually death.
The best solution is to thoroughly clean feeders with a 10 percent solution of bleach and put them away for a week. The pine siskins will disperse and those that are already sick will die. You’ll have some frustrated birds for awhile, but once the feeder goes back up, the avian visitors will return.
No experience necessary: Volunteer work parties are starting to make a dent in the damage left by massive winter storms in Mount Rainier National Park.
Washington Trail Association maintenance crews will work this weekend and the May 19 weekend at Mowich Lake to repair trail washouts and replace foot logs.
WTA will be leading 12 weeks of regular daylong work parties at Mount Rainier National Park from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Call 206-625-1367 or sign up online at www.wta.org.
Back on the Hoh: The Hoh Road in the Olympic National Park rainforest reopened May 1 after a six-month closure. Heavy rain and floodwaters severely damaged the road in three places late last fall.
The most significant damage occurred at West Twin Creek, where a section of road 65 feet long and 25 feet deep completely washed away. A temporary one-lane bridge now spans the creek.
The Hoh campground is open and the Hoh Visitor Center opened Friday for weekends and will open for its daily schedule beginning May 25.
Camp food: The national Campfire Classic Cook-off offers a $10,000 grand prize and a $5,000 donation to the national park of the winner’s choice. Submit your best campfire recipe to www.redwoodcreek.com by May 15. The top five finalists will be flown to New York City for a June 21 cook-off.
Lewis and Clark: Volunteers are invited to help out at a July 20-22 living-history event at Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco.
Costumed characters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition will portray the events of Nov. 18, 1805, when Captain William Clark and 11 men camped near Waikiki Beach.
Volunteers are invited to call the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park, 360-642-3029 or email lcic@parks.wa.gov to sign up and learn about training for the event.
On the book shelf: Weather canceled your camping trip? Never fear: outdoor recreation is just a click away. Mountaineers Books loads up on advice in “Outdoors Online: The Internet Guide to Everything Wild &Green” ($15, Erika Dillman).
Dillman has boiled down myriad online options, dividing them into topics such as outdoors on wheels, places to go and staying alive, each with a good description of what to expect.
Or if trapped in a tent, pull out your “Don’t Die Out There!” card deck (Mountaineers Books, $7). It’s a slick idea with each card showing practical information on survival essentials.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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