ENHS Nature Trails December 2005 Article 4

December Bird Feeder Advice

DICK AND MAEVE'S ADVICE FOR WINTER BIRD FEEDER MAINTENANCE

The feces, hulls and uneaten seed on and around bird feeders can provide a great medium for bacteria, virus and fungus to grow. Obviously, as birds come to the area, they can pick up some of these disease-causing organisms, infecting themselves as well as transferring the organisms to others. So what to do? We recommend cleaning all feeders during the summertime (when the sun can help control some disease causing organisms) at least monthly, and twice a month is better. During the winter, when moisture helps promote growth, and more birds that come to feeders are under stress, we recommend a weekly cleaning. If your feeders are under an overhanging roof and do not get wet, perhaps cleaning every two weeks is satisfactory.

For hanging seed feeders, we recommend taking them down and washing them inside and out with warm water, soap and then a bleach rinse at least monthly. For weekly cleaning, use a cloth soaked with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol or a bleach solution (10%) and clean off the perches and other areas the birds would touch. For platform feeders, brush out the entire feeder weekly and then wipe down with the bleach solution.

Hummingbird feeders should be emptied whenever the liquid becomes cloudy and should be washed thoroughly with hot water. The perches and openings should be wiped with alcohol or bleach solution every week. For people who have Anna's hummingbirds, we recommend leaving feeders up all year. We actually recommend leaving your hummingbird feeders up all year even if you usually only have rufous hummingbirds: Leave one filled halfway during the winter.**

To prevent freezing during the few days when we really have cold weather, bring the feeders in during the hours of darkness and hang them back up first thing in the morning.*** You could also rotate a couple of feeders during a cold day, bringing one in to warm up while the other one is outside.

There is a growing concern among people who feed birds about avian flu. We are sure most of you understand the truth; for those who are unsure, there are several web sites with good (accurate) information. We have a couple of recent "position papers" that we could also share with you. The quick story is that we should not stop watching birds or feeding birds or enjoying them because of this threat and perhaps unrealistic fear. Perhaps being more aware of cleaning feeders (see above) and washing our hands after handling feeders (which we should have been doing anyway) would add a little bit more protection.

**I suspect this is in case an Anna's seeks a new territory over the winter, or perhaps another feathered friend has learned to access the syrup. In my case, leaving the feeder up brought a surprise visit from a very tardy rufous in mid-October. I hoped that my feeder and still-blooming fuchsias and Zauschneria would keep him here for awhile, but after four days he left. With that small joy in mind, I'll keep my hummingbird feeder up, cleaned, and filled this winter. -Editor

***A 4:1 syrup mixture will start to freeze below 27 degrees F: http://www.hummingbirds.net

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