Common redpolls don’t let yesterday’s rain bother them            250News photo

Prince George, BC – While you may not yet feel like cleaning out your winter boot closet just yet, provincial biologists are asking for the public’s help in doing some spring cleaning – for the birds.

With the return of many small migratory songbirds from their winter retreats to the south, bird experts say it’s a good time to clean out your birdfeeders and bird baths.

Species such as redpolls, pine siskins, and grosbeaks are commonly found in large flocks at this time of year and, while it’s a wonderful opportunity for birdwatchers, biologists warn the high density congregations around feeders and water sources can lead to the spread of serious and, sometimes, fatal diseases among the birds.

Some simple measures to help protect bird populations include:

• most importantly, cleaning birdfeeders and birdbaths regularly – replace birdbath water every few days, scrub and clean baths and feeders, as well as the area around them, every few weeks
• spread out multiple feeders to discourage crowding – use smaller feeders that allow only one or two birds at a time and that are made of plastic or metal, rather than wood
• keep the area around the feeders clean
• if you see one or two diseased birds in your area, take your feeder down immediately and clean it
• if you have more than three diseased birds in your area, encourage the birds to disperse for a while – take your feeders down for a week or two, clean them well and re-hang them

To learn more about preventing disease problems at birdfeeders, click here.