By John Estridge
Whitewater Valley bird lovers can bring the birdfeeders and hummingbird feeders back out of the closets.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced today that Hoosiers in 76 counties across the state can resume feeding birds but asks that residents of the remaining counties keep their feeders down while the investigation into what is killing songbirds continues.
None of the counties in the Whitewater Valley are on the moratorium list.
DNR recommended a statewide moratorium on bird feeding on June 25 to slow the spread of a still-undetermined illness that is killing birds across the state. Hoosiers answered the call, removing feeders, cleaning birdbaths, and submitting more than 3,400 reports of sick or dead birds. DNR biologists believe there to be more than 500 cases in 72 counties that involve a very specific set of clinical signs (crusty eyes, eye discharge, and/or neurological issues).
Based on the data, it appears that the bird illness is consistently affecting specific areas. There is no imminent threat to people, the population of specific bird species, or to the overall population of birds in Indiana.
DNR recommends that residents of the following counties continue to refrain from feeding birds: Allen, Carroll, Clark, Floyd, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Lake, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Porter, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe, Whitley.
Residents of other counties may again put out their feeders. Seed and suet feeders should be cleaned at least once every two weeks by scrubbing feeders with soap and water, followed by a short soak in a 10 percent bleach solution. Feeders should be thoroughly rinsed and dried before being filled with birdseed. Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned at least one a week with a 10 percent bleach solution and rinsed thoroughly.
While the data is pinpointing specific areas, the total number of deaths among songbirds is declining.
“Cases are declining, but the exact reason for that is unknown,” Amy Kearn, assistant ornithologist with DNR, said. “It might be because most of the affected birds were fledglings, and as we are now reaching the end of the nesting season, there are fewer fledglings on the landscape. Yes, there are differences by area – it seems that in Indiana we have hotspots in certain areas.”
While birdfeeders can go back out and the number of deaths is in decline, there is still no known cause for the disease and the experts still have not pinpointed what disease is being dealt with. As when this first started, the experts know what the disease is not, but not what it is.
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center’s avian disease experts are working to determine the cause of this disease outbreak.
“We are currently working with multiple labs in an interagency group, which includes the National Wildlife Health Center, in determining what is causing this disease,” Kearn said. “We have ruled out some possibilities so far, like avian influenza, West Nile virus, and other flaviviruses, Salmonella and Chlamydia (bacterial pathogens), Newcastle disease virus and other paramyxoviruses, herpesviruses and poxviruses, and Trichomonas parasites, but we are not close to any definitive results.”
While this avian disease is in no way connected to COVID, the new disease is taking the experts some time to understand.
“Partner agencies are dedicating much time and effort to determining the cause, but it is indeed taking some time,” Kearn said. “This is similar to our experiences with COVID where it took several months to learn more about how it is transmitted and what causes it. The songbird disease was first detected in late May, so only two months have passed for the diagnostic laboratories to work on determining a cause. Defining a new disease and finding its cause typically takes several months to perhaps even years.”
If you see a sick or dead bird with the above symptoms, report it at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife. Reports help DNR staff continue to track this outbreak.
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