Mystery Disease Strikes Song Birds

Chesternut hill local ^ | 7/22/21 | John O’Donnell

[justlittleoleme]

Got a bird feeder? Take it down.

That’s the advice of the Audubon Society, the PA Game Commission, the Wildlife Futures Program (WFP) at The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE). And if you think their recommendations are for the birds, you’re right.

A mysterious illness has been ravaging songbird populations in the eastern United States. Thousands of afflicted birds have been manifesting crusty discharge from swollen eyes and signs of neurologic impairment (erratic flight, trouble walking, tremors). Rehabbers are helpless; the prognosis is death.

First observed in the DC area in May and spreading into Pennsylvania by mid-June, the “event” is essentially a construct derived from thousands of unique reports of all types of avian morbidity and mortality. Natural resource management agencies in all contiguous, affected states and the District of Columbia are working together with diagnostic laboratories including Penn’s WFP to investigate the cause(s) of the die-off.

By early July, collaborating laboratories have been able to rule out West Nile virus and avian influenza. Both diseases have been known to jump to humans.

Negatives are nice, but the absence of positive identification can fuel speculation.

[justlittleoleme]

Bird Covid? Better mask up!

[Bob434]

Does it turn them into rapperz?

[rktman]

Women and “biopic” most effected. 😷💉😱

[Red Badger]

Florida hardest hit!......................

[Red Badger]

Florida hardest hit!......................

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

😁

[Pollard]

First observed in the DC area

Must be foreign born. Maybe from China.

[SMARTY]

It’s swamp gas

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

It’s that Roundup again dammit..

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Them fainting flamingos.

[Vaduz]

They must got into the GM food seeds laying around?.

[MercyFlush]

Is this the disease Biden has?

[SMARTY]

There's a squirrel out here who is positively demented! More than usual. Usually he chases away the other squirrels that come and eat the popcorn I put out.... not now, though. He dodges around like he's chasing something that isn't there. He also, does somersaults and then half somersaults.... and then he looks like he chases himself in a flip flop circle. He doesn't bother eating the popcorn at all and he used to be a real hog

[GOPJ]

Started in DC? How close to the Chinese embassy?

[fella]

Makes me wonder what new ChiCom produced ag-chemicals the Xiden Usurpation has approved this year.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes people on our NextDoor area were asking about why dead birds are showing up. That was in May and June.

If it’s not Bird Flu (MUCH worse than COVID BTW), then May I posit something from the cicadas out at the same time?

Further, I can say during cicadas, we had a hard time using up our bird feed.

Now, they are flocking like crazy again. Even the squirrels. So I have to wonder if it was true that many birds were resting on cicadas. Is there something about the cicada crop that was bad this year?

[CivilWarBrewing]

Analyze those mystery seed packets randomly mailed to people in the United States from China and go from there..

How many people were IRRESPONSIBLE ENOUGH to plant them?

[GranTorino]

I noticed crusty eyed birds 20 years ago.

[null and void]

ICWYDT

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

R.B. Gosh! Am I looking at the American Womens Soccer team???!