Last weekend, I saw a Chaffinch acting rather strangely in the garden. It was unusually tame and didn't look very well either. I saw it first as I got up in the morning. I was watching the birds out of the window at about 7:00 when I saw it perched on the edge of our conservatory roof. It wasn't really moving, yet I was only about 3 or 4 metres away from it. This was the first I had seen it, so at this point I wasn't sure what was wrong with it.
Throughout the day, I kept seeing it more and more, sat on our conservatory roof. In the afternoon I went outside. The Chaffinch was still there. I kept asking myself, "what shall I do". It was clearly in pain, so I left it alone. I took a few pictures for the record. It tried to find a warm place to roost for the night, but unfortunately, the sub-zero temperatures were too much for it and it died. :-(
Sad news, eh... I guess this kind of thing happens all the time. I cleaned out the feeders thoroughly the next day, and since then, I have seen no sick birds. Hurrah! In fact, our feeders have been very busy recently, and the feeder is empying in a couple of days. On a serious note, its just as important to keep the feeders clean as it is to fill them up. I will definately do it more often in the future.
If you have any ideas as to what was actually wrong with this Chaffinch, by looking at the photos, please leave a comment and I will be grateful. I wonder where it caught the disease too. I don't think it was from our garden because no other birds appear ill in any way. Just a quick note for Shirl too... Sorry I haven't joined you in the birdwatch post for the past few weeks. I have just handed in the first part of my Geography coursework which I have spent a lot of time on recently. I have some photos of the last few weeks in the garden to post today or tomorrow which will be similar to our bird watch post. 
6 comments:
Hi Laura
Mmm I did feel very sorry for it. I just hope I don't see any more cases in the next few weeks. In the winter, the birds are probably more likely to catch disease as they are feeding more often.
Joe
Hi Laura
Mmm I did feel very sorry for it. I just hope I don't see any more cases in the next few weeks. In the winter, the birds are probably more likely to catch disease as they are feeding more often.
Joe
Hi again Joe :-)
So sad to see this condition and there really is nothing you can do for the bird if you see one. You must keep your feeders clean to stop it spreading - which I know you are careful with. Yes, I believe can help you with this.
I have seen this in a Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, House sparrow and Greenfinch! Not surprisingly it is known as the finch disease or fat finch disease.
Trichomoniasis is the name for this condition. You might also notice that the bird will look for water too as it cannot swallow. It tries to eat but it is unable to. You can read more about it on this RSPB webpage http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.asp.
No probs with the birdwatch, Joe. I have been counting myself but with PC probs didn't get anything posted last week either.
Hope your exams went well.
Hi Shirl,
Thanks for the comment. I definately made sure that our feeders were clean.
Thanks a lot for the help. I shall look into it. I had heard of Trichomoniasis before but I had no idea that this was it.
No other finches have been seen to be ill recently, so I am hoping the disease hasn't spread.
Mm... I did notice that it wanted to have a drink from the bird bath quite frequently. I don't think it could eat properly either from what I could see.
Thanks again for the help,
Joe
Hi Joe,
I agree with Shirl and fear your poor little Chaffinch was suffering from Trichomoniasis. Sadly I first saw this distressing disease in the early autumn mainly in Greenfinches and the odd Goldfinch. I have tried to be scrupulous with hygiene but one thing I have noticed is under the sunflower heart feeders, where the finches are such messy eaters it is very difficult to sweep the debris clear from the grass/soil in the damp weather. I now have catcher trays (plant pot saucers) on the ground beneath them which are easily cleaned. They don't look overly attractive but do help. The real problem of course as you alluded to yourself is that not everyone is hygiene conscious but the more people are made aware of this dreadful disease then hopefully the less we will see of it, it really is heartbreaking to see birds suffer in this way and not be able to help them.
Very best wishes for your studies and the continued success of your blog.
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