Over the past ten days, or so, two of the several catbirds that live nearby
and come to my feeders have died in my yard; both right beside the bird
bath. I watched the first one die, flapping around helplessly on the ground
for a half-an-hour or so, often hardly able to move. Today, I found a
second dead one; no evidence of a broken neck from flying into a window or
other trauma. Just dead. I still have several healthy cat birds, all
eating the same stuff; mostly raisins and suet. All of the other birds in
yard, eating the same food, seem to be fine and healthy: cardinals, titmice,
chickadees, nuthatches, thee species of woodpeckers , jays, sparrows, doves;
all fine.
I thought perhaps the two cat birds could have died of West Nile. I would
be interested if anyone has had any similar experiences or ideas as to why
my catbirds died.
--
Donald Sweig
Falls Church, Va.
