Some years back a neighbor of mine sprayed some kind of pesticide on
his lawn. Within a few days I had dead birds all over the place ---
robins, red-winged blackbirds, mockingbirds, several species of
sparrows, and other birds. I called the US Fish and Wildlife Service
and DGIF, but nothing was done. Within a few more days, my neighbor's
dog died. Within a few months, my neighbor died, I was never sure
exactly why. His wife told me that the pesticide he used was some
super concentrated liquid that he sprayed on without diluting it. He
thought it would kill more things that way. It certainly did. Good
that he was removed from the gene pool.
What a great price we pay for our lawns.
Margaret O'Bryan
.
On Jul 15, 2010, at 4:35 PM, Donald Sweig wrote:
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.
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