This is a newbie question---I know very little about birds.

I have a plastic hopper-type bird feeder stuck to the window outside my
office on the University of Washington campus (Seattle, Padelford Hall).
I get a lot of house finches and some chickadees. I feed them thistle
seed mixed with whole hulled sunflower.

Recently I've noticed that several of the house finches have something
wrong with their eyes. It looks like they have an eye swollen
shut. First I noticed just one female like this, but today I noticed
several of both sexes.

Could my feeder be spreading disease? Once I read that feeders should be
cleaned or sterilized frequently. (Wash and then soak in bleach solution?
Not very environmentally friendly, the bleach?)

The birds stick their heads into the hole of the hopper to get the grain.
Could it be that they are brushing their eyelids against the inside
(sides) of the hold (or tube), rubbing the skin raw and spreading bacteria
or viruses to each other?

I have heard that some birders disapprove of feeders altogether. Perhaps
I should be censured for having the feeder? Granted, I do it for selfish
reasons. I like to have birds outside my window. They are
semi-domesticated.

I'm interested in your thoughts.

Jake

Jacob A. Wegelin
Department of Statistics
University of Washington
B-313 Padelford
Box 354322
Seattle WA 98195
http://www.stat.washington.edu/wegelin/
fax (206) 685-7419