Tweeters:

This may well be a silly question, but I was wondering if authorities
watching for the imminent arrival of the West Nile virus would be testing
dead birds. I ask, because today we found a newly deceased bird on our
property. The bird seemed to have no injuries at all, so it didn't seem as
though a predator had killed it. The body was actually in perfect shape, and
since it was just laying at the bottom of a tree, it didn't seem as though it
has crashed into a window. I'm sure there are any number of things that could
have caused his death, but we have "West Nile" on the brain. (My husband is
terribly allergic to the everyday common mesquite, so we are dreading the
arrival of West Nile-infected ones.)

Also, I have no idea what kind of bird this was, it seemed to look like a
Hermit or Wood Thrush. What bird commonly found around here might resemble
those two? I took photos, but haven't had them developed yet.

I appreciate any comments.

Linda Davey
Pine Lake
Sammamish, WA