Subject: Pine Siskin - diseased?
Date: Feb 5 17:30:25 2004
From: J Bonham - jvbonham at msn.com
I have been watching the discussion about Pine Siskin disease. I have a Pine Siskin, apparently a female, that I am now worried about.
In the research I have been trying to do on Pine Siskins, they are not supposed to be solitary birds. The one coming regularly to my feeder seems to be alone. To my knowledge, I have yet to hear it. Of course, that could be because I don't really know what to listen for yet.
This particular bird sat for nearly an hour today on the outer end of my "Chickadee" feeder. It didn't move at all, except for seeming to be alert to the other birds coming and going. It sat ruffled up the entire time.
Again about an hour later I saw it on my thistle feeder. It sat, ruffled up, seemingly alert to the other birds as they came and went to this feeder, but did not move at all from its perch.
Is this normal for a Pine Siskin? I have gotten pretty attached to her, and she lets me within a foot or two of her now. Her apparent lethargy is beginning to worry me after I read about Pine Siskin disease. Should I be worried? I'm only disinfecting my feeder about once a week, and I don't want to endanger the other birds using it.
J.V.Bonham
Centralia, WA
jvbonham at msn.com