The frightening strain of bird flu doesn't yet seem to have reached American
flyways but most probably will. Since the people who have contracted it
apparently got it from contact with bird droppings and blood, bird feeders
could be a source of contagion for both birds and people. Dressing wild
waterfowl could infect hunters.

So, before there's a crisis, it would seem useful to have a conversation
about the problems bird feeders and hunting might create, ideally, a
conversation including some real expertise in epidemiology and other factors
that might be involved.

Perhaps by the time the disease reaches the Americas, infections among
domesticated birds will dwarf any bird-feeder issues. But, we really ought
to find out.

Al Wagar
Shoreline