[Birdtalk] DRUNK SISKINS??

[Jason Pietrzak]

I saw this kind of behavior around my feeders back in Logan a month ago. I
would go out to fill the feeders and I'd flush a Siskin when I got within a
foot or less. This happened on several occasions. I found a dead Siskin
laying in the corner of the yard one day and assumed the Siskin I had seen
must have been sick. Then, days later, I began to see either the same Siskin
or a different acting the same way.

My conclusion was that these guys were the leftovers of the big flocks we
saw earlier this year. Perhaps they had collided with windows and gotten
brain damage but hadn't been weeded out by predators yet. Many people don't
realize that birds that hit windows are often brain-damaged afterwards and,
although they may fly away, might not last too long.

Another interesting note: my mother who lives in New Hampshire called
yesterday and told me that she was able to get really close to a small bird
in her yard. She too wondered if it was hurt, but it flew away when she got
within an arm's length of it. NH has had a big Siskin year too so I'm
guessing she's experiencing the same thing we are... Any thoughts on the
brain-damage theory? Or is there a known disease that causes similar
symptoms?

Jason Pietrzak
Moab, UT



On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Jeff Bilsky <jbilsky at gmail.com> wrote:

> In my yard today I have observed some unusual siskin behavior. At first I
> thought one had a broken wing, but then I found another one showing the same
> behavior. Basically they are kind of acting...well drunk. They fly just
> short distances and kind of seem un-coordinated. I have approached two and
> got within grabbing distance before they jumped away. I wonder if it might
> be the buds on the tree that have recently bloomed. Maybe I'll try eating
> them as an experiment...just kidding...or am I?
>
> --
> Jeff Bilsky
> Salt Lake City
> jbilsky at gmail.com
> www.endlesswilderness.com
>
>
>
>
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