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The Perils of Sunflower hearts ? (1 Viewer)

R

Robin Edwards

Well-known member
For the first spring I have enjoyed watching on my new nestbox cam a pair of Great Tits feeding their brood of five.

The five eggs hatched on 6th May and all seemed to be doing well with both parents attentive at the nest and feeding a combination of insects and from my garden feeders, seeds and sunflower hearts.

As of this morning only two young remain. The dead young have been evicted from the nest and I have discovered have distened crops packed full of undigested sunflower hearts. Needless to say I've withdrawn my seed feeders in the hope that the remaining youngsters survive on alternative food.

Is this common and should people refrain from using sunflower hearts (and probably other garden foods) during the spring ? The RSPB shop that sells the seed has no notices to suggest this ?

Robin
 
I wonder if, as a result of the colder weather this spring, the tit youngsters are hatching before the caterpillars they usually rely on. The webcam http://www.beleefdelente.nl/koolmees has also lost 5 young so far.
I don't usually get mealworms these days (too expensive with so many 4-legged predators around) but I have just got some in for a great tit pair in the garden. They seemed to be feeding a mixture of suet pellets and sunflower hearts, which of course, don't have any liquid content, so hopefully they will fledge ok now.
 
I have blue tits nesting, the young will probably fledge in 4/5 days time.
I have seen the parents eating fatballs and sunflower hearts but they only feed grubs to the babies, perhaps they are more experienced?

I had wondered what I would do if I saw them trying to feed peanuts or hearts to the chicks.


Mary
 
Gosh I don't know I just asked birdwatch ireland if they heard of this happeining before. In all of the bird books they recommend sunflower hearts as a "summer food" and state that birds are very discerning about what they feed to the babies and eat the seeds themselves and give the live food to the babies. Will let you know what they say. I am worried now. I have them out too.

19th May 2010

As promised below is the response from Birdwatch Ireland

BirdWatch Ireland This is really quite surprising, our normal advice and that of many other bird organisations, is that feeding throughout summer is good as it allows parents to forage for themselves easily while provisioning young with insect food. In this case, which we hope is an exception it might be a result of inexperienced parent birds or perhaps a local ... See Moreinsect food shortage or the like. One thing you can be more confident of is that the surviving chicks will get more attention, more food and it may well increase their survival chances and result in their making it through to next spring to breed!

It's really helpful to know of instances like this and we will consult others and consider whether there is a need to change advice if there are other instances of the same.
 
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Before everybody stops using Sunflower Seed; it's possible that the food was just incidental. A number of diseases, including one caused by the Trichomonad parasite, can block parts of the Digestive System, causing the bird to starve to death.

So it's possible the Crop exit was blocked, causing food to build up in it.

Just a guess mind, you need a Post Mortem to be sure.|=)|
 
Hi Chris, I haven't stopped the sunflower hearts but am concerned as a blue tit for the first year has just taken over a nest box at my dad's house. I have seen it carry away sunflower seeds in its mouth. There is an issue in my area with the green finches getting triochomanisis and at various times I have had to stop feeding altogether. But from the literature from RSBP and Birdwatch Ireland Tits are immune to this parasite and the RSBP advise you to remove all other feeders, sterilise but to leave up the tit feeders. Am rightly confused now.
 
With Trich it is normally just the finches and Pigeon and Doves that get it.

As long as your feeders are kept clean and your water supply changed daily you should be fine.
 
Birds feeding sunflower hearts to babies

This year they filmed this happening on BBC SpringWatch. Chris Packham thought that it must be inexperienced parents or a lack of natural catterpillars available.

Birds seem to know whats best and a few seeds probably does no harm however I always add Live Mealworms in the springtime from http://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/acatalog/Bird_Food__LIVE_FOOD_94.html and my blue tits have raised 5 or more young each year for the pasted 3 years.

Hope this helps.

BB
 
Thanks a million for that. Unfortunately I have had to stop feeding the birds. I am in an area where the Green finches get Trichomanises and saw a sick parent with 2 sick babies and sadly it passed to 1 Siskin. Such a bad time of the year to have to stop with the pressure of feeding their baby birds. But in this heat and no matter how clean I keep my feeders (they are washed in mild disinfectant solution daily and rinsed well) it has spread. It happens every year and am sadly considering not starting up again in Autumn if it is going to happen yearly and spead to other species. My heart was broken taken down all the feeders had a reed bunting with 2 babies coming every day. A pair of redpoll and 4 babies coming every day to the niger seed feeders, oodles of goldfinch and babies. But had to take those down too as the green finches feed from them also. Had great, blue and cold tits as well. The babies were all used to eating the sunflower seeds and I worry what will happen now that I have had to stop. When there is nothing to do for this terrible disease and it keeps happening maybe it is as well to not feed at all when it has started to spread to other species.

Sadly.

Ann
 
So sorry, Ann, that you're having such a bad outbreak of this disease. It is so disheartening when you're trying to help birds. Do you know if anyone else in the area has feeders out? There is a strong possibility that someone else's feeders/water dishes are passing on the parasite. Maybe you could put a letter in the local paper/shop window? Or even, if there aren't too many properties, deliver a note to each house explaining the problem.
 
Hi Mary thanks for that. I only know of 1 other man in my area who feeds them and he always stops end of April. Because I have been feeding them for so long they keep coming back and there are no feeders out. It happens every year poor little green finches 1 died and left behind 2 sick babies. They pass it on to them when they are feeding them. I may not feed again in Autumn as it is too hard watching sick birds poor little mites.
 
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