DEAR JOAN: A male house finch that is a regular visitor to my deck for sunflower seeds appears sick. He’s less active, and when he perches, he gapes his beak open and closed, over and over, like a human gasping for breath. He’s not as quick to fly away when I appear; and he flies slower and not as far. Lastly, the reddish mating color on his head feathers appears fainter and lesser than the other male finches. Is it bird flu? Is it old age? Do I report this? To whom?
I put shelled sunflower seeds (raw and unsalted) in two small dishes among my potted plants, about 2 teaspoons worth total, twice a day, along with some nyjer seeds. The birds wait for me to do this and sing at me to hurry up. I make little sounds to let them know I’m in distribution mode, and sometimes the finches sing a back and forth response with me.
When any of them leaves a poop in a seed dish, I bring it in, scrub it, rinse it thoroughly and let it dry in the sunlight. Ditto for washing the birdbath every 2 or 3 days.
My avian guests include house finches, California towhees, Oregon juncoes, white-crowned sparrows, chickadees and pretty little Townsend’s warblers. Do you know the new, non-racist name for this warbler?
— J.T., Richmond
DEAR J.: You are a true friend to the birds in your neighborhood. Well done.
It does sound like the finch is ailing. There are a number of conditions that could be to blame, but it sounds very much like avian flu. To be safe, you might want to take down your feeders for a bit. You’re good at keeping them clean, but if you start seeing other sick birds, then definitely bring the feeders inside for a couple of weeks.
You should report dead birds at the California Dead Bird Hotline, 877-968-2473. They might ask you to collect the bird for study, but be sure to wear gloves and a Covid-type surgical mask.
The Townsend’s warbler is named after John Kirk Townsend, who thought Native Americans were racially inferior and stole skulls from graves in a misguided and vile attempt to prove it. The warbler is one of a few birds slated to get new names. The American Ornithological Association is leading the discussion, but a new name has not yet been chosen. I’ll keep an eye out for the changes.
DEAR JOAN: Facebook now has daily videos of certain marine animals completely covered in barnacles. Most are whales, and they surface to allow people to clean the barnacles off of their bodies. Several show people walking back and forth on the whale’s back.
Are the videos real? Would a whale allow that?
— Ron March, San Ramon
DEAR RON: I can’t speak for all the videos, but some whales do allow for that close contact. Whales are, generally speaking, gentle and curious. Unless given a reason to react, whales don’t consider humans a threat.
That doesn’t mean we should try for close contact with every whale we encounter. As with any wild animal, we should treat them with respect and keep our distance.
Animal Life runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.