Keeping Clean

Anyone who keeps feeders knows that birds are phenomenally messy creatures. Feeders and any other surface can quickly become spotted with guano, seed hulls pile up, and Lord knows what is going on at the bacterial level wherever they’ve been! As the weather warms I am cleaning the feeder station a little more often and more thoroughly. The bird bath gets a good scrubbing as well. To clean most of the station, I make a 1% solution of bleach (best estimate) and use a soft bristled brush to scour off contaminants. After a water rinse I try to make sure feeders are dry before adding seed. The hummingbird feeders get cleaned with a vinegar solution (I like mine 50%-50%). And while I scrub away, I do get to enjoy the usual chorus of birds scolding me for interrupting their morning feeding! I am satisfied that I am taking care of my friends. So far as I can tell my birds are healthy. We have apparently avoided the salmonella problems that hit some finch populations in the Chapel Hill area this winter.