Finches Friend, A Gift For Nature

Why our Finches are in steep decline, understanding Swifts

For the last seven years, one family has been battling the disease that is decimating British Finches. Dick Woods and his son Andrew took up the cause. To this day, few people understand the disease that is killing our Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Bullfinches.

Dick explains, “Our Finch numbers have been dropping dramatically for over twenty years. The problem is a disease called Trichomonosis, transmitted by the parasite Trichomonas Gallinae. The parasite is transmitted on, in and under garden bird feeders and in garden water sources. Put simply, when we bring large quantities of mixed species to small spaces, it is easy for disease to be shared.”

Dick Continues, “firstly we need to understand how transmission occurs. The parasite loves damp conditions, it is around all year but most successful in Spring and Autumn when conditions are mild and damp. The parasite can remain contagious for more than 48 hours in the right environment and will replicate in wet food independently of the birds. Whilst people love bird baths, they are the perfect home for the parasite which is transmitted in both Saliva and Faeces.”

Cleaning is the answer right Dick? “Sadly not, cleaning is the crutch used by an exploitative industry to enable sales of damaging products” states Woods. He continues, “rain and damp are the enablers, people cannot stop rain entering feeder ports. Cleaning will always have a place, but design and education are the key.”

You produce lots of products Dick, could you select one and explain why it is better than Garden Centre product?

“Let’s take Cleaner Feeder 1, it will compete with any tube feeder. In my view, tube feeders are the biggest single contributor to finch decline. Although they vary, the worst have access to the feed at multiple heights. The rain can access the food through any of them. A sick finch will transmit the parasite into the food by feeding, both through Saliva, and also through a behaviour called ‘hooking’, where the use the circular port to clean husks from their sticky beaks (the disease makes them salivate), the husks will infect the food. If the food is damp, the parasite can live and replicate in the food independently of the finches. As the food in the feeder drops the infected food can present at other ports, and infect yet more finches. Add to that the impracticality of cleaning a 300mm tube with various components, few people do it weekly, and it takes just a few seconds to become infected.”

“Cleaner feeder 1, seals the food from the birds through to the point of consumption, we call this ‘encapsulation’ there can be no disease in the encapsulated area. Next we add rain protection, we ensure that the rain must exceed an angle of 45° in order to dampen the food, even then the encapsulated food is still dry. Finally we have a mechanism which allows the food flow to be switched off, enabling the base (the area the birds could have infected, to be removed in seconds and washed. Cleaning is easy”

Is there anything else you would like to add Dick?

“I would love to talk briefly about Swifts, my favourite bird. The product I have added this year which excites me most is our Cleaner Swift Box. I work with a local Swift rescue group called GABO Wildlife. The rescue work they do is truly humbling. GABO work throughout London and Kent to help Grounded Swifts and other migratory birds such as Woodcocks if they are grounded for any reason. If anyone in the Kent or Greater London area with some time and ideally a car, please get involved.

Swifts are a true miracle of nature, Swifts that nest in the UK will travel across Europe, through Spain or Italy, across the Mediterranean, follow the West coast of Africa, across Southern Africa, through the Congo Basin and then head back to the very nest they left nine months earlier. In that time, they will never have landed, they will have eaten, drunk, slept and mated on the wing. As if that was not enough they pair for life, however the only time the pairs are together is for nesting. Both birds will fly thousands of miles at near 70 miles an hour and then meet up again to nest. If a male returns to the nest a few days later than his mate, and any infidelity has taken place, he will eject the eggs from the nest. Swifts have declined dramatically over the last forty years, the reason in this case is not disease, but accommodation. For reasons best known to the Swifts, they like living with us! However we have sealed our lofts and demolished older buildings that suited them. That is where the ‘Swift brick’ debate comes in.

Learning from my experience in the rescue group, I have found four problems that we can address. At first glance, Swifts make very unimpressive nests until we realise that they have to catch their nest materials on the wing. They used to catch grasses and feathers, today they often collect plastics. The next problem the Swifts face is competitor occupation. Many of their nests have been occupied by Sparrows or Starlings by the time the Swifts arrive from mid April on. Problem number three is Wasps, if a Queen wasp overwinters in the Swifts nest there will be no entry to the nest for the Swift. Finally there is the Swift Louse Fly, a blood sucking parasite that most Swifts carry. We have developed ‘Cleaner Swift Box’ which is a two piece box separable using a simple drain rod. Cleaner Swift Box, enables the avoidance of competitor species occupation and wasp infestation, the removal of louse fly larvae, and the removal of plastics. A big thank you to Edward Mayer of Swift Conservation and Carly Ahlen of GABO Wildlife for their input in the Cleaner Swift Box design.”