Decreasing woodland bird population needs closer monitoring, says Island Nature Trust

'If we're not out there on the ground, these things catch up to us'

By Sara Fraser, CBC News Posted: Nov 08, 2016 6:00 AM AT Last Updated: Nov 08, 2016 6:00 AM AT


There's been a big drop in the number of woodland birds on P.E.I. according to recent surveys, says the Island Nature Trust. 

 
The surveys aren't part of a structured monitoring program, but the group said it's seeing a general trend towards fewer forest birds across the Island.

"If we're not out there on the ground, these things catch up to us," said Megan Harris, the executive director of the trust.

"And before we realize what's going on, we're trying to scramble to fix something that we don't fully understand."



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Trichomoniasis killing Island finches

Finches spreading parasite through backyard feeders

By Mitch Cormier, CBC News Posted: Aug 12, 2016 1:00 PM AT Last Updated: Aug 12, 2016 2:50 PM AT

Some of the Island's finches are dying of starvation right beside backyard feeders filled with the food they crave. The birds' throats are being blocked by a parasite called trichomoniasis.  

'They're trying to swallow, they can't swallow.'- Maria Forzan, wildlife pathologist

"You get a lot of inflammation, a lot of swelling, you get these nodules, they're like white nodules," explained wildlife pathologist Maria Forzan of the Atlantic Veterinary College.

"They are so big they block the way of the food, they block the esophagus of the bird stops being able to swallow."

Forzan has completed 14 necropsies on finches from the Island this year, more than she usually does. The birds have been collected by wildlife officers in both eastern and western P.E.I.

Parasite spread through bird feeders

The dead birds are found mostly around backyard feeders, where they're trying to get to food.

However, those feeders are also the reason the parasite is spread to other finches.

"They're trying to swallow, they can't swallow, they bring it back up and with that goes the parasite — so the thrichomoniasis that causes the disease," said Forzan.

"The other birds end up taking that regurgitated food and getting infected."

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