When birds go viral . . .
QUESTION
Are garden feeders spreading disease among wild birds?
FeeDiNG the birds in your garden can be hugely rewarding. it will make a big difference during the colder months when other sources of food become more scarce as well as during the spring when parents are looking to bring food back to the nest to feed their family.
however, just like us, the health of the birds in your garden can be affected by the quality and cleanliness of food.
exercise good hygiene around the feeders and water containers. if you spot sick or dead birds in your garden, withdraw food to encourage the other birds to disperse to feed over a wider area. it is better to do this than to expose them to a serious disease risk.
Wild birds can succumb to a variety of illnesses and infections. These can be bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal. common bird diseases include salmonella, trichomonosis or avian pox. There can be single cases or major outbreaks, which are often seasonal.
A feeding station can be a point of cross-infection by bringing large numbers of birds to feed in close proximity.
Disease is brought in by the birds; the food you provide does not introduce disease into the area.
however, be careful with perishable foodstuffs such as meat, which may harbour food poisoning bacteria if left uneaten, sometimes for as little as 24 hours in the British climate.
Good hygiene at feeders is essential. clean your bird-feeders regularly with disinfectant and rotate their position to avoid a build-up of contamination.
Signs a bird may be unwell include lethargy, fluffed-up plumage, difficulty with eating and/or breathing, being easy to approach and small warty growths.
if you see a bird with any of these signs, it’s a good idea to stop feeding for two to four weeks until you no longer see any sick individuals. We also advise reporting these incidents to Garden Wildlife health at gardenwildlifehealth.org, which monitors the Uk’s garden birds.
Gareth Brede, RSPB, Sandy, Beds.
QUESTION What film are Rodney and Grandad watching in the opening scene of the Only Fools And Horses episode Thicker Than Water?
Thicker Than Water was the third Only Fools And horses christmas special, shown in December 1983. it features the arrival of Del and rodney’s dad reg, who had abandoned the boys 18 years earlier.
The Trotters are watching the blackand-white 1932 musical comedy Sleepless Nights, directed by Thomas Bentley.
A journalist called Guy raynor (played by Stanley Lupino, who co-wrote the film) is sent to the South of France to interview a reclusive millionaire.
he offers his hotel bedroom to Marjorie Drew (Polly Walker), the millionaire’s daughter, to hide from her crooked boyfriend Gerald Ventnor (Gerald rawlinson). When raynor’s boss arrives unexpectedly, he explains the situation by saying he has just married the girl. A comedy of errors ensues.
The stand-out song from the film was i Don’t Want To Go To Bed, with lyrics by Stanley Lupino and music by Noel Gay, performed by Stanley Lupino and elsie carlisle.
Stanley Lupino was the father of hollywood actress ida Lupino, who became a pioneering female director.
Alec Simmonds, Leicester.
QUESTION Was Albert Einstein asked to be president of Israel?
ALBerT eiNSTeiN was a German-born theoretical physicist of Jewish heritage whose name has become a byword for scientific genius.
in 1896, he renounced his German citizenship and was stateless for five years before gaining Swiss citizenship in 1901. in the Thirties, he lived mostly in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940.
it was einstein’s scientific fame that led to him being offered the presidency of the state of israel in 1952, even though he was not an israeli citizen. Though this may sound unusual, the presidency is, in fact, a ceremonial position. During the past 70 years, the role has been filled by a research chemist, an attorney, a diplomat and a writer and poet. Many were born overseas: chaim herzog, president from 1983 to 1993, was born in Belfast and brought up in Dublin.
einstein decided he was not suited to such a position, though he felt sad and ashamed that this was the case.
he explained that he did not have the natural ability or experience to deal with people and organise all the official functions such a post entailed.
Ian MacDonald, Billericay, Essex.
QUESTION Why are freight trains on the electrified West Coast Main Line pulled by diesel locomotives?
FUrTher to the earlier answer, keeping freight moving is not just a question of non-electrified sidings and loops. Many freight trains on the West coast Main Line will have traversed miles on other non-electrified lines.
An example is the freight trains coming from Felixstowe Docks. Some will travel to ipswich, then across to Peterborough and west to Nuneaton and Birmingham on lines that are not electrified. There are also trains travelling north from Southampton Docks via Didcot and Oxford to coventry and Birmingham.
There are freight locomotives with onboard batteries and diesel engines. Direct rail Services has ten. The class 88 — a mixed traffic electro-diesel locomotive — was introduced in 2015.
There are also class 73 electro-diesels, which date from 1962, some of which are used by GB railfreight. Based on the former Southern region, in British rail days these ventured as far north as Derby. These are third rail Dc locos and could not operate by using overhead wires. Paul Cleghorn (former GB Railfreight),
Bridlington, E. Yorks.
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