HELPING FINCHES IN A PINCH
With wild birds threatened by disease, a new feeder offers a safer way to welcome avian visitors into your garden
Watching birds flit about a feeder is one of the pleasures of having a garden. But when it comes to the species we love, are we killing them with kindness?
The answer, unfortunately, could be yes. Huge numbers of wild birds have been lost in recent decades to a parasitic disease commonly transmitted on bird feeders. This disease, known as trichomonosis, typically affects finches. The British Trust for Ornithology estimates that between 2006 and 2015, trichomonosis wiped out nearly three million greenfinches in the UK.
“As well as greenfinches, many other birds including house sparrows, siskin, chaffinches and bullfinches are affected,” says natural history TV presenter Martin Hughes-Games.
Two people who saw first-hand how quickly trichomonosis can affect a wild bird population are Dick and Tina Woods from Kent. The couple loved the 60 or so finches, particularly greenfinches, that flocked to their feeders.
Then, over a few weeks in 2016, all the greenfinches died. The
Woods were shocked. Spurred into action, they found out more about trichomonosis and how it spreads, and Dick decided to do something about it. With more than 40 years’ industrial design and manufacturing experience, he took on the challenge with enthusiasm.
An effective way to lower trichomonosis transmission is through good hygiene at feeding stations. Damp food can encourage the spread of the parasite, and feeders should be cleaned weekly, but most are fiddly to take apart and reassemble. So Dick set about designing a bird-friendly feeder that is easy to clean.
“The key was separating the feed store from where the birds feed,” says Dick, as where birds perch tends to be where the disease is passed on. After four years of research and development, he 3D-printed a feeder that solves the problem. Dick now works with a local injection-moulding firm to produce two commercial recyclable versions with a low carbon footprint: a large feeder that can hold four types of feed, and a smaller version with two feed chambers.
The Finches Friend Cleaner Feeder is built to last and has a feed station that’s easily removed as well as a storage section that keeps seed dry. Each feeder comes with a spare feed station so you can use a clean one while you wash the other.
Dick and Tina have already seen the benefits of the Cleaner Feeder in their own garden. “The Finches Friend feeders worked,” says Dick. “The greenfinches returned.”