Subject: Roundup and Birds
From: moholt@gardens.com (Carol Moholt)
Organization: The Bay Area Gardener
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 08:35:40 -0700
Message-ID: <MOD$970910.28166@rec.gardens.ecosystems>


I was picking up bird seed yesterday at my local wild life supply store
and thediscussion shifted to the subject of house finches with deformed
beaks. In most cases, the top part of the beak is partially missing. This
makes it hard for the bird to eat, and prevents them from preening (the
process of cleaning their feathers and distributing oil through them). The
result of inadequate preening is a "scruffy look" in the summer and one
that leads to death in the winter when their feathers can't protect their
bodies from cold and wet (that is, if they haven't starved to death
first).

The owner of the supply store (who's been a birder for over 30 years)
believes that that the beak problem is caused by Roundup ingestion by the
parents of the afflicted bird. In his opinion, some birds are eating
seeds from Roundup covered plants before the plants die, but in other
cases, they are ingesting Roundup from the minute residues that mist into
the air and settle on nearby seed or berry producing plants.

In the Roundup discussion, someone mentioned using the "dauber" method of
applying Roundup in which a paint roller applicator is attached to the end
of a long tube. This is an excellent method to keep the mist from
spreading to nearby plants. There are also "flamers" available that
bypass the whole notion of using a glysophate product like Roundup . The
long flamer tube is attached to a propane tank. The flame isn't actually
used to burn the weed, but instead heats it within one to two seconds to
such a high temperature that it boils the liquid in its leaves, rupturing
the plant's membranes. The liquid runs out of the cells and the plant
dries up and dies.

While Roundup is a relatively safe herbicide, I believe one needs to use
it very judiciously (and the problem is that 90% of the population
doesn't) or consider alternatives such as the flamers. The urban bird
population is under a great deal of stress to begin with and any pesticide
use will add to this stress.

(My husband says there is a big sign on our roof (written by some birds)
that says "sucker lives here", because so many birds find their way to our
garden. I started paying attention to the birds about five years ago,
feeding them and establishing habitats that provided food and shelter year
round, and that's when I realized I needed to quit using any pesticide.)

Carol Moholt