In article ,
escape wrote:

On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 14:07:13 -0600, Katra
opined:
(...)

I think most people here will agree that where there are masses of
grackles, there are few other native birds around.

That's not what you said. You said, and I'll keep repeating that, they cause
health hazards to native birds. This is untrue, yet you keep avoiding this.
Grackles live in parking lots, in cities near noise and in some of the worst
polluted areas of town.


Okay, since you are too lazy to google it yourself, I did it for you.
There are NUMEROUS references to the health hazards of large deposits of
bird guano:

http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/page.asp?ID=187
http://dectam.com/services/pigeonguanoremoval/
http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbb&bdrp.htm
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/TG142.HTM
http://www.batspecialist.com/bird_hazards.html
http://www.aviansystems.com/hazards.asp
http://www.hawkeye.ca/health_hazards.shtml

One of the most common and most dangerous hazards of large guano
deposits is the growth of a particular pathogenic fungus called
Histoplasma. Histoplasma releases a lot of spores and can be inhaled
causing fatal lung disease.

Many wild birds also carry coccidiosis which is dangerous to other
wildlife. Rabbits can contract it and die from it, and so can other
young birds that are sensitive to it. Most baby chick starter feeds for
chickens is treated with amprolium to help the chicks develop an
immunity without dieing from it.

Immunosuppressed or immunocompromised humans such as people with HIV,
infants and the elderly can contract it also, but it's rare.
Coccidiosis is spread via the droppings. The more crowding you have with
birds, the more likely they are to spread disease from one to another.

Granted, the disease dangers that large flocks of grackles carry is far
more dangerous to humans than other birds, but I've noted that I had to
stop feeding wild birds in my yard because it was attracting more ane
more grackles! Now that I've stopped feeding with feeders and plant
"bird plants" instead, the grackles no longer come to my yard and as a
result, I'm getting a LOT more cardinals, mockingbirds, doves, wrens,
etc.

The grackles were driving my other birds away!

--
K.

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