I have not seen it but I've been told that a local paper reported that we have an outbreak of salmonellosis among Kitsap County wild birds. The following is some basic information pulled from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The report is a bit dated but I think the information provided is still relevant today.
How can I identify a sick bird? Birds infected with salmonellosis will appear very subdued or even tame. They may sit in one spot for an abnormal amount of time, puff-out their feathers, hold their head under a wing, exhibit wobbly movement or even convulse.
How is salmonella transmitted? Salmonellosis is shed in feces. The National Wildlife Health Center says it can also be spread bird-to-bird via direct contact or through ingestion of infected food or water.
What can I do to help prevent the spread of the disease? You can temporarily take down your feeders. Before replacing them, clean with a 10% bleach solution.
Do infected birds always die? Birds infected with the bacteria do not always die.
Can I get salmonella from my bird feeders? The National Wildlife Health Center reports that there are more then 2,000 strains of salmonella. Specific strains tend to affect specific animals. However, it is possible that the strain seen in songbirds could cause illness to humans or domestic animals. Use common sense and practice good sanitation. Wear rubber gloves when handling dead animals or fecal material, wash hands often and clean your feeders in a bucket or tub rather then your kitchen sink.
Now, this next bit is strictly my biased opinion. My job is to sell you bird feeders and seed so take what I say with a big grain of salt.
I understand why they say you should stop feeding for a couple of weeks. It is supposed to give the birds a chance to disperse and to separate the sick from the healthy. I frankly don't see how that can be real effective. My guess is that the birds are just going to find another food source, possibly down the street at your neighbor's house, and they may end up right back in the same situation. My thinking is that it is better to continue to feed but make sure to give your birds the safest environment possible in order to prevent the spread of the bacteria. Here is what I plan to do at our house.
Discontinue the use of platform or tray feeders for a few weeks. Many birds can eat at the same time on these feeders and that is not safe when salmonella may be present.
Use smaller tube feeders that reduce the numbers of birds that can feed at any one time.
Offer more suet.
Use a high quality seed to reduce waste and "kick-out". I plan on using mostly medium sunflower chips mixed with a few nuts or peanut chips. Birds love this stuff and eat everything rather then kicking out the unwanted seed while searching for their favorites. This way you won't have a pile of seed on the ground mixing with fecal matter. Using a quality seed or seed mix is a great way to keep the ground under your feeder cleaner and safer for the ground feeding birds.
Thoroughly clean all feeders with a brush and a 10% bleach solution. Do it as often as possible!
Put out only as much seed as the birds will eat in a day. We want to make sure that the seed is always fresh and not something that has been festering in the bottom of the feeder.
Continue to clean our bird baths and replace the water every day.
