crusty Eye Disease

updated 9/13/21

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A young Blue Jay admitted to the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Virginia with an unknown illness. Photo: Courtesy of Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

Great News!
The latest recommendation (as of September 8) from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is that bird feeders and baths can be used again. Note that precautions are still needed to ensure that avian diseases are not transmitted.

View the relevant ODNR webpage at:

https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/home/additional-resources/division-of-wildlife/bird-disease-reporting

The cause of the crusty eye disease has not yet been isolated, but a recent article in the news may offer some insight at:

​https://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/cornell-experts-not-overly-alarmed-by-mysterious-songbird-sickness/article_ae73fa12-efc6-11eb-9a3f-ef82b40e923f.html

An even more recent article published on August 12, 2021 provided some encouragement that it would soon be possible to resume feeding the birds:
​www.amestrib.com/story/sports/2021/08/12/mystery-bird-illness-cases-decline-cornell-lab-says/8105620002/

This page will report any new information that is published about the cause of the disease.