Time to Clean the Feeders

This from the StarTribune:

Call it nature's nasty trick.

This winter, common redpolls -- small red-capped finches that flock at feeders -- have swarmed into Minnesota from Canada, delighting bird watchers.

But in the past three weeks, birds have been dropping dead near feeders all over the state, victims of salmonella.

People are being urged to remove finch feeders, clean them with a mild bleach or vinegar solution and not replace them for a while to force the birds to forage more widely, lessening the spread of the disease.

Haven't seen any dead redpolls - but I've seen quite a few of the live ones.