Monday, June 12, 2000 | 3:12 a.m.
An estimated 150 pine siskins, a small, brown finch-like bird with distinctive yellow markings on its wing tips and tail, have died this spring in the Tahoe area, said Cheryl Millham, executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
The nonprofit South Lake Tahoe organization, which cares for sick and injured wildlife, accepted about 40 of the ailing birds. A few responded to treatment but most died, Millham said.
California Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Pamela Swift said two carcasses tested positive for a strain of salmonella bacteria.
Bird feeders host the infectious disease and spread it around to other birds through contact with feces, she said.
Alpine and Plumas counties are reporting similar symptoms with pine siskins.
"It happens and I don't know why it's happening now," she told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. "I don't know if it's only in the pine siskin. It could be happening with other birds, too."
In an effort to stop the disease's spread, Fish and Game is asking for a one-month halt on bird feeding at Lake Tahoe.
After that, feeders put back into use should be disinfected with a 10 percent bleach solution at least once a week. Wooden feeders, which are difficult to sanitize, should be taken out of use entirely.
People also are susceptible to salmonella infection and should wash their hands thoroughly after handling infected feeders.
Pine siskins spend the summer months in the wooded areas of the Sierra Nevada. They then head for warmer climates in the winter, usually on the Pacific Coast or northern Mexico.
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