r/birding•
ra1nyd4ys

HFED problem that won't let up.

Discussion

My neighbors throughout my neighborhood that i have not once interacted with have bird feeders. lots of them are way older than me. I know i wont be able to coordinate with neighbors on taking down feeders temporarily. I switched to feeding them suet for a week and a half and for a few days after that there were no more HFED finches; but alas, they are back. I cannot tell if it's just one or a couple. each has been female. They don't have terribly swollen eyes, just watery, obviously bothered eyes. Do I have to get rid of my bird feeders??? my feeders have become a good reliable food source for many blue jays, cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice and other birds such as grackles and brown thrashers. House finches are not my priority nor my main visitor. I sanitize the seed guard each time my Birdfy records a clip of a diseased finch. I check diligently every day, but I'm so tired of these birds. I know it isn't there fault, but i really don't want to continue the spread of the disease. Any advice? Are there times of the year where I will hopefully see less of this?

Posted Sep 17, 2026, 3:29 AM UTC

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