The Blackbirds Have Returned

Ever since West Nile Virus came to Sacramento, the blackbirds have been missing.  In 2005 and 2006, we were the national epicenter of WNV.  I worked on a national WNV study back then.  It was amazing how many referrals I had at the time.  California still has the highest numbers of infected humans reported, however the numbers have fallen.  At the time, everyone wanted to be tested for WNV, so many cases of febrile infection without neurological symptoms were found in humans.  The blackbirds were staggering around the streets with neurological problems or were laying on the ground having died from the virus.  They took to spraying insecticide in the worst areas, which included our neighborhood once - ugh!  

Here is a great website to check statistics:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control.htm

But this year the blackbirds are back.  We live in what was once a walnut grove, so our neighborhood is covered with walnut trees.  The blackbirds arrive now and begin picking them and dropping them.  You can hear walnuts hitting and rolling off of rooftops when you walk down the street. Sometimes they drop them on your head if you go under a tree with 10 birds gathering.   And the areas under the trees are covered with cracked walnuts and lots of blackbirds eating them.  It's a big mess and annoyance.  But it looks as if nature, with some human intervention, has reversed a trend of spreading disease.    Life goes on...

Oh, and my dogs love finding the open walnuts!  Food falling from heaven, how much better can it get.