When scores of dead birds began showing up in the Northland this week, folks did what folks around here do: they called Laura Erickson to learn more about it.
The reporters, though, must not be regular listeners/readers of For the Birds; if they were, they would have known that a) birds can, occasionally, become intoxicated by the fermenting berries of some trees and bushes and 2) the dead and injured birds being reported aren't drunk - they eat bugs, not berries.
Even though we're sorely in need of a laugh right now, Laura says she's a little frustrated at people concentrating on the idea of "drunk birds" when the birds aren't drunk but they are dying. Head injuries, even in birds, aren't very funny, and the facts will sober you up in a hurry.
You can listen to Laura's programs on the topic by clicking here. Her corresponding blog posts, "Not so very drunk" and "Sober Up" are linked here.
And there is some excellent information here on ways you can keep your backyard birds safe from window strikes.