UPDATE 8/24/21 - Since I wrote the article below several weeks ago, there have been no new advisory statements from Florida or any other state to our knowledge. The pathogen has still not been identified and the effects if it seem to be diminishing although we cannot find definitive scientific statements supporting the notion that it is no longer a concern. Our recommendation is still to clean each feeder and bath with a 10% bleach solution. Read the full, previously published statement below.
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By now, most of you are aware that there is a mysterious and deadly pathogen known to affect a few species of bird and that it has spread from its apparent epicenter in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to seven other states including Florida. In some of the states in which there are multiple reports of birds exhibiting symptoms of this pathogen, wildlife agencies have published recommendations to take feeders and birdbaths down until the pathogen is identified and a fully-informed course of action is put in place to minimize the potential of this pathogen to spread. Because the number of cases in Florida is very small (we are trying to determine how many) and because it is only assumed that feeders and baths are a possible vector for the spread, neither the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission nor any other state agency has published a recommendation about bird feeders and birdbaths.

That said, Wild Birds Unlimited is recommending that everyone clean each feeder and bath with a 10% bleach solution because it is possible that feeders and baths are contributing to the spread of the mystery pathogen and because feeders and baths can cause birds to cluster in abnormally compressed areas and to share perches to access food and water on a more consistent basis than would occur in a purely natural setting. This is the same recommendation that we made when Salmonellosis disproportionately affected Pine Siskins throughout much of the continent this past winter or when outbreaks of conjunctivitis occur among House Finches. Fortunately for birdfeeding enthusiasts in Florida, very few dense flocks of overwintering Pine Siskins reached the state and so reports of Salmonellosis were proportionately few. It has also been many years since conjunctivitis has been rampant enough to spread beyond House Finches and become widespread in other species.

The following is a list of recommendations made by several state agencies (not including Florida) and the District of Columbia relating to birdfeeders and baths (from usgs.gov/news):
- Cease feeding birds until this wildlife morbidity/mortality event subsides.
- Clean feeders and birdbaths with a 10% bleach solution, rinse with water and allow to air dry.
- Avoid handling birds unless necessary. If you do handle them wear disposable gloves. If picking up a dead bird, place an inverted plastic bag over your hand to avoid direct contact with the bird.
- Keep pets (including pet birds) away from sick or dead wild birds as a standard precaution.

Finally, please read the Audubon article linked below and become familiar with the symptoms. If you find a dead bird, please contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Wild Birds Unlimited of Gainesville, Florida, and one of your local wildlife rehabilitators.

https://www.audubon.org/news/scientists-still-searching-pathogen-behind-easts-songbird-epidemic?ms=digital-eng-social-facebook-x-20210700-nas_eng&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=20210700_nas_eng&fbclid=IwAR01E962bXg9AKrZOGYNxd0Gy6eCUu5b_rAOojX0u_H8ufDVat0UHd9eAYs