I checked at least for my area (Coastal BC) and both birds range here. So I figure putting up houses for each of these birds has to help the tick situation.

Also in my yard I have a family of Quail, they eat insects and seem to be keeping the tick population down in our neighborhood.

I think we need to balance out mother nature by providing homes for her beneficial creatures rather than using poisons on the ones we want to get rid of.

I heard actually this program on NPR a few weeks ago.

A couple of listeners called in regarding lyme disease itself, and the vet provided some erroneous information about lyme stats in the human population; however,

At 45:00 minutes in this broadcast, a caller poses a question about immunizing wildlife, in the case of lyme–rodents, THROUGH FEED to decrease transmission to humans.

to which guest, Lonnie King, mentions research I hadn’t heard about:
In order to prevent disease, and decrease population of certain wildlife

“cutting-edge” research is being done, particularly to do with lyme where vaccines were unsuccessful in humans.

Private companies (which ones?) and the CDC are conducting research to
reproduce protein characteristics that cause the antibody response,

putting it in food like rice,
which is spread over a large area,
which animals/rodents then eat,
creating an immunity in the animals.

Vaccine via Feed/food ~

This is active research but again he didn’t cite the affiliations of those conducting the research.

He goes on to say that that because it is so cheap it could be used over larger areas,
like in Africa with the plague. It could potentially have a huge impact.

Click on “Listen to the Show” at this URL:

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/animals-people-and-disease

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 11:00 AM EST
Animals, People, and Disease

The H1N1 virus is more commonly known as “swine flu.” That doesn’t mean you can catch it from a pig, but it does point to the source of the infection.And it’s far from the only disease that can make the jump to humans from other species. Avian flu.Rabies. Ringworm. Hantavirus. West Nile Virus. Even Ebola and HIV likely originated in animals and made the leap. Now, with the world a global village and populations soaring, experts warn these species-hopping diseases may arise more frequently, and become more dangerous.

Guests:
Joining us from New York is Donald G. McNeill Jr., science and health reporter for The New York Times.
From Columbus, Ohio, we’re joined by Lonnie King, dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and former director of the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases.And from Oklahoma City, we’re joined by Susan Little, professor of veterinary parasitology at the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University. She’s a member of the board of directors of the Companion Animal Parasite Council, which is sponsoring the “Pets, People and Pathogens” conference in Providence, Rhode Island next week.