Earlier this summer , the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife urged bird lovers to take down their bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, and empty their bird baths as they investigated a mysterious illness that was killing songbirds along the East Coast. Places along the mid-Atlantic including New Jersey and Pennsylvania were reporting an uptick in sick and dying songbirds, noting eye swelling and discharge as a common factor. This week, researchers say they now believe the deaths were not linked to a bird-to-bird virus, but rather the result of birds ingesting cicadas, also known as Brood X, which emerged from their 17-year stay underground.