Bird Flu In Wildfowl Could Soon Be A Major Concern ?

[marsh man]

More or less every day now here in Norfolk we are hearing about new cases of the bird flu , only this morning they are concerned about a number of Swans  reported sick and dying on the Norfolk Broads , with good numbers of duck and geese arriving now in good numbers , how worried do we need to be now the season will soon be getting into the full swing ?.

[islandgun]

3 minutes ago, marsh man said:

More or less every day now here in Norfolk we are hearing about new cases of the bird flu , only this morning they are concerned about a number of Swans  reported sick and dying on the Norfolk Broads , with good numbers of duck and geese arriving now in good numbers , how worried do we need to be now the season will soon be getting into the full swing ?.

I am very worried that it takes hold of our migratory birds, cant imagine any way it can be halted

[bishop]

i think a previous post said the same thing a while back and the majority, including myself, agreed that once the migrations completed and numbers rise its terrible to think what happens to 80k pinkfoot in places such as Montrose. If it happens, and we all hope to God it does not, but if it hits hard, I'd be interested to see the names published of the genetic misfits still out shooting geese.

[muncher]

Wasn’t it about last season as well , didn’t have much affect on the pinks, certainly trimmed  up the barnies  though. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by muncher

[marsh man]

36 minutes ago, muncher said:

Wasn’t it about last season as well , didn’t have much affect on the pinks, certainly trimmed  up the barnies  though. 

Haven't seen or heard anything about any numbers found dead or dying on the marshes , still early days yet for us with the marshes being dry and livestock still grazing .

It was reported on the news dinner time that two more cases were confirmed in Attlebourgh and at Wymondam and the residents were concerned about the number of dead and sick Swans found on the Broads .

One chap who work at a boat hire yard said they have never seen bird flu on the Broads before and someone took a young Swan that was looking poorly to be examined , and the vet did confirm it was suffering from the bird virus , since they they have found eight dead and six that were sick .

With the Pinks now arriving we don't know if any are coming here that are carrying the virus , or weather the healthy ones will catch anything from our wildfowl that are resident here , worrying times ahead .

[shakin stevens]

100s of pinks laid dead or dying up in the far North this year till they all left  3rd  week in May ,  still sea birds are found dead in numbers around the beaches especially the poor gannets. 

I’ve not found any geese as yet on the shore where I go that are dead or dying , might venture out for a shot or two soon .

The pinks in the far North did not have bird flu until the geese from south  migrated up here late February , l was pretty much glad to see them leave as it was awful to look at .

[Dave-G]

1 hour ago, bishop said:

i think a previous post said the same thing a while back and the majority, including myself, agreed that once the migrations completed and numbers rise its terrible to think what happens to 80k pinkfoot in places such as Montrose. If it happens, and we all hope to God it does not, but if it hits hard, I'd be interested to see the names published of the genetic misfits still out shooting geese.

Why's that?

[grahamch]

It hit the barnies on Solway hard largely as they are l think articially fed by Rspb and wwft on reserve ponds to attract a paying audience so are in unnatural densities thus spreading the virus.  

[marsh man]

It stated on the news that at Sudbury in Suffolk the rangers have found 18 dead Swans , a Heron and two Black Headed Gulls on the River Stour , I am sure we will be hearing about other finds as time wears on .

[Cadman]

On 03/10/2022 at 18:05, grahamch said:

It hit the barnies on Solway hard largely as they are l think articially fed by Rspb and wwft on reserve ponds to attract a paying audience so are in unnatural densities thus spreading the virus.  

Is this a fact? I assume that by artificially feed you mean with barley or wheat. I've never seen the barnacle geese eating anything other than grass around the Solway. 

Would you consider a fed flight pond or feeding pheasants to attract paying guns to perhaps cause unnatural densities of birds. 

[Dave at kelton]

2 hours ago, Cadman said:

Is this a fact? I assume that by artificially feed you mean with barley or wheat. I've never seen the barnacle geese eating anything other than grass around the Solway. 

Would you consider a fed flight pond or feeding pheasants to attract paying guns to perhaps cause unnatural densities of birds. 

The Barnacles were hit massively here on the Solway last year to the point were some of us did not go out on the Merse during December, and others for the whole season. We are still awaiting population statistics on the effect. I can say there are notably few about at present but we shall see what the counts are shortly.

Yes WWT and RSPB remained open throughout with the former continuing to feed ponds, largely for the whooper swans as Barnacles feed on grass. Their decision was better to maintain feed and risk disease 🤔. That however is where the issue lies together with the roost. We have give or take 40,000 Barnacle on the Solway being the Svalbard population. They all roost together and tend to feed in large groups on the same grass fields. They are therefore closely packed and wallowing in their own muck. This was always a disaster waiting to happen.

As I have said many times it would be Like filling Wembley Stadium in the early days of covid and introducing it to part of the crowd. Keep them there, fed watered and bedded for six months and see how many survived? It was suggested that wildfowling disturbance should be stopped, not that we disturb them. That is exactly what was needed, break them up into, smaller groups where contamination was less likely. Unlike the human population you can’t confine them to family groups in lockdown.

as to this season we will all just have to see what happens!

[bishop]

Point of note--was out pattern testing on the farm the other day and i came across a woodpigeon puffed up looking   very unwell. Could have been gunshot? of course but in all my years id say not. It was sat there 40 yards away whilst i fired a shot. i walked up to it literally three feet away and it was totally without interest.It never moved. Totally off in another world of its own. It fluttered off into the undergrowth of nettles so i could not finish it off but i am wondering now if it was infected.

Edited October 9, 2022 by bishop

[old'un]

1 hour ago, bishop said:

Point of note--was out pattern testing on the farm the other day and i came across a woodpigeon puffed up looking   very unwell. Could have been gunshot? of course but in all my years id say not. It was sat there 40 yards away whilst i fired a shot. i walked up to it literally three feet away and it was totally without interest.It never moved. Totally off in another world of its own. It fluttered off into the undergrowth of nettles so i could not finish it off but i am wondering now if it was infected.

More than likely suffering from pigeon canker, been a lot of it about the last few years.

[greenshank1]

Seen quite a few dead sea birds washed up on the shore over the summer months and assume it’s bird flu spreading through gannet and razorbil communities on cliffs and stacks.  
Hoping we will be ok with resident greylag and canadas being more in family groups than tightly packed groups although the barnacle geese may be vulnerable ? 

[old man]

On 03/10/2022 at 18:05, grahamch said:

It hit the barnies on Solway hard largely as they are l think articially fed by Rspb and wwft on reserve ponds to attract a paying audience so are in unnatural densities thus spreading the virus.  

Surely not? ? ? ?

[jall25]

11 hours ago, Cadman said:

Is this a fact? I assume that by artificially feed you mean with barley or wheat. I've never seen the barnacle geese eating anything other than grass around the Solway. 

Would you consider a fed flight pond or feeding pheasants to attract paying guns to perhaps cause unnatural densities of birds. 

Or indeed the hungry gap feeding of all the little birds or the planting of wild bird plots ?

8 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

The Barnacles were hit massively here on the Solway last year to the point were some of us did not go out on the Merse during December, and others for the whole season. We are still awaiting population statistics on the effect. I can say there are notably few about at present but we shall see what the counts are shortly.

Yes WWT and RSPB remained open throughout with the former continuing to feed ponds, largely for the whooper swans as Barnacles feed on grass. Their decision was better to maintain feed and risk disease 🤔. That however is where the issue lies together with the roost. We have give or take 40,000 Barnacle on the Solway being the Svalbard population. They all roost together and tend to feed in large groups on the same grass fields. They are therefore closely packed and wallowing in their own muck. This was always a disaster waiting to happen.

As I have said many times it would be Like filling Wembley Stadium in the early days of covid and introducing it to part of the crowd. Keep them there, fed watered and bedded for six months and see how many survived? It was suggested that wildfowling disturbance should be stopped, not that we disturb them. That is exactly what was needed, break them up into, smaller groups where contamination was less likely. Unlike the human population you can’t confine them to family groups in lockdown.

as to this season we will all just have to see what happens!

These geese roost and feed in their 10s of thousands anyway 

If they are fed - surely they have the strength to fight this terrible disease better ?

They fill their own Wembley stadiums everyday and night - as do pigeon 

[bishop]

6 hours ago, old'un said:

More than likely suffering from pigeon canker, been a lot of it about the last few years.

woodpigeon my next-door neighbor feeds has a huge swelling under beak on throat that uns also looking pitiful, but the swelling is whats ailing that bird of course.

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by bishop

[marsh man]

I noticed in the paper this morning that following a decision by the UK chief veterinary officer that from October 12th all free range poultry and back yard chicken flocks will have to stay indoors in a lockdown to try and halt a deepening bird flu crisis , this is in , Norfolk Suffolk and Essex and we are now in the centre of the nations worst ever bird flu epidemic 

This come after another case was confirmed in Attlebourgh last Friday where I think it said around 12,000 birds have got to be culled . 

[bishop]

2 hours ago, marsh man said:

I noticed in the paper this morning that following a decision by the UK chief veterinary officer that from October 12th all free range poultry and back yard chicken flocks will have to stay indoors in a lockdown to try and halt a deepening bird flu crisis , this is in , Norfolk Suffolk and Essex and we are now in the centre of the nations worst ever bird flu epidemic 

This come after another case was confirmed in Attlebourgh last Friday where I think it said around 12,000 birds have got to be culled . 

I'm quite convinced that the damned virus will impact the pinks quite severely at some point. I finished a pink off sat on the mud the other day and although it was most likely a Cripple  hit by some fowler, perhaps even myself--i  shot it and left it on the shore just in case.

[Cadman]

It was announced today that WWT Martin Mere has an outbreak of AI. Does anybody know how many pinkfoot are there yet? 

They closed on Friday to the public and are trying to contain the virus to stop the spread. So I would assume they have found it in their captive birds and are taking precautions so as not to infect the migratory wildfowl - especially pinkfeet - that visit the site.

It states that all infected birds on the premises will be humanely culled. 

[shakin stevens]

2 hours ago, bishop said:

I'm quite convinced that the damned virus will impact the pinks quite severely at some point. I finished a pink off sat on the mud the other day and although it was most likely a Cripple  hit by some fowler, perhaps even myself--i  shot it and left it on the shore just in case.

If you come across them like I did , I found the dead ones had a like a purple dye on the tail feathers , or even round the carcass , I walked the shore after high water yesterday and found no dead geese as yet . 

[Duck all]

 

Signs of disease and treatment
As with influenza virus in humans, different individuals/species may respond differ- ently to the virus. Water birds are known to act as reservoirs of the virus; they may carry the virus and show no signs of disease at all. Conversely, a raptor may come into contact with the same virus (most commonly through eating an infected bird) and death may be the result. Unfortunately the incubation period (time from contracting the virus to demonstrating signs of disease) can be as little as 24 hours (typically 24- 72hrs) and in birds of prey, they are affected so quickly that often the first sign of dis- ease is death.
There is no specific treatment for avian influenza.

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, shakin stevens said:

If you come across them like I did , I found the dead ones had a like a purple dye on the tail feathers , or even round the carcass , I walked the shore after high water yesterday and found no dead geese as yet . 

I walk around a part of our estuary virtually everyday and apart from one Greylag that looked a bit docile I haven't seen a single dead bird and yet the bird life is building up everyday , this is not to say none of the birds are affected as it could only be a matter of time before a few dead ones show up . . 

[Manish]

Other than spaced out behaviour how else can you tell if a bird has the flu?? Is it drinking night nurse? TBH if they arnt safe to eat I might not even take a gun out 

[nic]

as i keep some chickens and have the flock registered i get emails and texts for every report of AI.  mostly it seems currently to be around east Anglia.

`however, keep it in perspective, we are not having it as bad as some parts of Europe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63097119

 

lets hope that it does not get too bad.