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Bird Flu: Anyone else noticing more dead wild birds than usual?

Sazz101Sazz101 Posts: 248
in Wildlife gardening
Probably confirmation bias but we had an unresponsive blackbird die in the garden last week (Bucks). No apparent cause of death. We removed it carefully and binned it. 

Parents in law mentioned they noticed a couple of unresponsive sea birds while in Cornwall last week. One easily caught by a Labrador. Reported to DEFRA. My father has at least one poorly pigeon in his garden. 

Is there a peak now? If so, is there anything gardeners can do to help?

Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Huge numbers of birds have been wiped out by this.
    On some Scottish islands they have lost almost the entire population of Gannets and on a recent trip to the Cairngorms, I saw fields full of dead Geese.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    In Devon a few weeks ago I saw at least one dead bird on every beach we went to. Gannets and Gulls mostly. Small numbers but otherwise healthy looking adult birds and the weather had been settled and fine for weeks so storms etc can't be to blame.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Sadly there are much higher numbers of dead seabirds all around the coastline this year

    https://www.bto.org/how-you-can-help/take-part-project/health-safety/avian-flu

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    I’m in Bucks too but hadn’t noticed anything here .I wonder if the hot dry weather has had anything to do with spreading it ? 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Many of our islands up here have been closed to visitors for months because of outbreaks of bird flu.
    https://www.nature.scot/avian-flu-update-naturescot-advises-public-landings-stop-23-islands
    There's been outbreaks in many parts of the mainland too, which is outlined in that info.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Sazz101Sazz101 Posts: 248
    Thank you everyone for your responses and links to info. Interesting and very sad reading. So it’s happening everywhere and there’s not much we can do. @punkdoc the fields of dead geese must be an awful sight. 




  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Closer to home for many of us - it would seem that Greenfinches are now on the endangered list due to a parasitic infection.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited September 2022
    There is a recent-ish bird flu thread here with some updates


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