BTO - British Trust for Ornithology - Wildlife health

Garden BirdWatch

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 11:46:31 +0000

Help with research into garden wildlife by joining our Garden BirdWatch network for free.

Garden BirdWatch Sunday, January 1, 1995 - 00:00

BTO has run the year-round Garden BirdWatch scheme since 1995, and thousands of people across the UK contribute their sightings each week.
Gardens are really important habitats for wildlife, but we need to understand how and why populations of garden birds and other wildlife are changing, and how we can help them.
You can help by keeping a simple list and telling us which species visit each week, helping us learn about how wildlife uses the food, shelter and other resources in our gardens.
The more we can understand about how birds and animals use our gardens, the more we can improve our cities, towns, villages and individual gardens for wildlife.
Sign up for Garden BirdWatch!

How to take part

Garden BirdWatch annual results

Drawing competition winners

Join Garden BirdWatch for free

Tell us which birds you see outside your window and become more connected to nature.

Join and start your list today

Help with research into garden wildlife by joining our Garden BirdWatch community. Learn about the birds in your garden with Garden BirdWatch

Robert Jaques

Jan 1995 - Garden BirdWatch recording begins
Dec 2010 - Big Garden Beakwatch Survey launched
Dec 2011 - Abnormal Plumage Survey launched
Jan 2014 - Garden Wildlife Health project launched

Subscribe to email newsletter As much as you like, but a minimum of 20 minutes per week recommended. Can identify common garden birds by sight.

ongoing Garden birdsUrban birds volunteers

BTO Urban AppealGarden BirdWatch and our garden and urban bird researchOur volunteers: the beating heart of BTO data No gbw@bto.org

Join GBW for free

Become more connected to nature, learn about your garden wildlife and contribute to important scientific research by joining our community of Garden BirdWatchers.

Join Garden BirdWatch today

About the HPAI Ringing Framework

WEBSITEEDITOR — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 09:23:10 +0000

The HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) Ringing Framework has been developed to mitigate the risks that ringing activities may pose to birds during the bird flu outbreak.

What is the HPAI Ringing Framework?

The HPAI Ringing Framework provides mandatory guidance for bird ringers about operating during the current outbreak of avian influenza (2021–present).

It has been developed through discussions held at a BTO-convened HPAI Forum of both government bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

knot-by-cathy-ryden-bto.jpg

Continued monitoring is of vital importance for understanding how birds are being impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). However, it is important that we understand and mitigate any risks to birds that ringing activities may pose, particularly during an outbreak of disease.

The mandatory guidance in the Framework allows the continued collection of valuable data, while mitigating any possible risks to birds that this may pose.

The Framework focuses on balancing the benefits and risks of monitoring to birds. BTO provides separate advice for survey participants to help them manage any risks they are exposed to during the course of their fieldwork.

The HPAI Forum

In June 2022, BTO convened an HPAI Forum that includes representation from:

Government agencies

Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) – Isle of Man Government, National Parks & Wildlife Service, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and Northern Ireland Environment Agency
The Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA)
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs):

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
The National Trust
The National Trust for Scotland

The HPAI Forum meets fortnightly to exchange information about the current status of the outbreak, identify possible transmission risks and explore mechanisms by which these could be reduced. Discussions at the Forum have enabled BTO to devise the HPAI Ringing Framework, reviewed and ratified by the other Forum participants.

Balancing the benefits and risks of monitoring

sandwich-tern-by-philip-croft-bto.jpg

Ringing activities generate a huge amount of information concerning the survival rates, breeding success and movements of birds. This information is essential to monitor the impact of threats such as climate change and habitat loss, and also of diseases such as HPAI.

Recoveries of dead ringed birds have been used during the current outbreak to identify affected populations, and provide an initial indication of changes to mortality rates.
Resightings and recaptures of live ringed birds will help researchers predict how populations might fare in the future.

The power of these datasets to support conservation efforts stems from the fact that volunteers have operated continuously for a very long time. Even a short disruption can have significant impacts on the datasets’ value, particularly if it happens at a time when survival rates are declining rapidly due to a virus.

It is essential to acknowledge, however, that ringing activities have the potential to increase the risk of transmission between individual birds.

How might ringing impact the transmission of HPAI?

ringed-curlew-by-rich-bunce.jpg

HPAI is transmitted between birds via bodily secretions and faeces.

The primary risk ringing activities might pose is the transmission of the virus from an infected to an uninfected bird, or from site to site, on ringers’ hands or equipment. Any additional risk of transmission between individual birds during ringing activities is likely to be greatest for species that do not naturally come together in close proximity, such as birds of prey.

There is a possibility that disturbance due to ringing and monitoring activities may lead to local movements of birds, potentially transmitting the virus to a new site. Expert opinion suggests that this is unlikely to have a significant additional impact on transmission rates, however, as birds are most likely to relocate to sites that they would naturally frequent anyway.

How are we minimising any transmission risks associated with ringing?

Discussions at the HPAI Forum have enabled BTO to devise an HPAI Ringing Framework, reviewed and ratified by the other Forum participants. The Framework and related updates are disseminated to all bird ringers, regardless of whether they are operating in a professional or voluntary capacity.

The Framework focuses solely on the mitigation of risks posed to birds, and aims to reduce risk through:

Reducing the potential for ringers to come into contact with infected individuals, and therefore potentially spread the virus further;
Minimising the risk of transmission via hands, clothing or equipment, should an infected bird be encountered.

As the risks vary according to species ecology and ringing activity, and are often dependent on species group, mitigation measures outlined in the Framework are specific to each of eight main taxonomic groups: seabirds; wildfowl; waders; gamebirds; herons and egrets; raptors and owls; passerines (perching birds) and near-passerines; and corvids. Note that, although corvids (the crow family) are passerines, they are considered separately in the Framework due to their tendency to scavenge on dead carcasses and their resultant increased risk of encountering the disease.

However, the main mechanisms by which risks are minimised are common across all taxonomic groups.

The main mechanisms for minimising risk

Liaison

Ringers must ensure they are in regular contact with landowners and managers. This ensures that they are aware of the presence of symptomatic or unusually high numbers of dead birds, can take appropriate steps (e.g. cessation of activities until such time as no symptomatic birds are present), and are aware of changes to access agreements as decided by the landowner or manager.

Reconnaissance

For taxonomic groups considered to be at the highest risk of infection (e.g. seabirds and wildfowl), ringers must undertake a recce visit or liaise with on-site landowners or managers before any ringing commences, to check for any evidence of diseased birds. Ringing should not then take place if symptomatic live birds, or unusually high numbers of dead birds, are observed.

Sanitisation

Ringers must disinfect clothing, boots, hands and equipment at appropriate intervals, using government-approved products known to be effective against HPAI. The frequency of disinfection is determined by the type of ringing activity and the species being targeted, and a separate protocol is provided for each taxonomic group. The regular use of sanitisation products such as alcohol-based hand gel or wipes is also recommended.

Bird bags and sacks, which are used to hold some birds in a dark, calming environment while they wait to be ringed, must only be used once during each ringing session, and must be washed at a high temperature before they can be reused.

Cessation

If symptomatic birds are encountered during a ringing session, activities must cease immediately.

All hands, clothing or equipment that may have come into contact with the diseased bird must be sanitised immediately.
Symptomatic birds should be reported, preferably via BirdTrack, and any dead birds reported to Defra or DAERA as applicable.

Ringing activity must not be resumed at that site until a recce visit finds no symptomatic live birds, or unusually high numbers of dead birds, or the landowner or manager has confirmed there are no further signs of disease.

Suspension

If the SNCBs consider the prevalence of HPAI in a species or across a taxonomic group to be sufficiently high, they may impose a suspension of all ringing activities targeting that species or group until such time as the risk has reduced.

To date, suspensions have been imposed at a national scale, but the Framework allows the flexibility to implement regional suspensions. In addition, individual landowners may elect to manage risk locally by refusing access to ringers.

The SNCBs are also at liberty to grant exemptions from suspensions in their respective countries on the basis of applications made to them by individual ringers or ringing groups.

How often are risk management measures reviewed?

The HPAI Forum currently meets every fortnight but additional meetings may be called as required and the group is in regular contact via email.

At each meeting, the latest data and information about mortality across Britain and Ireland are presented, providing the opportunity to review mitigation measures.

Adjustments to the HPAI Ringing Framework can be proposed and ratified at the meeting on the basis of the evidence presented. Proposals for suspensions are tabled by the SNCB staff present and passed to their senior management for ratification.

Further information about avian influenza

Resources on our website:

Visit our dedicated avian influenza page to learn about the disease, its impacts and our work.
Read about avian influenza in 2021/22.
Read the latest HPAI Workshop Report.
Read about the findings of an independent expert Scientific Advisory Group which investigated avian influenza in Great Britain.
Browse all our publications, appeals, blogs and articles about avian influenza.

Resources from BTO and our partners:

The EURING migration mapping tool uses recoveries of birds marked with individually identifiable rings to map migration routes in both space and time for wild birds moving to and from Britain and Ireland.

Resources from external organisations:

Information about the species affected and the locations of outbreaks are publicly available via the Government’s weekly APHA Avian Influenza reports and summarised in regular HPAI Outbreak Assessments.
National government guidance, including actions for poultry keepers, is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Information about HPAI in Europe is reported by the European Food Standards Authority.
Information about HPAI globally is reported by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Avian influenza spreads into more threatened seabird species

WEBSITEEDITOR — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:32:50 +0000

01 Aug 2023

Our scientists had been hoping that avian influenza (AI) would pass by our threatened seabird species this breeding season, after their colonies were devastated by the virus last summer. However, thousands of seabirds suspected to have died from avian influenza are once again washing up on UK beaches.

The current avian influenza outbreak began in 2021, as a highly pathogenic strain of the virus (referred to as HPAI) spread through more than 70 bird species. Many breeding colonies are now experiencing a second summer of disease.

More than 10% of the UK’s breeding population of Black-headed Gulls may have been killed.

This year’s outbreak in seabirds began at inland Black-headed Gull colonies in England, although it quickly spread through the UK and to coastal gull and tern colonies.

It continues to have a devastating impact. Thousands of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns have been killed at various locations in the UK. Reports suggest that as many as 20,000 Black-headed Gulls, including adults and young birds, have died at one Lancashire site alone. In total, more than 10% of this species’ UK breeding population may have been killed.

NatureScot recorded 1,443 Guillemots, 1,570 Kittiwakes and 236 Herring Gulls, all suspected to have died from avian influenza, in the two weeks following the first cases in these species this summer. The number has likely risen significantly since then.

The virus has now moved into species such as Guillemot, Razorbill, and Kittiwake, with dead birds washing up on beaches in Wales, and along the eastern coasts of Scotland and England. In the two weeks following the first cases in these species this summer, NatureScot recorded 1,443 dead Guillemots, 1,570 dead Kittiwakes and 236 dead Herring Gulls, all suspected to have died from avian influenza. The number has likely risen significantly since then.

These species were already Red- or Amber-listed due to population declines occurring over many years, prior to any mortality from avian influenza. The true scale of the losses will not be clear for some time, but our scientists are very concerned about the impact of the virus on long-term population trends and expect to see even higher levels of conservation concern for these species in future.

Read about our HPAI Programme of Work

We are continuing our HPAI programme of work, with targeted research and partnership work taking place alongside our usual suite of monitoring surveys. Data from these surveys will be crucial in assessing the impact of the virus, particularly for species such as Great Skua and Gannet which experienced the highest levels of mortality last year.

How you can help

“It’s devastating to see the impact of avian influenza again this year. As our beaches get busier over the summer holidays, do look out for dead birds, report them and keep your dogs on leads and away from carcasses. You can help us monitor the situation by continuing to report dead birds to Defra or DAERA, and also to BirdTrack.” Dawn Balmer, BTO Head of Surveys

We need as much information as possible to track the spread of this unprecedented outbreak.

Reporting dead or sick birds to Defra (in England, Scotland and Wales) or DAERA (in Northern Ireland) is vital. These organisations will decide whether to collect the dead birds and test them for the disease. However, updates to these national databases often lag behind the situation in real-time.

It’s therefore incredibly useful for our work to report sick and dead birds to BirdTrack if you know the species. These records allow our researchers to follow the geographical spread of the disease and rapidly assess its potential impact.

If you’re unsure of the species, you can ask us to identify the bird by messaging us on social media – find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can then report the bird to Defra/DAERA and BirdTrack as usual.

Yes

Marine

Wildlife health

BirdTrackSeabird Monitoring Programme

Avian influenza (2021–22 outbreak)

WEBSITEEDITOR — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 16:41:45 +0000

Information about the outbreak of avian influenza in 2021 and 2022, its spread and its impact on breeding seabird populations.

If you are looking for information about avian influenza in 2023, please visit our main avian influenza page.

Background and origins of the outbreak

Over the winter of 2021/22, an outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed in Barnacle Geese wintering on the Solway Firth.

Barnacle Geese (Canva)

Barnacle Geese. Sebastian / Adobe

These birds were from the Svalbard breeding population of Barnacle Geese. Estimates suggest that many thousands of birds died as a result of the virus.

The strain of influenza virus behind the outbreak has a high potential to cause disease. It is referred to as ‘highly pathogenic’ avian influenza, or HPAI.

Previous outbreaks of HPAI have tended to hit wintering waterfowl, subsiding as wintering flocks disperse.
Unusually, in the spring of 2022, the HPAI virus (subtype H5N1) spread into our globally important colonies of nesting seabirds.

What was the impact on breeding seabirds?

From late spring 2022, increasing numbers of reports of the disease were received from seabird colonies around the northern UK.

Gannet colony. Edmund Fellowes / BTO

Very large numbers of breeding seabirds, including significant numbers of Great Skuas and Gannets, died as a result of the disease. Breeding colonies of other species, such as Guillemot, Razorbill and terns, were also impacted by the outbreak.

More than 2,200 Great Skua deaths (equivalent to 11% of the British population, and 7% of the world population) were reported by NatureScot, including over 1,000 from the largest colony of Foula.
Gannet mortalities were widespread, from Alderney in the Channel Islands in the south to Noss, Shetland, in the north.

Monitoring work carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) also confirmed HPAI in other species including raptors, wildfowl, waders, and gamebirds.

Why are we so concerned about the impact on seabirds?

Seabirds are already vulnerable to other threats

Many of Britain’s seabirds are already Red or Amber-listed in the UK, because their populations are being negatively impacted by other threats. They are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, for example.

Britain and Ireland support a large proportion of global seabird populations

Together, Britain and Ireland support 25% of Europe’s breeding seabirds, including more than 50% of the world population of species which have been severely impacted by HPAI, such as Great Skua and Gannet. Population losses in the UK therefore have a significant impact on these species’ global status.

Seabirds are slow to recover when their population declines

Seabirds tend to be long-lived and slow to reach sexual maturity.

This means that seabird populations take a long time to recover from losses, because a smaller proportion of the remaining population is able to breed.

Several seabird species are also only able to lay one or two eggs.

For example, birds in the group Procellariformes (tubenoses) – like shearwaters and petrels – are what is known by ecologists as ‘k-selected’; that is, they have evolved to give a lot of care to a single chick (rather than less care to many chicks, which is known as ‘r-selected’).
They lay a single, large egg, and make only one breeding attempt each year, even if they lose their egg. So even among the breeding portion of the population, only one chick can be raised per pair, slowing recovery down even further.

Seabird mortality from HPAI is high

The high level of mortality that we saw in seabird species suggests that they are very vulnerable to the disease. This could be because they have never been exposed to it before, or because the virus rapidly adapted to infect seabirds.

Migration and the impact of AI on wintering waterfowl

The autumn and winter period was of particular concern with regards to wintering waterfowl, which are usually very vulnerable to avian influenza.

Britain and Ireland host important wintering waterfowl populations and are part of a wider flyway that links populations from many different breeding areas. The potential for migratory birds to spread the disease across continents was highlighted by evidence from North America. BTO has been developing the migration mapping tool to help quantify the risk of disease transmission.

Help us protect vulnerable birds

With your support, we can help devastated bird populations recover.

Donate to the Avian Influenza Appeal today

What is BTO doing to help tackle HPAI?

As the custodian and coordinator of national datasets of wild bird populations, including their abundance, distributions, and demographics, we are uniquely placed to provide insights and commentary on this issue.

Learn more about what we’re doing to tackle avian influenza.

Where can I get further information?

Read about avian influenza in 2023.
Read the latest BTO HPAI Workshop Report.
Read BTO’s papers, appeals, blogs and articles about avian influenza.
Official surveillance data are publicly available via the Government’s APHA Avian Influenza reports (updated weekly) and summarised in their regular HPAI Outbreak Assessments. These data provide useful (but necessarily limited) insights into the range of species affected, as well as the locations of outbreaks and some detail on numbers.
Read the general government guidance on avian influenza for England, guidance for Scotland, guidance for Wales and guidance for Northern Ireland. The guidance includes the actions required by poultry keepers to protect their birds from disease in prevention zones.
The EURING migration mapping tool uses recoveries of birds marked with individually identifiable rings to map migration routes in both space and time for wild birds moving to and from Britain and Ireland.
The latest on the situation across Europe is reported by the European Food Standards Agency, and on the global situation by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza in Great Britain: evaluation and future actions

MIKETOMS — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 09:58:04 +0000

The Cuckoo cohort of 2024 takes flight!

More Details

Defra Science Advisory Council Defra Science Advisory Council Report High pathogenicity avian influenza: Targeted active surveillance of wild birds to enable early detection of emerging disease threats

Avian influenza mortality rises in threatened gull and tern colonies

WEBSITEEDITOR — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:52:53 +0000

14 Jun 2023

In May, we reported the devastating impact of avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ in breeding Black-headed Gull colonies near Coventry, Leicester and Leeds. Mortalities have more than doubled for this species in the last month, and in total, it is estimated that at least 10,000 Black-headed Gulls have died since the end of March.

black-headed-gull-edmund-fellowes-bto.gif

Black-headed Gulls. Edmund Fellowes / BTO

Although only a relatively small proportion of dead birds is tested for avian influenza, current sampling suggests that very large numbers of Black-headed Gulls are infected.

Cases continue to spread, with infections emerging in Northern Ireland as well as more widely across England. In Belfast Harbour, the RSPB Windows on Wildlife reserve suspects at least 200 Black-headed Gulls have died on the site as a result of avian influenza in the last two weeks alone.

The disease is also crossing into other colonial species such as Common Terns, which often breed in close proximity to Black-headed Gulls. Sadly, there have now been reports of this species being affected by avian influenza at sites from Norfolk to County Antrim.

The spread of avian influenza through inland colonies of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns represents the next phase of the battle against this virus that devastated so many of our coastal and offshore seabird colonies last year. Prof. James Pearce-Higgins, BTO Director of Science

40% of the 800 breeding Common Terns at Shotton Steelworks in North Wales are thought to have died from avian influenza, along with half of the 400 that breed at nearby Seaforth Nature Reserve. The numbers are still low in comparison to those of suspected avian influenza mortality in Black-headed Gulls, but there is potential for severe losses for Common Terns in the near future.

Both Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns are included on the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern, due to population declines and range contractions. The long-term impact of avian influenza on these threatened populations will not be known for some time yet.

How you can help

Don’t touch dead or sick birds
Keep dogs on leads to prevent them from finding and picking up dead birds
Clean bird feeders and bird baths regularly

Learn more about avian influenza

More information on the current outbreak, how BTO is responding, and what you can do to help, can be found on our dedicated Avian Influenza page.

Learn more about avian influenza

We are only able to track the spread of avian influenza with the help of birdwatchers who submit their sightings, supporting the efforts of site managers and reserve wardens. Prof. James Pearce-Higgins, BTO Director of Science

Report dead and sick birds

Record in the BirdTrack app. This allows researchers to follow the disease’s geographical spread and rapidly assess potential impacts on populations.
Report to Defra (England, Wales and Scotland) or DAERA (Northern Ireland), so that if needed, dead birds can be collected for testing.

00232_black-headed-gull_edmund-fellowes.gif

Black-headed Gull. Edmund Fellowes / BTO

Monitor your local Black-headed Gull colony

There are several vacant sites for monitoring Black-headed Gulls as part of the Seabird Monitoring Programme.

“Black-headed Gulls breeding at upland reservoirs appear to be badly affected at the moment, so we urge birdwatchers to check out breeding sites they may know of and report any deaths.”
Dawn Balmer, BTO Head of Surveys

Yes

Marine

Monitoring

Wildlife health

Highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the United Kingdom in 2022: impacts, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities.

MIKETOMS — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 16:19:16 +0000

The Cuckoo cohort of 2024 takes flight!

More Details

Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Humphreys, E.M., Burton, N.H.K., Atkinson, P.W., Pollock, C., Clewley, G.D., Johnston, D.T., O’Hanlon, N.J., Balmer, D.E., Frost, T.M., Harris S.J. & Baker, H. 978-1-912642-47-2

Since October 2021, there has been an unprecedented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the subtype H5N1 in wild birds, initially in wintering waterbirds and then in breeding seabirds and other species, including raptors.

Over the course of this ‘emergency’ period, many questions have arisen about how we respond on the ground to local outbreaks, what monitoring we need to support rapid decision-making and long-term impact assessment, our understanding of the transmission of avian influenza in wild bird populations, and how to develop strategic approaches to species recovery.

This report is the outcome of a UK HPAI workshop that was held virtually over two days in November 2022. It was designed to outline what was known about the impacts of this HPAI outbreak on wild birds so far, to develop thinking to support ongoing efforts to manage the outbreak, and to consider longer-term evidence needs to enable positive conservation actions and species recovery.

The UK workshop on wild birds sought to bring practitioners and experts together to:

Identify whether there are any short- or medium-term (conservation) management interventions that could be beneficial;
Consider whether there are novel longer-term management interventions that could be prioritised to address HPAI impacts and increase population resilience in impacted species;
Share experiences in collecting data on mortality in different species groups and consider what future mortality monitoring could look like;
Discuss what developments would be beneficial for UK bird monitoring schemes for improving understanding of impacts, including demographic parameters, and identify where these schemes are unlikely to meet these needs;
Assess the impact of loss of data, resulting from restrictions to field work in 2022, from national monitoring schemes and research on species assessments, indicators, and marine management;
Outline what new research areas could help us understand the effects of HPAI on populations, improve risk assessments, and how it could improve management for species conservation and recovery in future.

Read the full report.

Monitoring the impacts of a deadly outbreak

With your support, we can help devastated bird populations recover.

Donate to the Avian Influenza Appeal today

Garden BirdWatch Seasonal Review videos

WEBSITEEDITOR — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 11:01:28 +0000

At the end of each quarter, we take a look at Garden BirdWatch data to see what interesting things have been happening in your gardens. Now, as well as the long-standing results article in Bird Table magazine, we are producing short videos to give an overview of garden bird (and other wildlife) behaviour for each quarter.

GBW Results: July – September 2022

GBW Results: April – June 2022

High pathogenicity avian influenza: Targeted active surveillance of wild birds to enable early detection of emerging disease threats

MIKETOMS — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:12:03 +0000

The Cuckoo cohort of 2024 takes flight!

More Details

Wade, D., Ashton-Butt, A., Scott, G., Reid, S., Coward, V., Hansen, R.D.E., Banyard, A.C. & Ward, A. Epidemiology & Infection 10.1017/S0950268822001856

Avian influenza (AI) is an important disease that has significant implications for animal and human health. High pathogenicity AI (HPAI) has emerged in consecutive seasons within the UK to cause the largest outbreaks recorded. Statutory measures to control outbreaks of AI virus (AIV) at poultry farms involve disposal of all birds on infected premises. Understanding of the timing of incursions into the UK could facilitate decisions on improved responses. During the autumnal migration and wintering period (autumn 2019- spring 2020), three active sampling approaches were trialled for wild bird species considered likely to be involved in captive AI outbreaks with retrospective laboratory testing undertaken to define the presence of AIV.

Faecal sampling of birds (n=594) caught during routine and responsive mist net sampling failed to detect AIV. Cloacal sampling of hunter-harvested waterfowl (n=146) detected seven positive samples from three species with the earliest detection on the 17th October 2020. Statutory sampling first detected AIV in wild and captive birds on 3rd November 2020. We conclude that hunter sourced sampling of waterfowl presents an opportunity to detect AI within the UK in advance of outbreaks on poultry farms and allow for early intervention measures to protect the national poultry flock.

With thanks from the authors to Spurn Bird Observatory, Filey Bird Observatory and their affiliates for their assistance and use of materials and voluntary effort throughout the project. DW was funded by a University of Hull PhD studentship. ACB, RDEH, SMR and VC were part funded by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the devolved Scottish and Welsh governments under grants SV3400, SV3032 and SE2213. Tackling the challenge of avian influenza

Tracking avian flu through waterbird counting

TFROST2 — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 16:00:38 +0000

11 Nov 2022

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is circulating widely in UK waterbirds. The latest advice and links to relevant government information can be found at www.bto.org/avian-flu.

However, if you submit data to WeBS and/or GSMP surveys via WeBS Online or GSMP Online, we are now also requesting that you include a note if you suspect HPAI at your site due to unusual mortality or symptoms in live birds.

These anecdotal reports will be combined with other sources of mortality information to help researchers build up a more detailed picture of mortality, especially to help map where the biggest impacts may be occurring.

WeBS and GSMP counters form a unique surveillance network of UK waterbirds, and so your reports will be invaluable for understanding the situation countrywide going forward.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Keep counting and help us fill any gaps in coverage – the regular monthly counts of live birds collected by WeBS and GSMP will be the primary way we will be able to identify which species and sites have likely been hardest hit. It is more important to properly count live birds than look for dead ones.
If you suspect bird flu in a dead bird due to unusual mortality or symptoms in live birds present (e.g. twisting of the head, tremoring, respiratory distress, loss of balance) report to the Defra (03459 33 55 77) or Daera (0300 200 7840) helplines. This is particularly important if bird flu has not yet been recorded near to your suspected case.
Add a note of suspected cases to your WeBS/GSMP count. Add to the relevant species comment by clicking on the comment symbol. Mention flu so we can find the comment. Give the number, age if possible, and if the bird was dead or sick, e.g. “3 sick adults showing flu-like symptoms”, “2 adults and 1 young bird dead, bird flu possible” or “10 birds dead, avian flu suspected as known to be present at site”.
It is important that only live birds are marked as present when you submit your counts, so if there were no live birds of the relevant species present, instead add your record in the “Extra Details” comments box at the top. Please specify the species if adding to the extra details comment box, e.g. “2 dead Mute Swan, bird flu suspected, no live birds present”.
Note it is possible to optionally record seabirds and birds of prey in WeBS Online as well as waterbirds, either in the “Other Common Species” tab if they have previously been recorded, or by adding as a new species. You can add avian flu comments to these other species.
Whilst this is a disease of birds, there is zoonotic potential to cause disease in humans. Do not touch dead birds.
Report to site managers, landowners or councils as appropriate, who may decide to collect carcasses with appropriate PPE.
If you can do so safely without touching the dead bird, check for rings and report to www.ring.ac – this too will help enable research into the scale of mortality and which populations are most adversely affected.

For more information please

see this article

see this article (PDF, 2.19 MB)

from the Autumn 2022 edition of WeBS News. If you have any further questions please contact your Local Organiser or the WeBS Office.

Wetland

Wildlife health

Wetland Bird SurveyGoose and Swan Monitoring Programme