This breeding season for ptarmigans has been the fourth worst on record in northern Iceland, due in part to a June snowstorm.
Dead seagulls were found near five coastal villages of the district - Ryrkaipia, Nutepelmena, Lorino, Lavrentiya and Enurmino. The largest number of dead birds were found near the village of Ryrkaipiy in the Egvekinot municipality. Local residents reported that there were several dozen Eastern Siberian gulls on the shore and ice floes.
“Last year we got several reports from tourists and scientists that they saw around six walruses dead here on the west side of Svalbard. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sample them as the dead walruses drifted away by the time we got to the place. But it’s not normal to get so many reported dead walruses in such a small area," said Christian Lydersen, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Now samples (collected by a Station Manager in July 2023) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
During a B.C. heat wave, there was an unusual increase in baby gulls falling or jumping from rooftops, leading to numerous rescues by a local wildlife organization.
Unusual aggressive bald eagle behavior, not linked to nest protection, leads to multiple injuries at Kodiak harbor, possibly due to eagles being fed by people.
Chris Whitty captured stunning photos of a rare white loon in British Columbia, marking an unusual wildlife sighting.
A third person in the US has tested positive for bird flu linked to an outbreak in dairy cattle, indicating possible cow-to-human transmission.
Reindeer herder Risten Inga Eira reports all newborn calves in her district have been killed, highlighting increased predator attacks and the community's frustration with the rising eagle population.
A duck hunter in Fort Smith, N.W.T., found his usual hunting grounds dried up and devoid of wildlife due to recent wildfires and record-low water levels.
The FDA found pasteurized milk containing inactive bird flu virus remnants from infected dairy cows, but maintains the milk supply is safe.
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have contracted bird flu, marking the first known instance of the disease in livestock, amidst recovery from devastating wildfires.
The expedition revealed that gannets have easy access to plastic, as their nests are mostly made from plastic debris. Hundreds of dead gannets were also observed by the experts, with it being estimated that three factors played a role in their deaths: natural attrition, bird flu, and plastic pollution.
The virus was first reported among brown skua on Bird Island, off South Georgia. Since then, researchers and observers have reported mass deaths of elephant seals, as well as increased deaths of fur seals, kelp gulls and brown skua at several other sites. Researchers warn of one of ‘largest ecological disasters of modern times’ if the highly contagious disease reaches penguin colonies.
Avian influenza or “bird flu” is hitting Bay Area poultry farms hard, with a quarter of a million birds euthanized in Sonoma County this week alone. Mike Weber, the co-owner of Sunrise Farms in Petaluma, says around 82,000 of his egg-laying chickens had to be euthanized after birds started testing positive for avian flu.
Stanley, Falkland Islands, establishes a temporary control zone following the confirmation of its first avian flu case.
The H5N1 strain of avian flu has been detected on a poultry farm in Chilliwack, British Columbia, marking the first confirmed case in the province this fall and prompting increased precautions among poultry farmers.
Two cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in Pocahontas and Guthrie counties in Iowa, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there is no public health concern.
There have been similar, even larger outbreaks of avian flue in seabird colonies in north Norway. In some cases, the losses were dramatic and major fractions of the colonies were wiped out. In Spitsbergen, avian flu was found for the first time in 2002, but the recent outbreak on Hopen is the largest one so far.
In Dillingham, Alaska, 19 cases of avian flu have been identified in common murres, with the virus still present in wild birds and genetic testing being conducted to determine if it is a new strain or a strain circulating in North America.
Thousands of turkeys in Sanpete County, Utah, have died from highly pathogenic avian influenza, leading to the quarantine and depopulation of the affected farm, with concerns about the potential impact on turkey sales during the upcoming holiday season.
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