Pushed north by global heating, birds like the European bee-eater seen in Norfolk likely to become established visitors

The UK has been facing its largest ever outbreak of avian influenza, with cases found around Scotland including a recent outbreak on the remote archipelago of St Kilda.Samples were taken from hundreds of dead birds found on East Lothian beaches.

Concerned ornithologists are asking the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to introduce stricter measures to avoid a new outbreak of bird flu. The risk of infection to humans is considered low by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, but we are concerned about infection between animals. Everyone who has poultry must be aware of the infection in wild birds, protect their own birds against infection and monitor the birds' state of health, says Anne Marie Jahr of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

Endangered guillemots sit tightly in the bird cliff. Infection of bird flu can pass through the colony quickly, fear scientists, who have found several dead birds in recent days. The finds on Hornøya join the series of observations along the coast. There are constantly new reports of sea otters in particular being found in Western Norway. There are also reports of sick gulls and sea eagles along the entire coast up to East Finnmark.

'It flew right over Alaska and it landed just west of Herschel Island, at Qikiqtaruk [Territorial Park], along the coast along the Yukon's North Slope,' Cameron Eckert, a conservation biologist with Yukon Parks and a bird enthusiast, said of the bar-tailed godwit.

"Since about May 25, crews have been seeing multiple species showing what we believe are signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The signs we are seeing widespread is a headshaking that we equate to "getting the cobwebs out", like a person may do when they first wake up. This behavior occurs regularly every couple minutes. This behavior has been observed in: black brant, cackling geese, bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, lapland longspurs, spectacled eiders, emperor geese, greater white-fronted geese, sabines gulls, glaucous gulls, and red-necked phalaropes."

"This is the first time in our lives that we have seen a cormorant in Kotzebue Sound."

Over the past five days there have been increasing reports of unusual behavior in a variety of bird species including brant goose, snow goose, white-fronted goose, and Canada goose.

This brant was seen at Mile 16 of the Nome-Council Road exhibiting spinning behavior.

The Yukon is the latest place to be hit with avian flu cases as an outbreak continues to spread across the country. Officials from the department of environment said in a press release Friday that two waterfowl carcasses in southern Yukon tested positive for the H5N1 virus strand. The Yukon government is asking residents to report sightings of sick or dead birds to their TIPP line at 1-800-661-0525.

During February and March, six new findings of highly pathogenic bird flu virus (HPAI) were made in sea eagles in the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Trøndelag, Nordland and Troms and Finnmark. Thus far, eight reliable detections have been made in sea eagles in Norway this bird flu season, which is unique in the European context.

This video shot on Thursday May 19th, shows the erratic circling behavior of a Canada goose. Although the cause is unknown, this type of behavior is according to USGS, "highly suggestive" of an infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

An eagle that died in the Sitka National Historical Park this month tested positive for the avian influenza. A second eagle that died in the park was also tested for the virus, and results are pending. 

Alaska State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach said they have now confirmed avian flu in several bald eagles on Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, several Canada geese in the Anchorage area, and a Canada goose in Delta Junction.

A passenger on a small commercial plane flying between Nome and Golovin reported seeing 5-6 swans all motionless, floating on a pond. The reason of the behavior is unknown.

State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach says the Mat-Su case confirms that migrating birds have brought avian influenza to Alaska.

A new strain of avian flu that's been plaguing eastern and central Canada has shown up in B.C., and a chicken farmer says it may have wiped out dozens in her flock. The farmer believes bird feeders, intended for wild birds in the area, spread the virus to her domestic chickens.

The lone adult bird was spotted among the migrating trumpeter swans at Marsh Lake.

More domestic and wild birds in Montana are being tested for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or bird flu, state officials said on Friday. Since then, wildlife officials have received wild birds for disease testing daily, she said. A snow goose from Freezeout Lake in Teton County has been confirmed as positive for the virus. Ducks, pigeons, wild turkeys and red-tailed hawks are being tested now.

The flu now affecting birds in Saskatchewan is a severe strain of influenza that has mingled genes from Eurasia and North America, according to Dr. Trent Bollinger, a professor at Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and a pathologist. Bollinger said that the severity of the disease, which he says is the H5N1 strain, depends on the species.