AI still affecting Black-headed Gulls

Although wild bird cases of bird flu are starting to diminish, large groups of Black-headed Gulls continue to see mass die-offs. This latest one in Bedford is a timely reminder that we still need to take utmost care with our biosecurity. See local BBC New report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-65562633 For the latest Gov.uk info about hygiene […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

a pair of Maned Ducks grazing at the waterside

What’s in a name — Maned Duck or Maned Goose? Life is a gradient of relatedness and what taxonomy tries to do is put it in that order. When the common names were thought up for waterfowl they were either called a duck or a goose according to how we traditionally recognised each — ‘ducks’ […]

Housing measures now apply to Northern Ireland and from Friday also to Wales

The requirement to house our birds was announced for Northern Ireland today. On Friday 2nd December it will also apply to Wales. The details of these housing orders are broadly similar to those in force in England. Full specific details can be found for each administration: https://www.gov.uk/animal-disease-cases-england/avian-influenza-prevention-zone-aipz-including-housing-measures-the-whole-of-england https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/avian-housing-order-introduced-ni https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu-latest-update The ability to keep waterfowl under […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

Netting of enclosures — the times they are a-changing an old song goes… Bird flu isn’t a myth or a conspiracy. The way we keep our birds is going to evolve and netting a waterfowl collection is worth serious thought. Pros • Prevents predation of birds and eggs • Reduces food bill • Reduces disease […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

Photographing a duck with an iPad

New bird flu cases are coming up most days. Is there anything that can save your birds if you are infected? Most of East Anglia is subject to a poultry (this includes waterfowl) housing order now, but it is quite likely that other areas will be added if there are more clusters of outbreaks. For […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

Blue-winged Goose

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip   Talking about the status of a wild species and its abundance in the wild, we refer to the International Union for Conservation — IUCN.   A good example is the Blue-winged Goose Cyanochen cyanoptera, which is suspected to have a small population that is experiencing a continuing decline, owing […]

Avian Influenza vaccine

We do get asked about vaccines for bird flu; the Head of Virology for APHA was on Farming Today yesterday. You can listen to the broadcast on BBC Sounds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001cp3m We asked APHA for comment, they are fully behind the content of this broadcast and confirmed that all research on vaccines is being monitored. It […]

Avian Influenza Prevention Zones

A second UK region is now subject to mandatory enhanced biosecurity measures. Today at noon, Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex became and Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ). This means that it is a legal requirement for bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures to protect their birds. Earlier this month, although the restrictions over […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

Confident you know your geese? The Grey Geese is the collective group of species including the Greylag, Pink-footed and Bean Geese. The Black Geese includes the Brents and Barnacles.   As migration season approaches, the BTO have re-issued a video guide, aimed at birders, to identify geese arriving to winter in the UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHh1swq_BOs   […]