Arran escapes avian flu but it is still around

Arran has so far escaped any new cases of avian flu, but the public has been warned it has not gone away.

 

Last year on July 12, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza ( HPAI) H5N1 arrived on Arran. By the end of the month, more than 350 dead birds had been recorded. This number continued to climb over the following months and positive cases were last found on Blackwaterfoot beach on January 19 2023.

 

This July to date there have been no recorded cases on Arran in either wild or captive birds but H5N1 has not gone away. According to the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Scottish government there is currently a confirmed case in poultry premises in Banff.

 

In addition, Scotland’s Avian Flu Task Force is on high alert following an increase in reports of dead seabirds around our coasts. In recent weeks, monitoring by NatureScot and partners including the British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland has revealed worrying signs that more seabirds may be succumbing to the virus. In particular, there has been a rise in reports of dead kittiwakes, black-headed gulls, herring gulls, terns and guillemots being washed up on the east coast of Scotland, stretching from Wick in Caithness to St Abbs in Berwickshire.

 

The advice is do not touch dead wild birds. If you find any dead wild birds, DEFRA should be informed online. Typing in “report dead wild birds” takes you to this website www.gov.uk/guidance/report-dead-wild-birds It is quick and easy to do. On Arran, if there are multiple dead wild birds or a single dead bird of prey, please also notify Arran Vets by telephoning 01770 302511 .

 

Jim Cassels

 

 

A guillemot washed up on an Arran beach last year. NO_B30guilemot01_23_avian_flu