It is late. I have been worried about Toby all day. As you are aware, he has HGE, and he had some blood in his stool this morning. I am not panicking, just monitoring and worrying, aka wringing my hands. It is entirely possible that it is the raw tenderloin from his birthday dinner; this is what the vet is thinking. I am overly sensitive since he had to spend four nights in the emergency vet clinic in late December, and I almost lost him! The Girls and Toby are often the glue that holds my life together when my husband’s dementia gets the best of me.
Toby had a wonderful birthday. New slush suit, sweaters, and hopefully a few indestructible toys! Please send him your good wishes. I hope everything is alright tomorrow, or it will be a rush to the emergency vet.
There is so much news in Bird World that I cannot keep up with all the happenings.
There are now three of the cutest little osplets at the nest of Harry and Sally at Moorings Park. Harry is one super dad and fish are plentiful.
Sally had some fish for herself when the babies were sleeping.
I am partial. I am so glad that osprey season is here – with all the bonking, the siblicide – the works. Those cute little bottoms with that light down, the dark line by the eye to protect them from the glare so they can see to do those amazing dives, even that ugly oily phase with the copper coloured feathers! Bring it on!!!!!!!!
After a 21-hour absence, Jackie (who scared the life out of many of us) has returned safely to the nest. Then she left again, leaving Shadow to incubate the eggs. Is there a female intruder in the area? I hope not. I hope she is just taking a much-needed break.
That cute Only eaglet at Duke Farms is getting its thermal down. Are there even a few pin feathers coming in??? There is enough food for several eaglets – there are no worries at this nest.
Mr North is not with us but we have the first egg for Mrs DNF and the New Male at the Decorah North Nest today.
Bluff City now has two little eaglets for Frances and Franklin at the ETSU nest. OK. Baby eaglets are also adorable!
One eaglet has hatched at the Kansas City nest of Ellie and Harvey and the second one is on pip watch. The first hatch has been named Osage.
There are now 52 new baby Kakapo. ‘J’ writes: “There are now just as many chicks, as there were adults 30 years ago when the recovery project started!!”
Another osprey nest with a couple arriving. The PKS nest – a new one to me but it is all over FB. It is the Pine Knolls Osprey Nest in North Carolina. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/7-wS9I-fj1w?
We all miss Annie and her mates at The Campanile. It seems unthinkable that no falcons are breeding at that magnificent site. ‘B’ has sent me the following note with links to articles. I urge you to read them to understand only one of the dangers that all of our avian friends face. “I thought you might be interested in this article on the impact of avian flu on Peregrine Falcons in the SF Bay Area, which appeared on the SFGATE website::
(SFGATE is a digital news site owned by Hearst. Hearst also owns the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, but SFGATE operates independently of the Chronicle.)
The article discusses results of a study conducted by a team of scientists from several institutions, where among other things they monitored occupancy of 47 known Peregrine Falcon nesting sites in the greater Bay Area. The decline of Peregrine population since the avian flu arrived in wild birds in the state in 2022 is reflected by the observation that nearly all of the 47 nest sites were occupied each year between 2000 and 2022, but in 2023 only 65% of the sites were occupied, and only 36% were occupied in 2025.
Here also is the abstract of the scientific study that the SFGATE article is based on:
Heidi reports that Marilyn has returned to the Old Town Home Osprey nest in Maryland.
‘PB’ sent me a note that there are now four eggs at the Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle nest.
Thank you so much for being with us for this quick post. We will be back on Monday. In the meantime, take care of yourselves.
Thank you to ‘B, H, J, PB’ for their letters and all the great information and articles they sent. Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams and to the authors of FB posts for generously spreading the information of happenings on the nest!
Current Status as John Bunker Sands: The second eaglet is still alive.
With the sudden death of JBS25, we are all feeling great anxiety. We will never know for certain what killed the little eaglet without a necroscopy – those take time and resources. The parents have now begun covering the little one. I noticed that someone on the chat wondered if the parents knew of the little one’s passing. The late Laura Culley – a friend and a great falconer – would have said very loudly: “And why wouldn’t they know that their child had died!” Laura trained and flew many raptors for at least three decades. She believed that they had higher powers – powers that we have lost including the ability to communicate without what humans know as ‘talking’. I miss her wisdom and yes, the raptors know. I have even observed their mourning over the death of their children and others leaving the nest having felt what we might call guilt for bringing in the prey that killed their children. The most vivid memory of that was Joe at the Captiva nest when Peace and Love died after he brought a rat to the nest that had died from rodenticide poisoning. He not only visibly mourned but left – and did not return.
It is 2230 as I am writing this, and if JBS 24 is to perish from HPAI, we will see this within the next 36 hours. I hope not. JBS 24 ate well Monday afternoon, even playing for a moment with dad’s tailfeathers. The little eaglet even had a late feed – unfortunately it was from the Coot on the nest that could have been the cause of the other’s death if it had HPAI.
HPAI happens suddenly. Several years ago, I reported on two White-tailed eaglets in Estonia that had died on a nest after being fed a crane. The two tiny eaglets died on the screen within half an hour of one another. In this instance, it was a crane that had come to the nest as prey. It turned out that these deaths were the first known instance of HPAI deaths in ‘spring’, sending alarm bells throughout the field of avian virology. Normally, HPAI happens in the fall, but this meant that migratory birds were affected. Thijs Kuiken is a prominent Professor of Comparative Pathology at the Department of Viroscience at Erasmus University Medical Centre (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam, Netherlands. His research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, zoonoses, and influenza, with a specialisation in the pathology and pathogenesis of viruses in wildlife. Dr Kuiken contacted me after I reported the deaths on my blog and followed up with veterinarians in the area. He has written extensively on HPAI and its links to factory farming. The birds are the victims of this deadly disease that continues to kill around the world.
Here are some more recent articles showing the impact of this terrible disease.
Thank you so much for stopping in with us today. Keep sending your good wishes to the John Bunker eaglet.
Thank you to Mark Avery and the authors of the articles on HPAI as well as to the John Bunker Sands Wetlands for their streaming cam that allows us to look into the lives of these eagles. Our condolenes on the loss of the first little fluff ball.
It is always difficult to bring sad news, but I also want us to celebrate the survivors. There are many for us to cheer on – SW Florida, Captiva, Dade County, NE Florida, etc. Please send these nests your best wishes.
One of the eaglets at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands has died. I believe it to be the youngest but I stand ready to be corrected.
JBS 25 died around 1040 on Monday, the 9th of February. The eaglet hatched on the 26th of January – it was two weeks old and appeared to be doing well. The parents are excellent.
IF this is a case of HPAI, then, sadly, we will expect the older eaglet JBS 24 to pass as well as they were fed from the same prey brought to the nest. It would be the same situation as we observed at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23 last year.
Thank you to ‘MP’ for alerting me to the illness on the nest and to the others who wrote to see if I knew the eaglet had passed. Yes, sadly. Let us all remain hopeful for the second who has had a good meal, and I hope they are in a food coma as I write this. Thank you to SK Hideaways for their video yesterday, which preserves this beautiful family before their passing. Thank you to JBS Wetlands for the streaming cam that allows us to view the lives of our raptors – the good and the sad.
As one of you recently told me, it has been one heck of a week. Ten days, actually. It seems like forever. Thank you for all your letters of support, the virtual tea and scones, and just being there.
Little Toby is really on the mend. He got to go out for a nice walk today to do his ‘business’ and then get a treat! Here is he is in his little red jumpsuit! On Monday, Toby is going to grace the 5th floor Ward North of the Victoria Hospital. I hope he brings a lot of joy to everyone including his ‘Daddy’.
Toby is just so much better. The hospital is ‘working’ on Donald.
This morning, someone posted an image of a tuxedo cat being hit by a car just a block away. Was it Brock? Toby and I looked and called on our walk. Then, Brock showed up at the feeder. He has a slight limp in his front left leg, but being so very independent and strong, he would not allow me to hold him or get him help. So send him good wishes.
I constantly worry about our eagle families, especially when a bird or waterfowl is brought to the nest as prey for the babies. ‘AR’ sent some news about Avian Flu: “I found some new research on bird flu and I am sending the link :
Here in Florida, we are still losing birds. In Lakeland Florida, the resident swans are dying, we have lost 12 so far 🙁 Lakeland is closer to NEFL than it is to SWFL, so I have been checking in daily that the babies are alright. “
There is good news out of the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian. Oh, don’t we love good news?!
Arthur was spotted Saturday on Ferris Akel’s tour and today Suzanne Arnold Horning got a photo of Big Red – so all is well at the Cornell Campus.
Oh, I am so tired. Ann and I decided that visiting at the hospital makes you more tired than running a marathon. I hope all of you are well and that 2026 will straighten itself out if it is wrecking havoc with you as well.
My reports will continue to be short for awhile til things settle down. Please take care. See you tomorrow.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to watch our favourite raptor families, to SK Hideaways for their videos, to ‘AR’ for sending me the article on Avian Flu and reporting on what is happening near the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau, to Suzanne Arnold Horning and Woody for chasing down our favourite Red-tail Hawks.
[I am sending this out at 2200 Sunday evening in case things get hectic Monday morning – have a great day everyone].
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. From now on, we will have a tiny bit more daylight, which is always welcome. Sunday was bright and sunny, and there is nothing better to energise a weary body after days of snow and grey than bright light. The Girls certainly enjoyed having those beautiful rays of warmth fill the conservatory.
For the past several weeks or months, I have encouraged each of you to slow down – to savour the moment at hand without worrying about what happened a week ago, what will occur in a month, or if your holiday dinner is perfect, or your house looks like the best cleaning service has detailed it. You would be too worn out to enjoy any of the fun if you did that. Instead, relax. Make the days simple so that you can enjoy them.
I found a blog post about ‘How Not to Feel Lost in a Parisian Cafe’, and I want to share it with you, not that you are going to Paris soon (or maybe you are), but because it speaks to sheer relaxation. Take a quiet moment with a cuppa and enjoy it. Practice relaxing. It is one thing that North Americans are not good at! Endless lists, too much goal orientation and achievement having priority over simple living.
This led to a link about the joys of doing nothing in retirement. In this article in The Wall Street Journal, there is this quote: “Earlier this summer, I read ‘This Is Happiness,’ by Niall Williams, about a fictional Irish community in the mid-20th century where rain is a constant presence in the lives of the town’s poor residents, until it isn’t. “You don’t see rain stop, but you sense it,” he writes at one point. “You hear the quietness you thought was silence get quieter still, and you raise your head so your eyes can make sense of what your ears have already told you, which at first is only: something has changed. The quote describes more eloquently than my words how I felt that morning at the cabin when something for me had changed. It was the realization that in experiencing the peace that doing nothing brings, I could acknowledge quietly to myself, “This is happiness.”
Nellie arrived. The pups have been in and out, and then a rest, and then in and out again. Nellie loves the deep snow in the garden – she is a big girl. Toby likes to go out but not stay out as long. It has been great fun watching them play.
We had a proper ‘tea’ and christened a new teapot. This year we managed to break two teapots – the daily glass one and a much-loved temmoku one made by my friend Gunda Stewart years ago. There are ‘art’ teapots in my cupboards made by people across Canada, but I don’t use them. So…dear Anne brought us a replacement glass one, and I went over the top and purchased a rather glitzy version for special occasions. It is entirely unlike me; I am a much more rustic, handmade person. I like the story behind this design. It is based on the ceiling of the Library in the Fairmont Hotel in Toronto. This is where the ladies had to wait and have tea while the men checked them into the hotel.
I met a wonderful woman years ago in Yangon. Besides the fact that we both looked up and noticed that we were each reading Burmese Days, we were also sequestered inside our hotel for a few days during bombings in the City. Victoria introduced me to Coronation Chicken, and that is what we had today, along with egg mayo, sausage rolls, vegetable samosas, cranberry, orange, and mince tarts, shortbread cookies shaped like Scotty dogs, Fortnum’s Christmas cake, and chocolates. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the solstice! (I meant to take photos and forgot in the flurry of Nellie’s arrival!)
I wondered if Nellie was going to get stuck. She didn’t. She jumped and rolled.
A really tired Toby. He went to sleep before he even got in his bed.
Next to Toby, Nellie is in her big dog bed.
All is right in ‘dog’ world.
SK Hideaways Videos, week of 14 December 2025
Sauces Canyon Eagles: Jak and Audacity Chortle in the Dawn ~ An 11-Year Love Story (2025 Dec 19) As Jak and Audacity greet the day with nature’s most perfect music ~ chortles ~ we share a little history of this 11-year love story. Video: https://youtu.be/jCVVKQNIbfw Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE
Haku Issues Mating Invitation ~ Akecheta’s Not in the Mood (2025 Dec 20) As Akecheta and Haku enjoyed their often frequented ocean view, Haku started feeling a little frisky. She let out some beautiful chortles and lowered her head, making it clear she was inviting Akecheta to mate. This time, Akecheta was focused elsewhere and did not respond. These two are spending a lot of time together on camera, so we could guess they’re doing so off camera as well. We have seen at least 2 mating attempts before this event, so may also guess that such attempts are being made behind closed tors. We are feeling optimistic about a fruitful nesting season for these two. Video: https://youtu.be/zhov66JVXDI
Akecheta Attempts Mating After Haku Casts Massive Pellet (2025 Dec 17) After spending the night together on the night perch, Haku woke before Akecheta and cleared her gizzard by casting a rather large pellet. So large, in fact, that when it hit the ground, it woke Akecheta. Unperturbed, he went right back to sleep before waking later to attempt the first mating we’ve seen on camera. While unsuccessful, it bodes well for these two pursuing nesting and mating behaviors for the season ahead. Akecheta later did some nestorations before setting off to the middle tor, posing beautifully for the camera. (2025 Dec 17) Video: https://youtu.be/YWxv9J9LbMM
FOBBV Eagles: Two Juvie Eagles Visit Nest Tree ~ Jackie & Shadow Let Them Be (2025 Dec 15) Two first year juvenile eagles (2025 hatch year) visited the nest tree. The first flew to the very top while Jackie and Shadow were finishing their day’s nestorations. While their hackles were raised and they were very vocal, Jackie and Shadow did not physically approach the visitor. The second juvie arrived at the nest tree after Jackie and Shadow had retired to their Roost Tree. Who might they be? #CouldBeSunnyOrGizmo Video: https://youtu.be/F6R4BuHTTOc Courtesy FOBBVCAM, Friends of Big Bear Valley, CA
GIRRI FLEDGES at 43 Days Old (2025 Dec 18) Girri woke early on her fledge day, full of energy and raring to go. After some vigorous wingercises and a full frontal attack of the camera, Girri took a wee rest and did a bit of yoga before taking flight. The fledge was perfect, as she flew across the flatlands to a perch tree. Cilla Ross captured video of her perched safely to everyone’s delight. Wishing Girri well in this exciting new phase of her young life. Video: https://youtu.be/96yPLdvaixU Viewer Discretion: Diamond’s Prey Unzipping Lesson ~ Girri Chases Gimbir (2025 Dec 15) Diamond brought another galah (aka pink and grey cockatoo) to the nest for Girri. She watched as her chick tried to consume the galah, but Girri does not yet possess the skills to prep prey. After letting Girri struggle a while, Diamond demonstrated how to prepare and ultimately consume prey. While SK Hideaways doesn’t normally publish graphic displays of raptors eating, we felt Diamond’s master class was interesting and educational. This is something raptor lovers may want to understand about these birds of prey. But we understand if you’d rather skip this lesson. When Gimbir came for the second seating, Girri chased him around the nest. Then Diamond fed him a few bites, but decided better of it. Best he remember that he’s a mate/parent and not a chick. Video: https://youtu.be/rgCWPyT11No
There is nothing cuter than a couple of bobbleheads – .
Dade County R9.
SW Florida E26.
Two very much loved eaglets. R10 appears to be on its way.
I am unclear as to the status of E27’s egg. A single healthy eaglet fledging strong would be fine for me for each nest.
It looks like a juvenile eagle on the Berry College Bald Eagle nest in Georgia.
For those following the ups and downs of Lumi, the young lynx that found itself in the care of our local wildlife rehabilitation clinic, Wildlife Haven, is improving all the time. A video was posted on Instagram of Lumi going through the morning zoomies. She certainly looks like she is getting stronger each day!
We have eggs with Louis II and Anna II at Kisatchie National Forest’s E1 Bald Eagle nest. Now there is a bonded pair at the E3 nest. Tonya suggests that we are now on egg watch for them. Nice. https://youtu.be/NkSdsMy2WAo?
Gimbir in the Charles Sturt University Falcon scrape overlooking the wooded area below where Cilla saw Girri yesterday. I wonder if Gimbir can encourage Girri to try and make her way up that steep flight to get to the scrape where she hatched?
At Port Lincoln, let’s see what Giliath and Ervie have been up to – Giliath has been to Lincoln National Park, Boston Point, and Boston Island (very similar to Ervie).
Ervie’s tracker – both lads come back to the wharf at Port Lincoln to roost at night.
I don’t know about you but I am always relieved to see our dear Ervie doing so well.
I read Mark Avery’s Blog every month and he always reports on Bird Flu in the UK. Having seen the deaths of hundreds of Canada geese near to where I live, I continue to be interested in how HPAI is still impacting wildlife.
This was the report in Mark Avery’s most recent blog:
“Bird flu: Defra’s most recent update seems to cover the period up to 30 November and has a lot of positive records, especially of wildfowl, and adds Woodcock to the 2025 list of affected species bringing the total to 53: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Black Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Eider, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Woodcock, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Black Guillemot, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch and Starling. The flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. “
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care! Have a great beginning to the week. See you on Tuesday!
Thank you to SK Hideaways for those great videos and to the owners of the streaming cams who give us a look into the lives of our eagles. I also want to thank those who take the time to post reports and images on FB so that we know what is going on with our beloved raptors. Thank you to Mark Avery for his blog where I used his bird flu report today as well as to the authors of the articles in Substack and WSJ.
Morning Update: R8 still hatching at Dade. R7 is a day old. Thanks for the great capture Heidi!
We woke up to the softest white snow Saturday morning. It was -14 C, which is lovely—cool but not freezing. The sun was out, the sky was a pearl grey-white.
We had an ‘interesting’ drive through the park Saturday afternoon. We love seeing the deer, but today was anxiety-provoking. A man with a dog on lead was provoking the deer. We drove slowly, parked behind the incident and didn’t leave. I always wonder why humans feel that they can threaten or hurt wild animals.
The garden is honoured by the continuing presence of a rabbit, one of a long line of rabbits to visit us. The video camera at the front of the house also recorded three deer visits, none of them the buck with the single antler from the other evening. My heart burns a little warmer.
Closer to home The Girl’s got two new toys. A tunnel with a mesh where they can see their sibling and a tiny rocking dome with some wiggly toys. Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope checked it out.
It is day 34 for egg 1 at NE Florida. If we think of the ‘average’ hatch between 36-38.5 days, we have two to four days to go until this little one hatches. It is getting excited.
What I can tell you is that the eggs at NE Florida are getting rolled and Gabby is being extremely vigilant in her duties. No pip as of Saturday afternoon that I am aware.
Those eaglets of Ron and Rose are really strong! This one hatched at 1016 Saturday. There is a tiny bit of shell stuck to its wing. Oh, my. What a little sweetheart. OK. Maybe to us. I bet its sibling might think otherwise!!!!!
Heidi sends word that there is indeed a pip for R8. Wow. These two will hatch close together and from the looks of it, this is a good thing. R7 is a really strong eaglet. So happy. We need good DNA, great parenting, lots of prey, and blessings as Avian Flu roars its ugly head around the world for the winter (again).
Chase brought Cholyn a fish Saturday morning and got his foot caught on the nest. He managed OK! Thank goodness. Chase and Cholyn are one of the oldest bonded couples in the Bald Eagle community. https://youtu.be/6b4Nsskhzzk?
Here is a very thoughtful video on the illegal release of the lynx. What we need to understand about the illegal releases, why a balanced landscape is important, and the history of the animals that used to live in the area. Why did the lynx go extinct? https://youtu.be/teu8i5vlUWo?
Bird flu – HPAI and H5N1 – are spreading around the world during the winter. I worry for each of our families and, of course, all species. They have enough challenges already.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Make Time for Story Time even if you are a teenager, an adult, or someone living alone (read to a friend). Reading to Calico with the soft sounds of the words got her to trust me and, as we now know, that trust grew into her joining us in our home. An article in The New York Times speaks to how reading aloud to someone can create intimacy. Calico adds that it is also ‘together time’ ‘analog time’ – and it can be very meaningful and supportive. Why not join us in story time? Make it a part of your life’s routine.
There are Beautiful Trumpeter Swans in Yellowstone. We have a pair that live in Manitoba—remember, we can be colder than Mars—at an Artesian spring north of our City.
Calico ordered three new books from me that she thinks might be good for our family story time. Here they are, and I will keep you posted once we have read them.
Polly Atkin loves owls. They are neighbours to the 17th century property she lives in at Grasmere in the Lake District. Her early observations led her to research the owls. Ms Atkin has a chronic illness and these owls are now her intimate friends and companions. Many of us can relate to these relationships.
This is another book about how a Robin became an intimate friend year after year. A description on the Internet lead me to believe that this book is one that we would enjoy.
A description in New River Books intrigued me. “Each month in The Blackbird’s Song, Miles Richardson delves into the science and mythology behind our relationship with nature, exploring everything from our kinship with plants to the way in which nature influences our moods. Along the way, he offers a range of activities to help us access the benefits of the natural world. Whether it be ‘joy-watching’ birds, rediscovering wonder, foraging for Christmas crafts or going on an urban safari, this book contains all the tools and inspiration you need to unlock the transformative power of nature and find real meaning in your life.”
This reminds me slightly of the new book by Margaret Renkl which is the journal included in my listing of books from 2024.
Pets being rescued in southern California. Thinking about the wildlife…
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please check on all those eagle nests as the chicks have hatched at various dates and are at different developmental stages. At Superbeaks, Barron is eating and finding ways around Keke to get his food. At Captiva and SW Florida there is so much food there has not been an issue around the amount of prey one chick gets over the other. Behaviour can be observed and watching these eaglets is a good way to learn about how they change as they grow – wings, feet, plumage, bills, etc. The only osprey nests have fledglings. There is some interest in bonding and mating at some of the Florida osprey nests, but as far as I know there are no eggs yet. Take care of yourself. We will see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, questions, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, J, MP’, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, BVSgirl, FORE, Androcat, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and the PLO, Ferris Akel Tour, The New York Times, Raptor Persecution UK, Leave Curious, Channel 5 Belize, Yellowstone National Park, New River Books, Amazon, Chief Miller, International Bird Rescue, UKOsprey Information
I wonder how many saw the article about the factory chickens in Newfoundland, Canada being struck with the HPAI or Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza? Did you even think about it, if you did?
On 6 January, the CBC announced that hundreds of birds in Newfoundland, Canada had contracted the H5N1 strain of avian flu.
What is extraordinary about this is that it is the same ‘highly pathogenic’ (HPAI) avian flu strain that killed the two White-tailed Eaglets in the Balkans last spring. The male had brought a stork or a crane onto the Estonian nest and the two chicks died as a result of eating it according to the autopsy conducted by Madis Leivits. Thijs Kuiken, Virologist from Erasmus University, Rotterdam said to me in an e-mail, ‘HPAI outbreaks in wildlife were restricted to autumn and winter, and had stopped altogether or were at low levels by the time spring arrived’. Kuiken notes that the incidence of HPAI is overlapping with the breading season of many wild animals that could have been impacted. Many chicks could have died.
Going back to the Newfoundland issue, the question is: how did it cross the Atlantic? Kuiken is working with the Newfoundland Government to discover how this might have happened.
Of further interest is the fact that the same HPAI strain was discovered The in a bird shot in South Carolina in late December 2021. No region appears to be untouched.
If you are interested in learning more about Avian flu and its impact, please read the following article by Dr Kuiken. It is very informative and can be understood easily without great scientific knowledge.
How will this impact the health of all wild birds in Europe and North America? What can be done? Some answers are in the article above. Perhaps it is time to really look at the factory farming of animals carefully and deliberately to a view of becoming more local.
For those of you that enjoy watching the streaming bird cams and particularly those of the various types of eagles, it is possible that we will see more deaths due to H5N1 this season.
