The researchers who keep an eye on Hornøya near Vardø have made disturbing discoveries in the colonies of seabirds. – We have found a number of dead birds, mainly gray gulls and black-backed gulls. In addition, we have made observations of birds with slightly different behavior and sick birds, says Tone Kristin Reiertsen, researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural History (Nina). 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. This crutch drags its wings and shakes its head – probably due to bird flu. Photo: Tone Kristin Reiertsen, Nina The birds from Hornøya have not been fully analyzed, but there are no obvious alternatives to bird flu. One of the birds, a gull of the crutch species, behaved strangely. – It could not use the wings, just drag them after them. It shook its head and was a little strange. It could be a sign of bird flu. Some individuals may have neurological disorders, the researcher explains. Tone Kristin Reiertsen has followed the bird mountain on Hornøya for a number of years. Now she fears a major outbreak of bird flu. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn Fear of stool There were slightly fewer gray gulls that went to nest this year than last year, but beyond that, the researchers can not see any clear decline in the population. But that may change, Reiertsen fears. An infectious disease has very good conditions in a bird colony. Perhaps especially in guillemots – one of the species affected now. Lomvi nests very densely. They sit closest to each other. If you get an outbreak among auks like guillemots and polar guillemots, it can be very serious. That is what we are most concerned about. – During large outbreaks in sea otter colonies in Scotland, large numbers of dead birds have been found both in the colonies and out at sea. – It is a very contagious disease, and the guillemot is critically endangered from before. Getting something like that on top of it all is not good for the stock. The guillemot is on the red list as critically endangered already. The flu can hit hard. Photo: Trond Berg The researchers are nowhere near having good figures for how many are affected. This is partly due to the fact that sick birds seem to go out to sea and just disappear. In addition, it requires a great deal of effort to count systematically in the colonies. Should remove dead birds Reiertsen thinks it is not good if there are dead birds lying in the colony. Ideally, they should have been collected and destroyed. Otherwise, she leaves it to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to answer what needs to be done, and whether it is relevant to collect sick and dying birds. In that case, it can be difficult on Hornøya, as parts of the colony in the mountains are quite inaccessible. – We have requested more such information, she says. Many tourists take the boat to Hornøya every day, and Reiertsen believes it should have been more clearly informed about the danger of bird flu. – They must not touch dead or sick birds, because this is so contagious. Contact the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, advises Reiertsen. This gray gull was found dead near the nest, with no visible damage. Nor was it emaciated. It is now being checked by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Photo: Tone Kristin Reiertsen, Nina Outbreak in the world’s largest colony The bird flu may have come to Norway and Finnmark with several migratory birds. – One can guess at a number of transmission routes, but one does not know completely, says Reiertsen. Sea eagles and geese are possible candidates. It is also well documented that gray gulls marked on Hornøya spend part of the winter in Scotland. There has been an extensive outbreak of bird flu this winter. And it continues to spread: Wednesday night, the SeaBird Center in Scotland announced that the bird flu had also been confirmed on the large colony of Bass Rock. The cliffs house the world’s largest osprey colony with more than 150,000 breeding pairs. Do not touch the birds, but report To get a good overview of how widespread the flu is, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority wants you to report the discovery of dead birds. However, not all types of birds need to be reported if they are found dead in the wild. – There are some species we are particularly interested in. They are ducks, gulls, waders, birds of prey and scavengers, says department head at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in Finnmark, Siv June Hansen. The critically endangered guillemot has declined sharply in many places. Hornøya by Vardø is the only larger colony in Norway that has increased in recent years. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news So far, bird flu has been detected in the municipalities of Vardø, Måsøy, Loppa and Hasvik in Finnmark. When finding dead birds, it is important to include exactly where it was discovered, but do not touch the bird. Humans can also be infected. – It is very rare for humans to be infected with bird flu, but we encourage people to avoid coming into physical contact with sick or dead birds. – If you have to handle a dead bird, it is important to wear gloves and wash your hands well afterwards, Hansen encourages the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
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Fear of bird flu in colony on Hornøya in Finnmark with critically endangered seabird – news Troms and Finnmark
