[Mnbird] Bird Flu Spreaders

[Carol Cummins]

I just read a post in the afternoon StarTribune email that the Raptor Center is now recommending that bird feeders be taken down. Is that true?


Carol Cummins
612-481-3430
carolcumminsmn at gmail.com

> On Apr 14, 2022, at 1:13 PM, Tami Vogel via Mnbird <mnbird at lists.mnbird.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Agreed - and there ARE so many unknowns about this outbreak of the virus. We're trying to gather as much information as we can to help us and other wildlife hospitals make informed decisions. 
> 
> As of yet, we're not seeing it in songbirds, but we have sent in swabs from some this week. We will of course keep this list updated if we find it has jumped over to songbirds. I honestly don't want to even contemplate that right now.
> 
> I always love watching the migration through the listservs, too, Pam. A 2nd and 3rd fox sparrow showed up today at my house and are busily scratching with 70 or so juncos. We still have a large flock of pine siskins and a handful of redpolls. A dozen or so purple finches are mixed in as well. No pine warblers or yellow-rumpeds yet!
> 
> Your new property sounds so beautiful. How fun to totally switch habitats like that.
> 
> 
> All my best,
> Tami in Afton
> 
> 
> 
> From: Pamela Brustman <gleskarider at gmail.com>
> Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2022 12:11 PM
> To: Tami Vogel <tvogel at wrcmn.org>
> Cc: DONALD GRUSSING Owner <cdrussin at centurylink.net>; mnbird <mnbird at lists.mnbird.net>
> Subject: Re: [Mnbird] Bird Flu Spreaders
>  
> Tami- thank you for that information, it is a very helpful bit of information to further understand the entire story.
> I regret my statement vis a vis this, but it IS very common for people to misinterpret singleton or few instances as pointing to a cause when not all data are in.
> 
> And, I forgot the part about tracking it, and should have remembered from last go round
> 
> Kingfishers! 
> 
> Your posts are always informative and I look forward to hearing your sightings as they usually precede who arrives in my location by a week or so.
> Or, they did when I was in Oak Grove. Now in St Michael on the Crow, that maybe isn't true.
> 
> Good birding !
> - Pamela 
> Never give up on a dream just because of the length of time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. - Unknown
> 
> “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” 
> ― Aldo Leopold
> I am one who cannot.
> 
> 
> On Thu, Apr 14, 2022 at 10:35 AM Tami Vogel via Mnbird <mnbird at lists.mnbird.net> wrote:
> Those species are not, so far, shown to be susceptible to this recent outbreak of HPAI, which involves multiple strains. Nor were they the last time around.
> 
> We are taking swabs for testing of many species not currently listed in an effort to help wildlife hospitals across the nation get a better view of the virus' scope.
> 
> Through this, we've added several new species to the "susceptible list" in the past three weeks, including kingfishers. We're waiting on the required confirmation after a positive at the UMN VDL.
> 
> It is spreading through waterfowl and the susceptible species (list available at APHIS USDA). Since it is high path (the HP of HPAI), all you have to do is walk through duck/goose poop and you are spreading the virus. Once one bird gets the virus it spreads like wildfire.
> 
> I'm happy to answer any questions off channel. Just wanted to correct this misinformation.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Tami Vogel
> Communications and Development Director
> Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota
> www.wrcmn.org
> 
> 
> From: Mnbird <mnbird-bounces at lists.mnbird.net> on behalf of DONALD GRUSSING Owner via Mnbird <mnbird at lists.mnbird.net>
> Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2022, 10:14 AM
> To: mnbird
> Subject: [Mnbird] Bird Flu Spreaders
> 
> Waterfowl are often cited in the media as the birds spreading the bird flu.  But I have never seen video of a mallard or a wild goose sauntering into a barn filled with thousands of turkeys or chickens. But I have seen house sparrows, starlings and common pigeons (rock doves) flying into the many openings on such buildings.  And virtually every farm yard has sizable populations of at least one of these species present. Poultry farmers would do well to try to control the local populations of these species.  Certainly they can get the disease from migrating waterfowl. But these common, unprotected by law, species must be major vectors in bird flu transmission.
> 
> Don Grussing
> Minnetonka
> 
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