Avian influenza found in South Carolina

[HeatherKellyB]

"The scientists ruled out some possible causes: bacteria, West Nile virus, an avian influenza and even coronaviruses. Toxicology tests came back negative for pesticides and heavy metals. Some people speculated that cicadas, or substances used to get rid of them, were the culprit."

Quote taken from Washington Post article about the mysterious bird illness from 2021.

" The illness is not caused by any of the major known bird diseases such as West Nile, salmonella, avian influenza, House Finch eye disease, Trichomonas parasites, etc.
The species most frequently affected are fledgling (juvenile) Blue Jays, Common Grackles, European Starlings, and American Robins, along with a few other species. Symptoms include crusty eyes and neurological signs such as tremors or partial paralysis.
We don’t know if the illness is caused by a disease organism (i.e., virus, bacteria, or parasite), or if it’s the result of a toxic substance in the landscape.
If it’s a disease, we don’t know how it’s transmitted. It might be directly transmissible from bird to bird (like a cold or the flu), or might require a vector (such as with malaria, where a mosquito transmits the illness)."

Quote taken from article on Cornell University website.

 

[NanaK]

"The scientists ruled out some possible causes: bacteria, West Nile virus, an avian influenza and even coronaviruses. Toxicology tests came back negative for pesticides and heavy metals. Some people speculated that cicadas, or substances used to get rid of them, were the culprit."

Quote taken from Washington Post article about the mysterious bird illness from 2021.

I didn't see any dead songbirds here either, thankfully! Yes was very sad to see the pics.

I didn't think it was related. I was just suggesting (hopefully), there could have been many 'other' reasons for the dead wild birds she found. But she should still be looking for that and try to keep them away from her poultry.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The wild birds you saw...did they have any swelling of the head or eyes?
I remember reading about the deaths of many songbirds last summer along the eastern states. They were telling people not to feed them and empty bird baths to keep them from congregating. There were pictures of them, their eyes were mostly swollen shut. I never did see anything about what was causing it. I would think they did pcr testing.
I doubt that problem is related to this avian influenza. Here's more info if anyone's interested. East's Songbird Epidemic Fades

As for your birds, you may could call a wildlife agent and ask some questions.

To the best of my knowledge, that never was identified - but also wasn't transmisible to chickens or other flocks. Which likely is why they put limited effort into identifying it, once they knew what it was not (commercially important).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"The scientists ruled out some possible causes: bacteria, West Nile virus, an avian influenza and even coronaviruses. Toxicology tests came back negative for pesticides and heavy metals. Some people speculated that cicadas, or substances used to get rid of them, were the culprit."

Quote taken from Washington Post article about the mysterious bird illness from 2021.

" The illness is not caused by any of the major known bird diseases such as West Nile, salmonella, avian influenza, House Finch eye disease, Trichomonas parasites, etc.
The species most frequently affected are fledgling (juvenile) Blue Jays, Common Grackles, European Starlings, and American Robins, along with a few other species. Symptoms include crusty eyes and neurological signs such as tremors or partial paralysis.
We don’t know if the illness is caused by a disease organism (i.e., virus, bacteria, or parasite), or if it’s the result of a toxic substance in the landscape.
If it’s a disease, we don’t know how it’s transmitted. It might be directly transmissible from bird to bird (like a cold or the flu), or might require a vector (such as with malaria, where a mosquito transmits the illness)."

Quote taken from article on Cornell University website.

Yes, to the best of my knowledge, that remains accurate. Once they decided it wasn't going to decimate commercial flocks, they pretty much stopped trying to determine a cause.

 

[Nellzmom]

Understanding the life cycle of a virus and it's mutation rate is important to know.

Considering the west coast went through Newcastle disease in 2019-2020. Then Europe had there's during lockdown. And in 2022, a new wave of virus making it's way in the southern region of the US.

Being informed and being proactive to protect your birds is important. This maybe a yearly event due to

Understanding the life cycle of a virus and it's mutation rate is important to know.

Considering the west coast went through Newcastle disease in 2019-2020. Then Europe had there's during lockdown. And in 2022, a new wave of virus making it's way in the southern region of the US.

Being informed and being proactive to protect your birds is important. This maybe a yearly event due to migrating birds and climate change.

I’m in the NC Piedmont Triad and trying to figure all this out too (been following this thread from the beginning and have learned a lot but, still wonder):

The flyways are 2-way, right? We’re in the northbound phase now, so I assume in the fall we’ll enter the southbound phase. Add to that the lifecycle of the virus/temps and I wonder if my birds will be in their covered section of their bigger run through the end of the year? I have hawks and wild birds aplenty. The head of NCDA again reiterated 25 days in an update today, but…. Just wait and see what happens to the NC numbers as it moves north and west I guess. As long as I can keep my birds safe I’m good, but I do wonder how all this will play out.

Wishing everyone safe, healthy birds.

 

[jBabychickn]

The wild birds you saw...did they have any swelling of the head or eyes?
I remember reading about the deaths of many songbirds last summer along the eastern states. They were telling people not to feed them and empty bird baths to keep them from congregating. There were pictures of them, their eyes were mostly swollen shut. I never did see anything about what was causing it. I would think they did pcr testing.
I doubt that problem is related to this avian influenza. Here's more info if anyone's interested. East's Songbird Epidemic Fades

As for your birds, you may could call a wildlife agent and ask some questions.

Luckily, No.
We called the APHIS USDA Hotline about them and sent them photos. They said to burn them and continue our biosecurity measures and to let them know if we see more. And, to lock up our Chickens to keep them in their coop/covered run area until this is over. Absolutely, NO free ranging right now.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I’m in the NC Piedmont Triad and trying to figure all this out too (been following this thread from the beginning and have learned a lot but, still wonder):

The flyways are 2-way, right? We’re in the northbound phase now, so I assume in the fall we’ll enter the southbound phase. Add to that the lifecycle of the virus/temps and I wonder if my birds will be in their covered section of their bigger run through the end of the year? I have hawks and wild birds aplenty. The head of NCDA again reiterated 25 days in an update today, but…. Just wait and see what happens to the NC numbers as it moves north and west I guess. As long as I can keep my birds safe I’m good, but I do wonder how all this will play out.

Wishing everyone safe, healthy birds.

Yes North in Spring, South in Fall - and the flyways get all mixed up in the Canadian feeding grounds, so though its concentrated in the Atlantic flyway now, there's no reason to suspect it will remain that way come year end. That said, once the migration is past, you won't need to take the current measures until the birds start winging their way back south - your girls can see the sky again soon.

and don't let this map fool you - the projection which flattens it out makes the distances look far greater than in reality. Its still plenty big - roughly the size of the US, but its not quite so big as the map makes it appear.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I didn't see any dead songbirds here either, thankfully! Yes was very sad to see the pics.

I didn't think it was related. I was just suggesting (hopefully), there could have been many 'other' reasons for the dead wild birds she found. But she should still be looking for that and try to keep them away from her poultry.

It actually crossed my mind as well. With them just abandoning their efforts in finding the culprit, that whole thing seems so odd, but I better not get started on that. Either way, you weren't alone in your thoughts

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I’m in the NC Piedmont Triad and trying to figure all this out too (been following this thread from the beginning and have learned a lot but, still wonder):

The flyways are 2-way, right? We’re in the northbound phase now, so I assume in the fall we’ll enter the southbound phase. Add to that the lifecycle of the virus/temps and I wonder if my birds will be in their covered section of their bigger run through the end of the year? I have hawks and wild birds aplenty. The head of NCDA again reiterated 25 days in an update today, but…. Just wait and see what happens to the NC numbers as it moves north and west I guess. As long as I can keep my birds safe I’m good, but I do wonder how all this will play out.

Wishing everyone safe, healthy birds.

Hello fellow North Carolinian! I must have missed the update but as we're getting closer to the initial lock up time frame, I suspected an update would be coming soon. More lock up The alternative in these circumstances is much worse so here's hoping we'll all make it through this with our flocks healthy and happy and with our sanity intact. I feel so bad for my birds, especially the boys that have been day time free rangers since they were fully grown. On the bright side, all but one of my roosters is handling this extremely well. The only one that's not handling this well is one of those rare roosters that would rather run away than face the possibility that one of the other boys might want to fight. He is basically eye candy.
I've been reading some worrisome stuff regarding HPAI and ponds. I have a pond here and the wild Canada Geese hang out in the pond all day. My big ducks sure hate not being able to use the pond, but it is what it is. We'll get through this

 

[HeatherKellyB]

http://ncbirds.carolinabirdclub.org/view.php?species_id=173

For those in NC, I came across this site this morning while trying to identify a bird that flew over. If you're unsure of the birds that have been identified in your county at some point, you may find this site helpful. You'll also find pictures of the breed. The information is shared by fellow users and I don't think it's verified. I found it eye opening for sure!