Bird Flu

A close up of a large group of sandwich terns, seabirds with white bodies and black cap and beaks. The birds are all in mid flight, from left to right of screen, against a pale blue clear sky.

Cemlyn Sandwich Terns / Môr-wenoliaid pigddu Cemlyn © Henry Cook

Last updated 23rd May 2023

Following the sighting of a number of dead birds at Cemlyn Nature Reserve on the north coast of Anglesey we arranged for their testing by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, We have now confirmed an outbreak of Avian (bird) Flu at this internationally important seabird colony.

This is worrying news and we are closely monitoring the colony and surrounding area for further dead or unwell birds. Working with colleagues in Natural Resources Wales and other organisations we will keep the situation under review should further evidence of the disease become apparent.

In the meantime, we ask our visitors at Cemlyn to help us and please;

Keep to the paths and not to disturb the birds in any way.
Keep dogs on leads and do not let them disturb any wildlife. Take all litter and dog poo home.
Do not touch sick, injured or dying birds
If a dead bird is seen close to a public area, like a footpath, please report it via the links below

For our wardens and those involved at Cemlyn, this is a worrying time. The terns and black-headed gulls are on eggs and the first gull chicks have been seen. Normally, we would be looking forward to the amazing sight of a hectic colony, but instead we wait with some trepidation for further developments. But we are not simply sitting back and doing nothing, we have developed plans to try and mitigate the impact of an outbreak and will work on this with our colleagues in Natural Resources Wales and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

There are no plans to close our reserves at the moment, but we are monitoring developments closely. It is crucial that birds remain undisturbed as we know the stress of disturbance can increase transmission of the virus. Nature reserves remain one of the best lines of defence for many bird populations.

In 2022 Cemlyn had a good season and many hundreds of chicks fledged but elsewhere outbreaks of avian flu had dramatic results. Certain tern colonies in The Netherlands (Den Noord) and France (Oye-Plage) lost up to 70% of their birds. And in the UK, tern colonies on the east coast were hardest hit. The Isle of May and the Farne Islands were closed to the public and Coquet Island's tern colony was devastated, including a significant population of roseate terns. Breeding seabird colonies in Ireland did not seem to have been affected.

The bigger picture

Sadly, Avian flu is a disease that is spread between wild birds and aquatic birds like gulls, ducks and geese are considered most at risk. We can’t stop this happening, but we can help our wild birds to be healthy and thrive, to withstand disease outbreaks like this. They already face pressures from habitat loss, pollution and a decline in insects and other food sources. It’s vital that we see stronger leadership on helping wild birds recover through a range of policy decisions. Entire UK populations of seabirds are at risk of being lost.

The current situation

As the avian flu crises continues to impact wild bird populations, there are further cases reported in black-headed gull colonies across England and Wales. In response to this threat Defra and the Welsh Government produced practical guidance to the response to the growing threat. The ‘Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales’ sets out plans to mitigate the impact of avian influenza on wild bird populations whilst protecting public health, the wider environment and the rural economy. The most recent updates on the situation in Wales can be found here:

Avian influenza (bird flu): latest update | GOV.WALES

Regular updates are also produced by the UK government:

Bird flu (avian influenza): cases in wild birds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We are extremely worried about the impact that this outbreak will have on our already threatened wild bird populations at a time when we need to focus on building resilience in vulnerable populations through species recovery and conservation measures.

DEFRA Guidelines

Birds can be infected with the avian influenza virus through contact with infected individual birds or waste products. As well as domestic poultry, wild birds including waterfowl can carry and transmit the virus without showing evidence of disease. The movement of poultry around the globe, wild bird movement and migration are the main risks of transmission of the virus.

The risk of people contracting avian flu from wild birds is very low, but it is still recommended that sick or dead birds are not touched or picked up. Please report more than 3 dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or seabirds, or more than 5 other birds or 1 dead bird of prey to the DEFRA helpline (03459 33 55 77).

Please visit DEFRA’s website for more details DEFRA

Welsh Government website: WALES

Impact on NWWT Conservation Work

As the national situation continues to evolve we have issued guidance to staff and volunteers on how to respond should they encounter dead birds. As part of our ongoing health and safety work we have updated and added to our guidance. For the time being work continues on our nature reserves.

Feeding garden birds

It is currently recommend that bird feeders are cleaned weekly with an appropriate disinfectant and good personal hygiene is followed while doing this. There is further guidance on the BTO web site