Will birds of a feather flock together?

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Atlantic puffins are seen perched on mossy rocks. – Photo from Pexels/ Koen Swiers

THE answer to this question is a resounding ‘Yes!’ but sadly in much smaller numbers owing to the outbreak of avian flu in many parts of our world. Despite seeing 11 pheasants within a distance of 100 metres, when walking my dog, as they strutted ahead of us along a path through fields, I am surprised that I have not seen many birds in flight other than wood pigeons and rooks from a nearby colony.

Last year, smaller birds regularly visited my garden but this year they are nowhere to be seen! “What’s the reason?” I ask myself. I can only put it down to bird flu.

Look out for avian flu

Europe has experienced its worst ever epidemic of bird flu with nearly 50 million poultry culled. Already, British farmers have lost a million free range Christmas turkeys out of 5.5 million culled poultry this year. A total of 3.3 million of these were culled in October. Farmers are demanding a vaccine for “the Covid of the poultry industry”.

The H1N1 bird flu epidemic began in the USA in the early months of 2009. Subsequently it has spread to 214 countries. It is a virus that has affected humans globally and between 700 million to 1.4 billion people have been infected, leading to an estimated 18,500 confirmed deaths. Today, a variant of this flu, H5N1 has spread throughout Europe with the inevitable culling of 47.7 million birds destined for human consumption.

Not confined to Europe

The symptoms of this disease in birds are recognised by twitching and seizures. It is currently untreatable. One of the world’s smallest species of penguin, the African penguin, confined to coastal areas in South Africa and Namibia has suffered great losses. In 1900, this species numbered at least 1.5 million, but a very recent survey found that only 2 per cent remained in 13,300 pairs in South Africa and 5,500 pairs in Namibia.

Recent reports suggest that bird flu has struck these penguin colonies with their carcasses washed ashore. Already, the outbreak has killed over 20,000 cormorants on the same stretch of coastline.

A grip on the UK

Normally the bird flu virus arrives in the UK and Southern Europe in the autumn from over-wintering migratory species such as geese. This year, for the very first time, it continued and bred faster during this year’s hotter than average summer months.

The H5N1 type of avian flu first emerged in southern China in 1996, hitting humans in Hong Kong in 1997 when it ‘crossed over’ to humans. Since then, it has circulated around our world. Since its emergence, it has become less infectious to humans resulting in fewer deaths.

To date, all along the British coastline from the Shetland Islands, in Scotland, south to the Isles of Scilly, in Cornwall (through 10 degrees of latitude), dead sea birds have been found and others writhing in agony on beaches, only to be ‘put down’ by vets.

The Great Skua population, in its breeding grounds on the islands of Shetland and Orkney has been ravaged with 85 per cent of some of its colonies wiped out. Soon, this species, of which the UK holds 60 per cent of the world’s population, could become extinct.

Aggressive great skua are seen on a lake in Runde. – Photo from Wikimedia/ Bouke ten Cate

This virus is particularly virulent amongst dense colonies of cliff nesting species of seabirds such as gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes, and puffins. Breeding failures have been reported where many species of birds whilst long-lived, reach sexual maturity late in life and only produce one chick per annum.

The Svalbard barnacle goose population has been severely hit in its annual migration in the summer months to Scotland. Already this year it has been confirmed that raptors are also infected with the sea eagle, the UK’s largest bird of prey, very hard hit on Scotland’s west coast. Twenty-five per cent of their chicks have died. Peregrine falcons, buzzards and kites have also been infected.

With more migratory birds over-wintering in the UK during the latter months of 2022 and early 2023, such as lapwings, redwings, and fieldfares, I really wonder how many will survive.

Measures of control

To date, the British government has been compensating farmers for poultry losses and Defra (Department of the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs) is investigating in avian flu research, monitoring the global situation in its effectiveness in disease control and investing in vaccine development.

However, it needs to create a wild bird task force to eliminate the disease in wild birds, with better public information. As with Covid-19 ‘herd’ immunity, I pray that wild bird populations will soon reach ‘flock’ immunity.

Bird songs elevate mental health

How often do we awake in time to hear the dawn chorus of bird song? Night owls like me will honestly answer, “Never!” How deprived I have been. A recent study by psychiatric researchers at King’s College, London University, has provided substantial evidence that, for those people diagnosed with mental health conditions, hearing or seeing birdlife is associated with improvements in moods and happiness.

Bird songs provide joy and help to reduce sadness and stress. In healthy people such melodies produce an uplifting effect upon their well-being and spirits lasting up to eight hours. From a personal point of view, I get as much pleasure at night-time observing bat flights, seeing foxes prowling, hearing the hooting of barn owls, and to look up to the firmament at the myriad of stars to marvel at the beauty of our natural world.

As most of us live in urban environments, I can happily write about the humming-like birds that built a nest on a hanging flower basket in the garden of the house where I once lived in Kuching. To see them build the nest, lay eggs and their feeding of their chicks was an unbelievable sight.

At approximately 10.30 each morning, whilst no longer nesting there, they visit the wild crocus species in the garden, for less than a minute, to extract the nectar and ‘zoom’ they are off to feed their young. The repeated ‘cooing’ of pairs of doves on telegraph wires equally fascinated me as dusk fell. I pray that avian flu does not hit Borneo.

Changes in position of magnetic north

For the first time in history the ‘true north’, ‘magnetic north’, and ‘grid north’ are aligned over the UK this November. They will continue in this alignment for the next three and half years. The magnetic north is subject to the unpredictability of the Earth’s magnetic field and thus it is impossible to predict as to when this will happen again, but it is certain that the magnetic north will gradually drift eastwards over time.

As of Oct 31, 2022 these three norths perfectly aligned over the village of Langton Matravers in the southwestern English county of Dorset, precisely along the two degrees west longitude meridian.

It has been proven that migratory birds have an inbuilt brain ‘app’ that adapts to the changes in the earth’s magnetic field year in year out and can thus determine true magnetic north. Hopefully with climate change and the increasing variability in the patterns of the Polar and Tropical Jet streams many migratory birds will not be blown off course.

Already types of native American warblers have been sighted in the UK. I do so hope that flock immunity will reduce the spread of avian flu variants worldwide and that my feathered friends will return to my garden. Fortunately, I have a faithful robin who keeps me alert and who follows me on dog walks.