Islanders asked not to put out bird feeders to prevent avian flu spread

The Nature Conservancy of Canada says Islanders who care for their feathered friends may have to put their bird feeders away this spring.

About 20 cases of avian flu have been discovered in P.E.I.in 2022. Other cases have cropped up in Atlantic Canada and across the country.

The Nature Conservancy says it is concerned and is advising people living in areas where there have been cases not to put bird feeders out in order to reduce the number of places where an outbreakcan happen.

"They've been discovered in blue jay populations in Nova Scotia," said spokesperson Andrew Holland. "Elsewhere it's been found in bald eagles on Prince Edward Island. So, yeah, there's different birds that are getting sick.

"It is something that jurisdictions need to keep an eye on and monitor. But in the meantime ... in areas where there are documented cases, it's really helpful that people can temporarily remove their bird feeders."

The virus can spread to all sorts of birds, though wild waterfowl are more susceptible. It can also spread to humans, but the risk is low.

"It's no different from us having COVID, I guess," said Holland. "It's highly contagious. People should be vigilant and report any kind of sick, dead or dying birds in their respective provinces."

In P.E.I., sick or dying wild birds should be reported to Fisheries and Wildlife at 902-368-4683. Sick or dying domestic birds should be reported to a veterinarian.

Safety tips

While avian flu is one thing to watchfor, there are other factors that make birdmigration far from safe.

The Nature Conservancy says Canada and the U.S. have lost billions of birds over the past 50 years due to factors such as climate change and habitat loss.

Holland said there are things people can do to make migration safer, such as making their windows "bird-safe" in order to prevent them from crashing into their homes.

Another thing to watch out for is predation from pets, particularly cats.

"What we want to encourage people to do is keep your cats indoors, plain and simple," Holland said.

"Another option and you see more and more of it: train your cat to walk on a leash."

Holland said doing these things may not seem like much to some people, but they make a difference.