Hunters, backyard bird feeders warned of bird flu potential

The Pennsylvania Game Commission this week urged hunters to take precautions against exposure to bird flu by properly handling any birds they kill during hunting seasons under way or about to open.

Although the initial warning was directed to hunters, a commission spokesman subsequently acknowledged that many of the same precautions apply to birders with backyard feeders.

As the 2022 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza continues – as evidenced by the 30 Canada geese found sick or dead recently at Griffin Reservoir in Lackawanna County – and the annual fall migration kicks into high gear, the commission urged hunters to:

With the exception of handling freshly killed birds, birders handling bird feeders should follow the same guidelines.

The commission noted that while only one case of HPAI in humans has been reported during the 2022, the virus can infect humans.

HPAI has been detected in 47 wild birds out of nearly a thousand collected from nearly all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties for testing this year.

That may seem like a small proportion, but the commission pointed out that the disease is presumed to be spread statewide and beyond, and likely has killed thousands of birds in Pennsylvania.

In addition to the impact on wild birds, HPAI infected 17 commercial poultry flocks and one backyard flock in Pennsylvania, leading to the culling of more than 4.2 million birds.

Because the recent deaths of the Canada geese indicate the disease is still present in the state, the commission urged the continued reporting of domestic bird illnesses of deaths to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852, and sick or dead wild birds to the commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD or online using the Wildlife Health Survey tool at www.pgcapps.pa.gov/WHS.

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