12/31/2024
Bird Flu Most Likely at Beeds Lake
By Jennifer Burnham
Hampton Chronicle
Around 70 Canada geese have been found deceased at Beeds Lake this week.
Iowa DNR Waterfowl Biologist Orrin Jones visited Beeds Lake Tuesday morning to evaluate the situation. He said the cause of death for the birds is most likely Avian influenza.
Jones said it's obvious when birds are severely affected by the flu, as they often act unnaturally, twisting and turning their heads in abnormal ways and sometimes spinning in circles. Another indication that they are sick is if they allow humans to get within several feet of them, which is not the case for healthy birds, which will often fly away when approached by humans.
"We describe them as sick birds. A lot of lethargy. A lot of times the birds won't be fully aware of their surroundings," Jones said.
When he arrived at the lake, the majority of the bird carcasses were located in the center of the lake, around the air hole, he said. But he also observed dozens of live geese on the west side of the lake, many without symptoms of Avian influenza, which gave him hope.
"The good news is that I didn't see very many that are symptomatic," said Jones. "I'm guardedly optimistic that there weren't more sick and dying birds present. Only a small percentage of the population is severely affected."
Avian influenza has been a widespread problem throughout the state, according to Jones, but there is a solution.
"The ultimate solution is for the population of geese to develop an immune response," he said. "Basically, the strongest birds are going to survive this and they're going to have antibodies so they'll be able to survive next time."
Jones said there's no way to measure progress of immunity in the birds at this time.
The public should avoid contact with sick and dead birds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The sick birds are often in strange locations and don't respond the way birds usually respond to humans," Jones said. "Those are the birds people should avoid interacting with."
According to a press release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa DNR and its federal partners have been monitoring for the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Iowa’s wild birds since early 2022. After nearly a year without detections in sick or dead birds, Iowa has seen a sharp jump in affected waterfowl across the state mostly, north of Interstate 80 since early December, spurred on by the stress of migration and the severe cold.
As stated in the press release, “Avian influenza is a highly transmissible, naturally occurring virus found in certain waterfowl and shorebirds. There are various subtypes and strains, most of which cause limited harm to domestic poultry (low pathogenic) but some of which are lethal (highly pathogenic).”
Jones has been with the Iowa DNR since March of 2013. He studied Wildlife Ecology and has degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of New Hampshire.
Photos by Wendi Lindley Pryor
