25 Feb 2025
Bird flu has been found in two dead grey seals on the north Norfolk coast of England. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said wild birds in the area had also tested positive. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said four seals were found dead at Blakeney Point, with two […]
03 Sep 2024
A new scientific assessment has reported steep declines in the UK’s seabird populations over the last 25 years. Five new species have joined the “red List”, which denotes the highest category of conservation concern and means a risk of local extinction: Leach’s storm-petrels, common gulls, great black-backed gulls, Arctic terns and great skuas. These join the […]
19 Feb 2024
Bird flu has caused a “catastrophic” fall in the number of seabirds in the UK, a study of breeding sites by the RSPB has found. In some species the charity said bird flu had “completely reversed” previously positive trends. The number of gannet nests at Grassholm in Pembrokeshire – the main colony in Wales and […]
31 Oct 2023
A major international conference on the Antarctic marine environment has failed to agree on new conservation areas despite hearing evidence the southern continent is facing a range of crises, including historically low sea ice levels, plummeting wildlife numbers and the first cases of bird flu. Longstanding proposals to create nearly 4m sq km of marine […]
25 Jul 2023
Hundreds of seabirds have been washed up on beaches on the South Pembrokeshire coast. The birds are being regularly removed, although more are being washed up between the clear-ups. Most are guillemots, although razorbills and gannets have also been reported. Testing has taken place on a sample of the dead birds, and Avian Influenza (bird […]
14 Feb 2023
Four dead seals have tested positive for bird flu in Scotland, as the number of cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in mammals continues to grow globally with experts warning of “a step-change” in its spread. The largest ever bird flu outbreak had already spilled over into otters and foxes in the UK, with about 70 […]