Thanks to Lisa Morgan for providing me with an update on the Guillemot Avian Flu outbreak.
HPAI Avian Flu has now been confirmed from the Pembrokeshire Guillemot corpses sent off for testing. Guillemots are continuing to wash in along the Pembrokeshire coast.
The collection of corpses is being coordinated by Pembrokeshire County Council, with assistance from the Wildlife Trust, National Trust and the National Park. Collection work is being concentrated on those beaches with more public use and hence more public health risk, but please continue to report from all sites and the council will endeavour to clear these too. There are regular multi-agency meetings to coordinate the response so a lot is going on behind the scenes.
Reports of corpses should be made to PCC, since DEFRA does not organise the collection of dead birds, unless required for testing. No further guillemots will be tested but other species that haven’t been tested yet in 2023 will be.
You may have read some speculation in the media that the deaths are due to food shortage. These have been largely dismissed by scientists.
Lisa Morgan at WTSWW has asked me to thank PCC and all involved in the emergency planning response that has now been ongoing since 8 July.
Peter Royle
Secretary Pembs Bird Group