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Swans in trouble today


Leemc

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Really sad cruise today from Beeston to Nantwich. In the Barbridge area, We saw one dead cygnet, one swimming in circles, and a number of others who were clearly unwell( not interested in food, very lethargic with eyes closed. Spoke to swan rescue people who said it was probably avian flu and asked me to contact defra. 

 

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23 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

I was reading somewhere today that it has been a really bad year for avian flu.

 

It normally dies down in summer but doesn't appear to have done that this year.

Sea bird colonies have been decimated (sorry shouldn't say that, as the romans only killed 10% when they decimated, hence the name) some are down by 50% and others as high as 80%+ deaths.

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51 minutes ago, Leemc said:

Really sad cruise today from Beeston to Nantwich. In the Barbridge area, We saw one dead cygnet, one swimming in circles, and a number of others who were clearly unwell( not interested in food, very lethargic with eyes closed. Spoke to swan rescue people who said it was probably avian flu and asked me to contact defra. 

 

Be worrying if it is, as currently the main areas of concern for bird flu are the Southwest and East Anglia. Although I see there is a control zone near Crewe.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8cb1883eda5547c6b91b5d5e6aeba90d

 

 

Edited by David Mack
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13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Be worrying if it is, as currently the main areas of concern for bird flu are the Southwest and East Anglia. Although I see there is a control zone near Crewe.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8cb1883eda5547c6b91b5d5e6aeba90d

 

 

Sea bird colonies in the NE have been badly hit, also in Scotland.  Over 1,000 Barnacle geese died on the Caerlaverock Reserve last winter, they won't have arrived back yet this winter.

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31 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

There have been swan deaths in Middlewich, Autopsy by DEFRA show lead poisoning, damn fishermen.

The import and sale of weights containing lead for angling was banned in 1986 so lead poisoning is an interesting diagnosis.  Is there much shooting in the area, as I think the majority of shot is still lead.

 

So it may not be fishermen to take all the blame.

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I think I am going to cut out meat, due to bird flu I believe there is no free range, essentially a bit of natural living for birds.

Pork is described as free range rearing, they spend two weeks outdoor and sixteen weeks inside. Beef is about the best, though the end up in abattoirs, ditto sheep.

Milk and cheese is sort of a grey area.

Latest research on Alzheimer's suggests diet, snacking, and obesity all implicated.

 

 

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17 hours ago, David Mack said:

Be worrying if it is, as currently the main areas of concern for bird flu are the Southwest and East Anglia. Although I see there is a control zone near Crewe.

Defra have just confirmed cases in Bedford too.

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9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I think I am going to cut out meat, due to bird flu I believe there is no free range, essentially a bit of natural living for birds.

No free range currently for any domestic birds owing to the avian flu, however there usually free range birds available.

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Pork is described as free range rearing, they spend two weeks outdoor and sixteen weeks inside.

It depends on the system there are free rrange pigs around, it just means choose a supplier who knows what he buys and from where.

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 

Beef is about the best, though the end up in abattoirs, ditto sheep.

All animals end up being killed if they are for food.

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Milk and cheese is sort of a grey area.

Sorry but milk and cheese aren't a grey area.  You can't have either without calves being born the majority of which will be reared for meat and so end up in an abattoir.   Some may even be killed soon after birth.

9 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Latest research on Alzheimer's suggests diet, snacking, and obesity all implicated.

It will be interesting as to what is said about diet, humans have the dentition and digestion of an omnivore.  There are a number of causes of dementia so there may be a number of things implicated.  Snacking will also be interesting as by nature man was a hunter gatherer and so tended to be snacking rather than regular meals e.g. find a berry bush stop eat, move on and a bit later find edible roots stop eat, then the occasional kill where a large quantity of meat would be eaten.

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1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I think I am going to cut out meat, due to bird flu I believe there is no free range, essentially a bit of natural living for birds.

Pork is described as free range rearing, they spend two weeks outdoor and sixteen weeks inside. Beef is about the best, though the end up in abattoirs, ditto sheep.

Milk and cheese is sort of a grey area.

Latest research on Alzheimer's suggests diet, snacking, and obesity all implicated.

 

 

if you want to be healthy it is simple

Do not eat

Do not drink

Do not breathe

 

You will die but at least you will be healthy 

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1 hour ago, Jerra said:

Snacking will also be interesting as by nature man was a hunter gatherer and so tended to be snacking rather than regular meals e.g. find a berry bush stop eat, move on and a bit later find edible roots stop eat, then the occasional kill where a large quantity of meat would be eaten.

+ periods of fasting, though a few leaves and berries could be considered as a fast.

 

Re. "hunter gatheres" that should really be "gatherer hunters" being as they did more gathering, mostly by females I reckon as males rested from their last 'arduous' hunt and prepared for the next heroic one 🤣

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On 03/10/2022 at 18:43, Jerra said:

Sea bird colonies in the NE have been badly hit, also in Scotland.  Over 1,000 Barnacle geese died on the Caerlaverock Reserve last winter, they won't have arrived back yet this winter.

I am in Cornwall, I have been wondering if the number of dead gulls on the beach is normal. Quite a few smashed up bird skeletons in the waterline.  I thought maybe recent stormy weather had impacted birds out at sea. 

Saved a small shark yesterday though! It was about a metre long, had beached itself in a shallow pool, in obvious trouble. Had swim gloves so was able to grab it and carry it to deeper water, moved it back and forth to oxygenate the gills. It wasn’t grateful and was all for biting my feet before it scarpered! I imagine it’s partial to seabirds too. 

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36 minutes ago, Tigerr said:

I am in Cornwall, I have been wondering if the number of dead gulls on the beach is normal. Quite a few smashed up bird skeletons in the waterline.  I thought maybe recent stormy weather had impacted birds out at sea. 

Saved a small shark yesterday though! It was about a metre long, had beached itself in a shallow pool, in obvious trouble. Had swim gloves so was able to grab it and carry it to deeper water, moved it back and forth to oxygenate the gills. It wasn’t grateful and was all for biting my feet before it scarpered! I imagine it’s partial to seabirds too. 

Almost certainly Avian flu.  Don't touch them and IIRC DEFRA want notified if there are more than 5.

 

Well done on the shark.   Dog Fish?  They are sharks of a very small size.

 

P.S.  I looked up DEFRA and they say:

 

You should call the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77) if you find:

  • one or more dead bird of prey or owl
  • 3 or more dead gulls or wild waterfowl (swans, geese and ducks) 
  • 5 or more dead birds of any species

Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.

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Yes - a dogfish! Lucky I was wearing gloves - and picked it it up far enough back. They have very nasty toxin loaded spines and give a really nasty sting!

I discovered that after I'd boldly gone where wiser heads wouldn't. 

Interestingly it is now illegal to call them 'Rock Salmon'. (Trademark issues?). They are now called Huss apparently. Or 'Rock'.

You have to soak them in acetic acid before eating them as otherwise they taste and smell like old wee. Like many sharks they don't urinate and their flesh is full of urea. 

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1 hour ago, Tigerr said:

 

Interestingly it is now illegal to call them 'Rock Salmon'. (Trademark issues?).

More like trade descriptions act, I'd think: they aren't salmon so they can't be sold as such. "Huss" or just "rock" are probably O.K. I don't suppose anyone would want to order "dogfish and chips". It's similar to the rule which prevents sausage-like items of less than a certain meat content (65% for pork, I think) being sold as "sausages". If you see a ready meal sold as "bangers and mash", that usually means that the sausage-like bits are of poor quality.

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