A potentially very important message from Katie Aspin:
Dear all,
It has been brought to our attention that a twite that was caught at Rishworth earlier this year was possibly infected with a strain of avian pox. Jamie Dunning managed to take a blood sample from the bird, which had lesions on its leg, and sent the sample to the Zoological Society of London for testing. We do not know as yet whether the tests will definitively be able to confirm whether it is avian pox or not, but we have been advised that we should be treating it as a confirmed case to be on the safe side.
What is avian pox?
Avian pox is a viral skin infection which causes warty growths on the head, legs, wings or other body parts of infected birds. Affected birds will feed and move around normally, however, in severe cases, the growths increase in size and can hinder the birds ability to feed and move around, reducing its chance of survival. This is obviously a great concern with the already greatly declining population of twite.
The virus is spread between birds by biting insects, direct bird-to-bird contact and by indirect contact with contaminated surfaces e.g. feeding stations. The virus can persist on contaminated surfaces for long periods of time, and continue to infect birds.
Hygiene measures to reduce the spread of avian pox in the twite population:
-Move the location of feeding areas on a regular basis, perhaps monthly, and more in the autumn when feeding stations are busy,to reduce the risk of birds coming into contact with contaminated areas. The feeding areas only need to be moved a short distance away from previous locations.
-Only put down enough food to last a few days to prevent accumulation of old and rotting food that is more likely to be contaminated with the virus. If possible, remove any old food on a regular basis.
-If you are involved in ringing twite, please make sure that all equipment is disinfected prior to use with each individual bird. This includes using individual bags for each bird and boil washing between uses and ringing sites regardless of species ringed. Likewise pliers, colour ring applicators, winging rules and weighing pots should be wiped down between uses when ringing Twite.
It is very important that the above hygiene measures are implemented at all feeding stations from this point forward and that it continues for the foreseeable future. If you do see a bird with lesions, if applicable please record colour rings and let myself or Jamie know. You can also report the case to the Garden Wildlife Health project by following this link and completing the online form:https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/disease-and-garden-wildlife/monitor-disease-in-garden-wildlife/- Note that Twite are not an option on the reporting form but, given their status, the ZSL have agreed to include Twite and so this should be added in the comments box.
Thank you all very much for your cooperation with this, every individual twite is so important in this population so we must do all that we can to make sure they stay healthy. Please do get in touch if you want any more information.