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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

Bird flu outbreak hits Barents Sea coast
Reports are coming in about hundreds of dead birds from Hammerfest in the west to Murmansk in the east. A zone with a radius of five kilometers is closed and guards are in place round-the-clock.
Vidyayevo, Murmansk, Russia
The Independent Barents Observer

Avian influenza outbreak in Finnmark: a natural and environmental disaster
Avian influenza has now been detected along the entire coast of Finnmark. In Vadsø, the disease has not yet been detected, but almost 800 dead birds have already been removed. See video.
Vadsø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
NRK

Quarantine for bird flu was re-established in Syktyvkar
In Syktyvkar and Syktyvdin of the Komi Republic, quarantine for bird flu was reintroduced. The decree on the establishment of restrictive measures in certain territories of the Syktyvdinsky district and Syktyvkar was signed by the head of the republic, Vladimir Uyba. Quarantine has been in effect since July 5.The focus of bird flu was the territory of the rural settlement "Zelenets" of the Syktyvdinsky district. The hearth is located on the banks of the Vychegda River, opposite the village of Koytybozh.The place is forbidden to visit outsiders, except for specialists and local residents. The import, export and slaughter of birds are prohibited in this territory.
Vychegda River, Russia
Известия

A white raven has appeared on the Kenai Peninsula
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge staff say the bird is leucistic, lacking pigment in some feathers due to an absence of cells that produce melanin.
Soldotna, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Unusual bird sighting. Is it an alcid?
This bird was a noticed on the beach landing area of the community but not touched.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Kathy Kuletz, Jaclyn Christensen, Gay Sheffield

Hundreds of seagulls found dead in suspected bird flu outbreak
Hundreds of seagulls were found dead in Kalmar, Sweden due to a suspected outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, with low risk of transmission to humans.
Kalmar, Sweden

Oyster catchers return to Nanwalek
Black oystercatchers have returned to Nanwalek, Alaska, and three eggs have been spotted on the beach.
Nanwalek, Alaska, United States

Yellow-headed blackbird has great Northern adventure, winds up in Ulukhaktok
Usually found in marshy areas of Alberta, the bird has occasionally been spotted in more southern N.W.T. communities. Last week, one crossed a stretch of the Arctic ocean and found itself in Ulukhaktok, astonishing birders who say it's never been spotted so far north.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Is this bird circling behavior normal?
This video shot on June 11th outside of Kotzebue shows red-necked phalaropes displaying circling behavior.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States
Sarah Yoder, Susan Tessier, January Frost, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Andrew Ramey

Concerned about algae in Cheney Lake
Over the last several weeks the algae bloom has ranged from significant covering the surface of the lake in many places to today seeing patches of the bloom here and there on the surface. It can also be observed below the surface near the shoreline.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Avian Influenza suspected on Yukon Delta
Dead birds suspected to have died from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza have been found on Kigigak Island and Tutakoke River in Alaska, with other bird species displaying unusual behaviors.
Kigigak Island and Tutakoke River, Alaska, United States
January Frost, Bryan Daniels, Andrew Ramey, Bob Gerlach, Brian Lefferts, Sarah Yoder, Jacqualine Schaeffer, Joey Billy, John Stedman

New avian flu virus subtype found in P.E.I. birds and raccoons
H5N5, a new subtype of the avian influenza virus, has been found in birds and raccoons in P.E.I. It's closely related to the H5N1 virus that's caused mass death among seabird populations in Atlantic Canada.
Prince Edward Island, Canada
CBC

Avian influenza detected on kittiwakes in Harstad
Kjell Arvid Andersen thought the birds were behaved strangely. Then he and his neighbors found over 30 dead birds.
Nordre Leirvåg - Bjarkøy, Harstad, Troms and Finnmark, Norway
NRK

Widespread Bird Deaths in West and South Iceland
Such deaths are unusual at this time of year in Iceland and their cause is unknown. The widespread deaths of Kittiwakes cannot be attributed to bird flu, according to Brigitte Brugger of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST). Samples from the birds analysed by MAST ruled out the illness. While bird flu is unlikely to be the cause, extreme weather may be a possible explanation.
Faxaflói Bay, Iceland
Iceland Review

First bird flu casualty detected in Southwestern Alaska pending confirmation
As of June 1, laboratory testing was still underway and had not yet fully confirmed which variant of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza the migratory bird had, and there are other possible detections this year, according to Alaska State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach.
Southwestern Alaska, United States
KYUK

Brazil investigates four more suspect cases of avian flu in wild birds
Brazil is investigating another four new potential cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in wild birds, according to authorities from the state of Espirito Santo, where Brazil's first ever cases were confirmed this week.
São Paulo, Brazil
Reuters

Significant reduction of frog and bird songs
This is the quietest spring I’ve experienced. It’s not my hearing. The Merlin app is hardly picking any bird songs up.
Ely, Minnesota, United States

Chile reports first human case of avian influenza; Uruguay begins vaccination in commercial poultry farms
The Ministry of Health of Chile notified WHO of the detection of human infection with avian influenza A(H5) virus. The patient is a 53-year-old male from the Region of Antofagasta in the north of Chile.
Chile
MercoPress

2 Oregon cats die from bird flu
Two domestic cats in Oregon died in December 2022 from highly pathogenic avian influenza, the bird flu that began spreading rapidly in 2020.
Portland, Oregon, United States
KOIN.com

Veterinarians say avian influenza has been detected in cats in Nebraska
Pathologists say they’ve detected cases of the virus, commonly known as the bird flu, in three cats in Nebraska.
Nebraska, United States

Rare whooper swan returns with trumpeters to Marsh Lake
The whooper swan, which calls Europe and Asia home, first made headlines last year when it stopped among the flock of local trumpeter and tundra swans that seasonally eat and rest in the Yukon. Avid birders wondered how it managed to fly so far off-course from its usual migration routes. Some birders believe the same swan has made a second visit.
M'Clintock Bay
Yukon News

Dog dies after contracting avian flu in Oshawa
A pet dog in Oshawa has died after testing positive for avian flu, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says. The CFIA says the number of documented cases of H5N1 — also known as avian flu — in other species like cats and dogs is low, and based on current evidence, the risk to the general public remains low.
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
CBC

First birds, now mammals: how H5N1 is killing thousands of sea lions in Peru
Avian flu has decimated the marine creatures on the country’s Pacific coastline and scientists fear it could be jumping from mammal to mammal
Peru
the Guardian

Skunks found dead in Metro Vancouver had avian flu: government
Eight skunks found dead last month in Vancouver and Richmond tested positive for avian flu.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
vancouversun

The first case of a walrus dying of bird flu registered on Svalbard
“Last year we got several reports from tourists and scientists that they saw around six walruses dead here on the west side of Svalbard. Unfortunately, we couldn’t sample them as the dead walruses drifted away by the time we got to the place. But it’s not normal to get so many reported dead walruses in such a small area," said Christian Lydersen, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute. Now samples (collected by a Station Manager in July 2023) have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

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