We study infectious disease in the wildlife of the Falkland Islands Feat. @CornellVet, @SAERI_FI, @FI_Conservation and many other collaborators
Falkland Islands
Joined October 2022
- Tweets85
- Following34
- Followers94
- Likes22
A few bird flu outbreaks have been reported from gentoo colonies on the East of the Falklands over the last few weeks but everything looks healthy here so far! Gentoos are on their nests, skuas are starting to build theirs, and the king chicks are slowly getting ready to fledge.
[Meet the team] The first of us in the field this year is not even in the Falklands (yet). Meet Jeff White, our seabird ecology expert: "I am originally from Memphis, Tennessee, USA but spent much of my time on our family farm in Mississippi... 1/3
...I've been working with the @TawakiProject studying New Zealand's penguins since 2016 and received my PhD in biology from the University of Miami in 2024. My primary interests are in seabird foraging (especially stable isotope ecology) and movement ecology..." 2/3
And we're back! Kicking off the season with sample collection on beautiful Saunders, which, as usual, treated us with the best sunset over the gentoo penguins at the Neck!
ALT Penguins on the beach
People in the Falklands are on top of bird flu surveillance! Sad to see the virus affecting the birds again this year, but happy to see everyone involved and reporting suspicious cases to @FalklandsGov
This Post is from an account that no longer exists. Learn more
Falklands Wildlife Health retweeted
HPAI suspected and confirmed cases in the Falklands ticking along.
👉falklands.gov.fk/agriculture…
Of course, data also collated into our dashboard
👉scar.org/library-data/avian-…
Falklands Wildlife Health retweeted
Job opportunity to contribute with avian influenza monitoring in the Falklands, including admin support and field sampling
facebook.com/100064853434137…
Falklands Wildlife Health retweeted
We've been collecting data to better understand pathogen dynamics and impacts in the wildlife of the Falkland Islands. The project started 2 years ago and turned out to be crucial to our understanding of avian influenza there. Stay tuned! Thanks @UKBCFs for the support!
Excited for new #DarwinPlus funding, launching on 22 April? We are!
See what projects do: Addressing #pathogens threatening Falkland Islands' seabirds🐧, one project bolsters surveillance and response protocols to safeguard local #seabird populations🔗 loom.ly/8to3iDg
Falklands Wildlife Health retweeted
WE’RE RECRUITING!💚🐁... a Field Team Leader & Field Officer to join the G70 SANAP Overwintering Team on Gough Island later this year (N.B. roles will focus on rodents not seabirds this time). All details here: tinyurl.com/yyme4za2 & tinyurl.com/4xkaf9e5
Great description of the bird flu (or HPAI) outbreak that affected South polar skuas at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula
Confirmation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 Associated with an Unexpected Mortality Event in South Polar Skuas (Stercorarius maccormicki) during 2023-2024 Surveillance Activities in #Antarctica #preprint doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.10.5…
This is the 2nd study reporting prospecting (i.e. visiting other colonies) in Northern gannets from colonies affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Breeding gannets are not known to prospect. They usually only move between their nest and the sea where they feed...
You’re unable to view this Post because this account owner limits who can view their Posts. Learn more
This show how infectious disease can impact wildlife behaviour and population dynamics... And also highlight a potential pathway of transmission for the virus, with birds from infected colony visit other (potentially non-infected) colonies.
Growing evidence that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) poses risks to mammals, including both domestic and wild, but also that mammals contribute to moving the virus around...
This Post is from an account that no longer exists. Learn more
More info about suspected cow-to-cow transmission: capitalpress.com/ag_sectors/…
Falklands Wildlife Health retweeted
Avian flu devastated seals in South Georgia this summer. We reported to @GovSGSSI >150 dead elephant seals at St Andrews Bay alone in Nov. By Feb the density of carcases of unid. seals was still high (e.g. 17 in a ~50m-sq area of Elsehul). I hope that the worst is over. #HPAI
At the end of last year, we wrote a small note for the @UKBCFs newsletter about monitoring bird flu in the Falklands wildlife. The virus hadn't spread within the islands yet then. Oh how things have changed since... darwinplus.org.uk/news/2024/…
While exploring updates from other @UKBCFs funded projects, I ended up on this one about the threat that bird flu poses, not only on wild populations, but also on the livelihoods of people who rely on poultry. Bird flu really is the perfect illustration of a #OneHealth challenge.
