As if one pandemic wasn't enough, there has been a resurgence of avian flu in the UK. Wild birds have been badly affected, especially waterfowl, and the government advice is to call DEFRA if anyone finds a dead bird, so they can collect it, find out how it died, and so work out how the disease is spreading.
There are also a lot of farmed birds in the area, as anyone with an interest in the River Wye catchment area will be aware. So far there have been confirmed cases of avian flu at a chicken farm near Shobden and a turkey farm in Clifford (I had no idea there was a turkey farm in Clifford!).
Most cases of bird to human transmission of the disease take place when the human is in close proximity with the birds for a prolonged period of time, for instance cleaning out the sheds, but it's still not a good idea to touch any dead bird found in the wild.
According to the government website, all bird keepers, even people with just a few chickens in the back garden, have to take biosecurity precautions, including keeping the birds indoors apart from very specific circumstances, and even people who have a flock of fewer than fifty birds are strongly advised to register with DEFRA.
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