University of California researchers are using the U.S. network of weather radar stations to track wild fowl that could carry the bird flu virus, says UC Food Observer. Veterinarian Tod Kelman, a co-leader of the project, said that by tracking flocks as they travel, “we hope to gain novel strategic insights with respect to surveillance and prevention of avian influenza transmission to domestic poultry.”
Some 48 million domestic chickens and turkeys, including one-tenth of the hens that lay eggs for table consumption, died in the worst-ever U.S. bird flu epidemic in late 2014 and 2015. The National Weather Service’s NEXRAD network of Doppler radar, used in predicting rain, also can spot flocks as they move from one feeding or roosting area to another during the winter, when large groups of birds are common. UC poultry specialist Maurice Pitesky said radar tracking could yield maps to alert poultry farmers of the location of wild waterfowl in the Central Valley. Waterfowl congregate at different areas depending on precipitation levels.
Agriculture officials in Britain have told poultry owners to keep their chickens, geese and ducks indoors or take other steps to prevent contact with wild birds due to the threat of bird flu, said The Guardian. A strain of bird flu has been circulating in Europe for several weeks.