Migratory risk assessment: Gull appearance highlights state vulnerability to bird flu

By Kathryn Casa | Vermont Guardian

posted November 4, 2005

Birdwatchers traveled from miles around last week to see an Asian black-tailed gull — a species native to Siberia and Japan — that mysteriously found its way to Lake Champlain.

Such gulls have been sighted in the United States only a few dozen times, mostly in Alaska, so ornithologists puzzled over how the creature got here, speculating that the season’s vigorous storm patterns might have carried the male bird on a marathon global commute via the North Pole.

But at a time when public health officials worldwide are bracing for the next flu pandemic, the surprise visitor also raised more anxious questions about Vermont’s potential vulnerability to bird flu.

“We’re certainly concerned when any migratory waterfowl shows up unexpected,” said state veterinarian Dr. Kerry Rood, with the Department of Agriculture.

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