Gannets land in Alderney again amid bird flu fears

Alderney Wildlife Trust said "hundreds" of gannets had returned the wetlands on 16 February

Gannets have returned to Alderney after worries avian influenza had affected the flock.

Hundreds in Alderney's two gannet colonies died in August 2022 following a bird flu outbreak.

The colonies represent more than 1% of the global population, with about 6,000 pairs on Les Etacs and 2,700 on Ortac - the island's wetland sites.

Alderney Wildlife Trust said data estimated at least 20 to 25% of the adult population died in the outbreak.

It said the return of the birds offered the island "hope that the colony will rebuild, and the wait is on to see how many nest sites are filled in 2023".

Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds that has been about for a century.

The H5N1 virus, the most prevalent strain now, first reported in China in 1996, originated amongst ducks in Asia and Europe and spread to other birds.

It usually flares up in autumn before fading away in spring and summer.

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