Get set for our AGM next week
Here’s hoping you’ll land on our Zoom meeting on Saturday 26th February at 2pm. Afterwards we will hold our interactive workshop: Incubation … it’s a hot topic! All paid up members will receive a link to join the meeting on Monday or Tuesday. We were disappointed to make the decision to have our AGM online […]
Happy Darwin Day everyone!
Experimenting with your pet ducks? This study seems pretty reasonable — from the great man’s book Origin of Species: “Some species of fresh-water shells [i.e., mollusks] have very wide ranges, and allied species which, on our theory, are descended from a common parent, and must have proceeded from a single source, prevail throughout the world. […]
Spanish Marbled Duck numbers recovering
It is nice to have good news for a change. It seems the numbers of Marbled Ducks breeding in Spain are rising after a decade of serious decline. Read the full report from BirdGuides here.
Stop the Spread
Due to the current avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak, maintaining effective biosecurity has never been more critical. Find out what you can do to keep your birds free of the disease by registering for one of Defra’s ‘stop the spread’ webinars. Leading Defra epidemiologists and veterinary professionals will host these live events. They’ll cover: the […]
Are you secure?
Do you know the signs of #BirdFlu? See APHA’s list of signs here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu… Contact your vet immediately if you suspect #AvianInfluenza. It is a legal requirement to report it to APHA if you are in England, Wales or Scotland. Unfortunately, as of 29th December 2021, there are now 65 confirmed cases of Avian Influenza […]
Stop the spread — free webinars
Can you spare an hour over the next few days? We feel it is certainly worth listening to advice about protecting our birds. Bird flu is not just a problem for commercial flocks. APHA are running a series of webinars aimed specifically at smallholders/hobby keepers/pet keepers. Specific meetings are available for commercial producers and veterinarians […]
Winter Waterfowl is on its way to members
On the day we went to print, we heard that two members with significant collections have been hit and their birds will have been destroyed by the time you read this. The current outbreak is now the largest ever UK outbreak of avian influenza with 36 confirmed cases (prior to this the largest number of […]
Red Sixty-seven becomes Seventy
9 species of waterfowl are now on the UK Red List. Bewick’s Swan, Goldeneye and Smew have joined the likes of White-fronted Goose, our 2 native scoters and Scaup as top conservation priorities. 16 waterfowl species have been placed on the new Amber List. The Red-breasted Merganser was moved from Green to Amber on account […]
Flockdown — 00.01 on 29 November 2021
View animation here Bird flu – Latest situation: UK-wide housing measures introduced to protect poultry and captive birds against avian flu The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed to bring in new measures to help protect poultry and captive birds. The new housing measures will come into force across […]
Bid for heavy ducks – original artwork
The Blue Swedish, Cayuga, Pekin and Rouen Clair are four heavy ducks depicted on paintings by Carl Donner, Wildlife Artist. These original watercolours were commissioned for the Millennium edition of British Waterfowl Standards. Each is beautifully framed and includes provenance of the original sale of work. The paintings will be auctioned on Sunday at the […]
