MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 10, 2022
Avian flu is most likely to be found in seabirds, and especially ones that are nesting in colonies where the flu can easily spread: ducks like common eiders, or gulls like our ubiquitous herring gulls, or the larger great black-backed gulls. It is very unlikely that avian flu will be found in any of your backyard feeder birds like cardinals or chickadees, so there is no need to take down bird feeders. The exception to this is if you keep domestic birds (ducks, chickens, etc.) that could come in contact with wild birds (ducks and gulls) also feeding in your yard; if that is the case, you should stop feeding in any way that would bring those birds together. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox