Threat to our Blackbirds

 

A new threat to Blackbirds has their populations plummeting, and scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology are working to better understand the spread and potential impact of the disease responsible – the Usutu virus.

Usutu virus has been linked to mass blackbird mortality, with UK birders – especially in the Greater London area – reporting that blackbirds are noticeably less abundant in the last few years. The disease is spreading along southern England and has now been reported in Dorset.

For many years I have had a resident pair nesting in my wildlife garden and they were present in the Spring but then disappeared. A first year male bird, perhaps their offspring, has been seen occasionally throughout the summer, and my visiting son-in-law was fortunate to be able to photograph it last Sunday. It doesn't look all that well to me.

 

Juvenile Blackbird. Photo.Ryan Bundy. Click to enlarge

Scientists and ecologists are calling on the public for help in countering the Usutu virus.
 Details at https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/blackbird-usutu-virus