Avian flu fears as 'devastating' number of dead swans reported around RBWM

A Bray-based bird rescue charity has reported a ‘massive’ number of swan deaths in the Royal Borough, which are suspected to have been caused by avian flu, writes Anaka Nair.

Twelve dead swans have been picked up on the River Thames in Windsor by Swan Support this week, with three in Maidenhead and two more downstream.

An infected bird has also been sent to an agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to await confirmation.

“It is bird flu, but it’s not been confirmed because it may not be confirmed for a couple of weeks,” the charity's operations director, Wendy Herman, told the Advertiser.

“But we’ve been doing it for a long time, so we’re pretty confident that’s what it is.”

The charity, based in Monkey Island Lane, previously dealt with outbreaks in 2018 and 2023, but Wendy said that the spread was far more gradual.

“In 2023, we lost 400 swans between Staines and Reading, which is a lot of area to cover, and that was bad, but it was over a period of time, whereas 10 in one day is a lot,” she added.

“We’ve had over 50 in Windsor gone before, but for 10 to happen in one day like that is massive.

“You go down there and see so many have symptoms – we’ve never had that – not all in one go.

“I’ve never seen it so bad so quick,” said Wendy, adding that a further 20 swans look ‘poorly’ with symptoms.

“They’ve got bent necks, eyes are closed, they’re shaking their heads, they sometimes spin round in circles, or they’ve got blood coming from the eyes, and their eyes are bruised, which is devastating to see.

“Each time we go, there’s another dead one, and it never worked like that last time. It’s suddenly hit quite a large group of them, rather than in tiny bits. It’s weird.”

Among the dead swans are a greater number of adults than young cygnets, which is also unusual.

“Normally, it affects cygnets because they’ve got no immunity, whereas adults have immunity from the last time we had it in 2022/23,” said Wendy. “Whether this is a different strain, I don’t know.”

During their patrols last week, they noticed some swans ‘didn’t look right’ but the first swan presented signs of avian flu on Saturday.

“We went down on Sunday to see some that looked a little bit worse for wear than the day before, and then it started on Tuesday morning, the dead ones,” said Wendy.

“We knew, that’s it, it’s hit us bad.

“When we went down the river, I just wanted to scream because I felt so frustrated that I was looking at swans and there was nothing we could do.”

She added: “We get on with what we need to do, but it’s devastating. I’m immensely exhausted.

“I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

The charity shared a list of symptoms that it has reportedly seen, including lethargy and weakness, a loss of coordination or abnormal head and neck movements, bleeding from the eyes and spinning or circling behaviour.

A list of ‘proactive’ steps includes washing footwear after visiting waterways, keeping dogs under close control, and spreading out swan food to prevent them from congregating.

The whole of England is currently in an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ), which means ‘strict biosecurity and hygiene rules’ are in place by law to stop the spread.

Swan Support has been removing dead swans from the land to minimise the virus and to protect remaining wildlife.

Contact Swan Support if you see an injured swan or have any concerns about a swan, on 07968 868172 or 01628 876336, or email the charity at info@swansupport.org.uk.

Members of the public are also encouraged to report findings of dead wild birds using the online reporting system or by calling the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).