A crow found dead in the crow roost in Burnaby, BC in late October has tested positive with Avian Influenza according to Laurie Wilson, Wildlife Biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service in Delta, Further testing will be needed to assess if it is the Highly Pathogenic strain. She said that updates will appear on the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative web site. The number to call if you find dead crows is 1-866-431-BIRD.
The presence of a dead crow at the Burnaby roost got me thinking about how roosts could serve as surveillance points for diseases such as Avian Influenza. The crows using the Burnaby roost arrive from about a 25-kilometer radius encompassing Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody, north Surrey and Richmond and west Coquitlam. Regular searches for dead crows at the Burnaby roost would provide an easy means to sample for the presence of Avian Influenza and possibly other bird-related disease in much of western and central Metro Vancouver. Searches of other roosts in the Fraser Valley could do the same. A research question for a graduate student might be to determine if crows are faithful to one roost or if they move about between roosts. This information is important to determine the breadth of area the roost represents.
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