This is disturbing news. West Nile Virus had been discovered to mutate, especially in the midwest. This new epidemic is hitting at a time when I and others have noticed that crows, jays and Red-tailed Hawks seem to have rebounded a bit from when the virus first struck in 1999. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I will pass the information on to other avian rehabilitators. Meredith Sampson Old Greenwich -- "Pam Holden" <p.s.holden@comcast.net> wrote: Don't know if this is new news or not.... The New York wildlife pathologist has identified a new epidemic killing off crows, and it could spread to commercial poultry farms, according to Newsday. The highest concentration of dead crows has been found in Poughkeepsie, a small city on the Hudson River where crows are known to congregate in huge flocks during the winter. Crows were the harbinger of West Nile virus, which Wildlife Pathologist Ward Stone was instrumental in defining in 1999 when it first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York City. Like the West Nile virus, the avian reovirus is particularly virulent to crows; unlike the West Nile virus, reovirus is not dangerous to humans. It could jump to other species of birds, however. This virus has decimated poultry farms in the past, according to Newsday. Because snow may have covered dead crows, and because Stone's position is unique among neighboring states, it's likely the disease has killed many more birds, over a wider area, than has been identified right now. For bird lovers, there's reason to be concerned about crows and other birds in the corvid family, like blue jays. The population of these birds already took a hit from West Nile virus, and this epidemic promises more trouble. For more info: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/crow-reovirus-47010401?kw=ist Scroll down a bit and you'll see the article from Newsday. Pam Holden Colchester _______________________________________________ This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org _____________________________________________________________ Give back to your community. Click here to start a new career as a Police officer. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3mAL8AxS4DgOCaRdwcpX86vN5bnU7xwDaKNkc4vK2d0PubAP/