'It's really sad': Avian flu affecting wild birds on Vancouver Island

An animal rescue centre on Vancouver Island says an avian flu that's sweeping across North America is affecting wild birds in the region.

On Tuesday, an injured heron was under the care of the team at Mountainaire Avian Rescue (MARS) in Merville, B.C.

Hopefully, the bird will not be affected by a deadly disease that staff are concerned about.

"We are seeing a lot more cases of suspected avian influenza," said Kiersten Shyian, assistant manager of wildlife rehabilitation at MARS.

"We have euthanized probably five animals in the last week or two," she said.

The highly contagious flu is taking a toll on poultry birds as well as wild birds.

Birds that are suspected of having the avian flu at MARS are being euthanized so they don't affect others at the facility.

"There's not actually currently a way to treat the flu," said Shyian. "It's just so contagious and it can spread so quickly."

For an organization that's dedicated to saving wildlife, destroying birds is particularly hard.

"It's really sad because a lot of these animals, they are suffering," said Shyian.

"A lot of them are having [neurological] issues, they're having head tilts, they're falling all over the place. It's just really sad to see," she said.

There is some good news, however. Wildlife rescuers say it's now OK to put your bird feeders out again if you follow good feeder hygiene.

"Just keep it clean, which is something we promote all the time because nobody wants four-legged friends," said Colin Bartlett with the Backyard Wild and Nature store in Nanaimo, B.C.

"Keep it clean and you won't have that problem," he said.

Bartlett says the secret to keeping the feeders and surrounding areas clean is to only put out enough food for the day.

"That way it's tidy, there's nothing left around, we have no seed getting wet and mouldy – and when it comes to cleaning it's very simple and easy," he said.

It's also important to use the right type of seed, and not to reuse anything that's been tossed on the ground.

"They didn't want it in the first place, so don't bother trying to put it back out," said Bartlett.

When it comes to cleaning the feeders, Bartlett recommends using a mixture that's one part bleach or white vinegar and nine parts water.

"I just keep it mixed together in a spray bottle, use that, rinse it out afterwards, let it dry, and away we go," he said.

Keeping the feeders clean and the birds healthy will go a long way to helping keep the workload down for bird rescuers, like those at MARS.