This is a bad year to be a bird. And particularly so for rare and endangered species.
With the 2025 spring migration in full swing, a deadly strain of bird flu known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPIA, is ramping up, and that has Litchfield County conservation and rehabilitation centers, as well as state and federal wildlife experts, on high alert.
As the deadly virus hitches a ride with migratory birds, disease is spread through droppings along their seasonal travels. Raptors tend to get infected by consuming sick prey, while waterfowl risk exposure from other birds or the ingestion of virus shed in water.
While most bird populations can survive bird flu’s devastating impact, rare and endangered birds face a threat to the long-term survival of their species.
Logan Connor knows that well. He’s the director of aviculture at the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield, a conservation breeding facility which focuses on maintaining genetic diversity for responsible introduction into the wild.
Connor, a Litchfield County native and third-generation bird breeder, is responsible for the well-being of one of the largest collections of rare and endangered waterfowl in North America: 90 species totaling more than 600 birds from around the world.
He is currently working in tandem with a team of state and federal scientific advisors, including epidemiologists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s wildlife division.
“At this time, we are following all regulations given to us by the state and USDA and are constantly monitoring how the disease is progressing in order to keep our birds safe,” Connor said.
That includes “strict biosecurity measures” including donning personal protective equipment, or PPE, when working with the birds, limiting vehicle access to the site, asking visitors if they raise chickens or have recently visited a park around wild geese, and requiring visitors to dip their shoes into a sanitizing agent before entering the grounds.
“We want them to leave whatever they have at the door,” he said, referring to potential contaminants.
Despite best efforts, there is only so much that can be done to protect the open bird habitats from bird droppings, including partial netting, but that does not cover the vast grounds or the waterbodies.
“We are not in a major flyway, so we don’t have the influx of waterfowl like they do on the coast,” the aviculture director said. “But we do have swans that are not under netting so there is a risk. All it takes is one bird coming in contact with the disease to infect a waterbody.”
To limit avian visitors, staff alternates feeding schedules so non-resident birds, including wild mallards from nearby Bantam Lake, don’t get into the habit of free meals. They are staging harmless scare tactics, such as ballons, kites and lights on timers, to frighten the birds away. At one time, an estimated 200 wild mallards “came in to eat the feed … now it’s just a handful,” Connor said.
Still, the threat of devastating consequences looms large.
“There are 600 birds that we have here. If one was ever to test positive, we’d have major, major issues on our hands,” said Connor. “We are working with birds that have some of the most important bloodlines/genetics. The loss of the birds would be bad for the long-term survival of the species.”
This white-headed duck at the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield has an endangered conservation status. Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy
‘There is always a risk’
At the Sharon Audubon Center, which is home to the center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, raptor aviaries are home to several rescued birds of prey, including Lia, a 20-plus-year-old bald eagle that suffered severe wing fractures, and Norabo, a turkey vulture which has been cared for at Sharon Audubon for a few years and likes to show off his impressive wing span to visitors.
“The challenge here is that we are next to a lake,” which attracts waterfowl to the area, explained Sunny Kellner, Sharon Audubon’s wildlife rehabilitation manager.
As if on cue, a wild raven flew by overhead, but kept its distance from the center’s aviaries, which are partially protected from the elements and the droppings of birds from above.
“There is always a risk to provide them with the necessary exposure to the elements that they need,” said Kellner.
Since the beginning of the first major outbreak of H5N1 in the United States in 2021, Sharon Audubon has instituted strict biosecurity protocols for the care of its resident education birds that were developed in accordance with guidelines and in collaboration with fellow rehabilitators and renowned wildlife veterinarians, Kellner said.
“We continue to follow CDC guidelines and state guidelines provided by DEEP regarding the handling of rehabilitation birds in our wildlife clinic, the protection of our resident education birds and personnel, and providing advice to the public who may find sick and injured birds,” she said.
“We haven’t seen the virus here yet, although there have been a few potential cases, but we’ve been instructed by DEEP not to take them in if they are showing avian flu symptoms.”
Because Sharon Audubon has such a small rehabilitation clinic, it is unable to quarantine higher risk patients, Kellner explained. And because symptoms of bird flu often mirror symptoms of head trauma, she noted, diagnosis is “not always cut and dry.”
As a result, “We have made the difficult decision to focus the majority of our rehabilitation efforts on our niche species of songbirds and refer most waterfowl and bird of prey patients to licensed rehabilitators who are currently equipped to meet those quarantine requirements.”
Some bird populations can endure large die-offs
Min T. Huag is the migratory bird program leader for DEEP. He has been assisting Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, and other bird rescue groups, including Sharon Audubon, in the fight against bird flu.
The effects, at the population level, on waterfowl do not seem to be of major concern, said Haug.
“Hundreds of birds may succumb at one site and if you total all of the incidents across the country, there may be tens of thousands that are detected dead. However, for most wild waterfowl species, their populations can endure those types of losses,” the DEEP biologist said.
“Different story for some long-lived, low-fecund species, such as the common eider, should an HPAI event wipe out several nesting colonies,” he said. “With regards to places such as the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, yes, they should be and are worried about HPAI.”
The common eider is classified as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which indicates that the species is not currently endangered but faces a high risk of becoming threatened due to increasing predation pressure from white-tailed eagles and its reduced biological capacity to reproduce.
Ripley, Haug said, “does what it can to exclude wild birds from its grounds. That is the best they can do. And it is possible because much of their area is netted.”
He further noted that it is potentially possible to keep avian influenza out of aviaries and zoos that are cordoned off.
“However, in the wild, there is very little we can do to stop the spread of HPAI through wild birds. It is something that has evolved with the birds and will continue to evolve over time.”
A bleak outlook for fall
Brace for an even more difficult fall, and not just for birds, warned Haug.
“Avian influenza is an influenza virus and they mutate all the time, that is their evolutionary strategy and why you need a different flu shot every year,” said Haug.Plus, the influenza viruses thrive better in colder weather.
If there is one saving grace for Ripley’s birds, noted Connor, it is that the conservancy grounds are not open to the public in the winter.
Researchers, said Haug, fear that avian flu could eventually jump from birds to humans.
“All of the historic pandemic level flu events that killed millions of humans originated as an animal flu and then mutated,” the DEEP wildlife biologist explained. “So, yes, researchers are concerned, because that is the nature of influenza viruses. They mutate and adapt to different species.”
A mother bear and her cubs move through a backyard in northwest Connecticut, where residents told DEEP that bear litters are now appearing more frequently.
“We really want to hear from you,” said Justin Davis, DEEP’s bureau chief for natural resources, at the meeting. He said that DEEP is preparing a bear management report in early 2026 that evaluates the challenges the state is facing and the strategies going forward dealing with them. He said the report will include feedback from the public generated at the listening sessions. He urged attendees, however, not to turn the meeting into a discussion about whether there should be a hunt or not.
Davis called the return of black bears to Connecticut a “conservation success story,” but one that now comes with challenges. "They're large animals, they're powerful and they can become comfortable being around people--and they're opportunistic, and they love to eat."
DEEP shared data showing that black bears have been reported in nearly every Connecticut town and that conflicts involving trash, bird feeders, livestock and home entries have increased sharply in recent years. The state’s bear population was last estimated at roughly 1,100 to 1,200 animals, a number that DEEP recognizes has grown since the study was conducted in 2012.
Eric Hammering, the office director of Environmental Review & Strategic Initiatives at DEEP, told the attendees that since 2020 there have been 264 reported home entries in 38 municipalities in northwest Connecticut, citing data from the state's State of the Bears report released in March.
A home entry, he said, is defined as an event when a bear actually goes inside a resident's living space.
Attendees at the DEEP meeting in Sharon on Dec. 3By Christian Murray
DEEP officials stressed that bird feeders and unsecured household trash are the two biggest drivers of bear conflicts. They advise residents to remove feeders entirely and keep their garbage inside or in bear-resistant containers. DEEP representatives noted that once a bear discovers food, it is likely to develop habits and return.
Many attendees said they see widespread noncompliance in their neighborhoods — particularly among part-time residents and short-term rental guests who leave trash out for days. Several said they were frustrated that the people causing the problem are often not the ones who attend sessions like this.
As a result, a number of residents called for stronger statewide enforcement, including fines for leaving trash unsecured and penalties for repeated violations. Without consequences, they said, the same households will continue to attract bears and put neighbors at risk. Others described practical steps to reduce bear activity--including the use of secure dumpsters, food composting stations, and the placement of electric fencing around livestock and beehives.
Again and again, residents emphasized that the underlying issue is human behavior. One attendee summarized it succinctly: “There are 3.6 million people in Connecticut and far fewer bears. Human behavior is the problem.”
Lynn Levine, a Litchfield resident who enjoys seeing bears, said common sense steps are the answer. She said that when she first moved to the area, she mistakenly left her garage down open with a 15-pound bag of shelled peanuts inside. "A bear dragged the bag around the side of the garage, sat down and had a teddy bear picnic." She said she learned not to leave the garage door open, especially with food inside.
Not all the stories were lighthearted. An 82-year-old Sharon woman recounted repeated break-ins that left her shaken and facing thousands of dollars in repairs, including a bear walking into her kitchen while she was washing dishes. A veterinarian described livestock attacks, including an alpaca that was mauled and dragged. A farmer said bears caused about $160,000 in crop losses in one year and that cornfields across the region face similar damage.
Several speakers added that DEEP’s limited staffing means local police often end up responding when bears are struck by cars or behaving aggressively.
From the State of the Bears Report released March 2025CT DEEP
Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, who attended the session, said afterward that he was troubled by how outdated the state’s population data is.
“My biggest personal take-away was surprise — that DEEP doesn’t have a handle on how many bears are here,” he said. “They said they haven’t surveyed them since 2012. How do you make a plan or policy without doing a survey?”
Ridgway said Cornwall has received about 40 bear-related reports this year, including home and vehicle entries and injuries to pets. “People are frightened by intrusions onto their property,” he said. “These are not happy stories.”
He noted that in 2012 -- when the state said it last did its population count -- “a bear was a novelty,” but sightings today are very common. “Today, most people see a bear every week. It’s no longer a novelty — it’s a real issue.”
Ridgway said he supports developing a statewide management plan and wants Connecticut to examine approaches used in other states, including reducing their numbers.
While most attendees at the Dec. 3 session indicated they opposed a hunt, Ridgway said that is not a true reflection of how his constituents in Cornwall view the issue. “If we had a vote, it would be close as to whether there should be a hunting season.”
Only one attendee — a longtime hunter from West Cornwall — advocated for a controlled bear hunt. He argued that the population is “exploding” and that education and bear-proof containers are “a band-aid.” In keeping with DEEP’s rules, other residents did not respond, and the session took place without conflict.
Much of the remaining discussion centered on unsecured trash, short-term rentals, and outdated dumpsters at state parks that residents say train bears to expect human food. Some questioned why the listening session was not better publicized, and Ridgway echoed that concern, saying it should have also been held at the high school to allow more residents to attend.
DEEP collected comment cards at the end of the session. Staff said all feedback will be reviewed as the agency drafts its statewide bear management report.
