The Geese Still Arrive, but Some Do Not Leave

There is a rhythm to the Fraser Valley that its residents know without needing to name it—the arrival of geese in autumn, the dark V-formations against a gray sky, the sound of them settling into the wetlands and fields that have hosted their kind for longer than anyone can remember. This year, that rhythm has acquired a different meaning. The birds are still coming. But some of them are not leaving.

Elizabeth's Wildlife Center in Abbotsford has been receiving up to sixty calls a day over the past two weeks about dead geese, according to CBC . The center said Canadian and cackling geese appear to be affected. Data from B.C. Wildlife and Environmental Surveillance shows a sharp increase in reports of sick and dead wild birds, with four positive detections of avian flu in sediment at two separate wetlands in the Lower Mainland as of October 25 .

The illness is highly contagious among birds, both domestic and wild, and can infect humans and mammals, though such cases are less common . British Columbia has been heavily impacted by avian flu in recent years. Since 2021, more than ten million birds in the province have died or been culled due to the disease . In 2024, a teenager in the Fraser Valley became critically ill with avian flu, marking the first documented human case in the province. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control determined that the virus the teen was infected with most closely matched that of wild birds found in the Fraser Valley, specifically geese .

So far, there are no reports of avian flu among domestic birds or poultry farms in the province this season. Since September 29, B.C.'s poultry industry has been at a red biosecurity level after the virus was detected on a farm in Alberta, and the province's chief veterinarian issued an indoor order for commercial poultry on September 17 to minimize contact between wild and domestic birds .

The wildlife center has offered guidance for those who encounter a deceased wild bird: do not bring sick wild animals into your home, keep pets away, and report any sightings. If you find a dead duck, swan, goose, raptor, or three or more dead birds together, contact the Interagency Wild Bird Mortality Line at 1-866-431-2473 .

Signs of avian flu in birds include seizures, lack of energy or movement, paralysis, swelling around the face or head, lack of coordination, head swaying or star-gazing, and cloudy eyes . For those who watch the geese arrive each autumn, these are not abstract symptoms. They are the visible markers of a virus moving through a population that shares the same landscape, the same waterways, the same air.

The investigation into the scope of the outbreak is ongoing. Wildlife officials have asked the public to report sightings of dead or sick birds, and to avoid handling them without protection. The geese will continue their migration. The question is what they carry with them, and what waits in the wetlands when they return.

Image Disclaimer: The images in this report were produced by artificial intelligence and are not photographs of the wildlife or locations described.

Sources: Fraser Valley Current, CBC, Global News