avian flu

The state has found an increasing number of birds with confirmed cases of Avian flu and is asking Mainers to help prevent further spread.

Jim Britt, spokesperson for the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, said migratory birds are on the move and it's their interaction with commercial and backyard flocks that spreads avian flu.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says that up to 15% of nesting female eiders have died this year because of an outbreak in Canada, potentially impacting the population for several years.

The federal government has designated the deaths of nearly 160 seals since the start of June as an "unusual mortality event" along Maine's coast.

Since May, 92 stranded seals have been found along the Maine coast from Biddeford to Boothbay. And starting in June, the vast majority were found dead, triple the rate of what's typically seen this time of year, according to NOAA.

The Maine Department of Agriculture is continuing to recommend that events with domestic birds be postponed for at least 30 days after detection.

State officials say they've been receiving daily calls of dead birds washing up along the coast.

The USDA confirms the Avian flu is spreading in five Maine counties.

One was found in York County and the other in Lincoln County. That's in addition to two cases discovered a few weeks ago in Knox County.

AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine's governor and other officials say the state is preparing for the possibility of an avian flu outbreak and readying residents about…