Birds Found Dead in Tappahannock Did Not Have Flu

Officials say that birds found on the Hoskins Creek Bridge in Tappahannock last month didn’t have bird flu.

On the morning of Saturday, December 27^th, dozens of birds were found dead on the bridge over Hoskins Creek along Route 17 in Tappahannock, leading to speculation about the cause of the incident.

Officials with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources announced on Monday December 30^th that initial testing did not determine the cause of death. Further testing by the National Wildlife Health Center found no evidence of bird flu, but it did show internal injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. This finding suggested that the birds might have flown into a vehicle on the bridge or some other obstruction in low visibility conditions.