Bird flu hits Montgomery County, with outbreak in backyard chickens

The highly contagious bird flu has hit Montgomery County, Maryland, where officials say a backyard flock of chickens tested positive for the virus, making it the first case of a homeowner’s birds having the virus in Maryland this year and bringing the number of cases in the D.C. region to 11.

Officials with the Maryland Department of Agriculture said the latest outbreak in Montgomery County involved a flock of about 20 chickens.

Maryland’s state veterinarian, Jennifer Trout, said the chickens’ owner took two of the dead birds to the Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Lab in Frederick, where they tested positive last week for avian flu. Trout said the remaining chickens at the property were killed to stop the spread of the disease...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/05/bird-flu-montgomery-county-backyard-chickens/

Will Bird Flu Close Down MCPS Bus Depots?

As bird flu is detected in more and more places in the United States, health officials are taking action.  In Massachusetts, bird flu testing has led to the closing of a park.   

What will happen here in Montgomery County?  

For example, the MCPS Shady Grove Bus Depot is covered with goose poop from the flocks of geese that live on top of the MCPS bus maintenance building.  If bird flu is detected at that location, will the bus depot be shut down?  The depot has goose poop on all of the pavement and stepping in goose poop is virtually guaranteed as staff and school bus drivers walk to their offices and onto their school buses.   

This is the same bus depot where feral cats are being kept by MCPS employees.  The feral cats live under the 4 office trailers used at the site for MCPS DOT Dispatch, Human Resources, Training and one trailer is the "lunchroom" for the MCPS bus drivers.   

Philadelphia: First suspected case of bird flu in Philadelphia detected in snow goose

ABC6 Action News 

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Department of Health said Wednesday that the city's first suspected case of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, was detected in a snow goose earlier this month.

The sick goose was found in the 1200 block ofN. 59th Street near Carroll Park in West Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 11.

The bird flu diagnosis came from preliminary in-state testing, city officials said.

Anyone who was in the area of Carroll Park and may have had direct contact with a sick snow goose on or around Jan. 11 is asked to contact the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Division of Disease Control at215-685-6741.

Residents who live nearby were surprised to learn a goose was in the park in the first place...

First suspected case of bird flu in Philadelphia detected in snow goose near Carroll Park - 6abc Philadelphia

MCPS Keeping Feral Cat Horde at Shady Grove Bus Depot. School Bus doors do not lock. Feral Cats can Enter Buses

Take a look at Google Earth at the MCPS Shady Grove Depot located 16651 Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville, Maryland.  Take a "drive" around the property and you will see that there are a number of work trailers.  They are the same type of classroom trailers that are used for students, but these trailers are used for MCPS staff.  

At one of the work trailers at the MCPS Shady Grove Depot, the Google Earth image shows a small door opened under one of the work trailers and a person with multiple bowls.  

The bowls are apparently to feed feral cats that are being kept under the trailers.  

How many feral cats are being kept at the Shady Grove Depot?

Keep in mind that MCPS school bus doors do not lock.  State law prohibited school bus doors from locking and so school buses are kept in gated depots.  

However, the locked gates do not keep animals, including dozens of feral cats, from entering the school buses at night.  

The next day, MCPS students use those same school buses.