There have been calls for greater signage to make the public aware of a possible bird flu outbreak at a popular visitors spot.
A number of dead birds have been spotted on an island at the Carron Valley Reservoir between Denny and Fintry, prompting concerns over a possible outbreak of the disease at the site.
Local walker Ian McDade says he has ‘over 100’ dead birds removed from their nesting site on the island - but has been critical of the level of information available to the public at the reservoir about the potential dangers of bird flu.
Some signage issued by Forestry and Land Scotland has been placed around the site but with the reservoir being a well-used are for dog walkers, campers and those out fishing, Ian believes more can be done.
He told the Observer: “My concern is purely that I would like to see more signage and public information put up.
“The island is where the majority of the dead birds are and that’s the only place where the signs are; bird flu could become a serious issue and people don’t know when they are driving up there because there is no information in the car park.
“There are boys often camping up there next to that spot and you just don’t want them getting too close to the affected area so it’s maybe about having a little more information on the Fintry side of things.”
In response, a spokesperson for Forestry and Land Scotland said placing signage at every access point to the reservoir would be a “significant drain” on their resources and said further efforts to follow up on messaging about the risks at the reservoir would be made.
The spokesperson said: “When we became aware of a number of dead gulls on the island in the Caron Valley Reservoir, we notified Scottish Water, whose island it is, DEFRA, which leads on Avian Flu, as well as local authorities and partner organisations at the site.
“We have had no formal confirmation that the birds did die from Avian Flu but as a precaution we placed posters (Animal and Plant Health Agency) on our car park notice boards.
“Given the non-localised nature of bird flu, attempting to put signage at every entrance point to every one of our forests and visitor destinations would be a significant drain on our resources.
“However, we will follow-up on our on-site messaging with media, social media and website communication to advise members of the public to take extra care.”
