THE FOCUS of the bird flu scare has switched to Montrose.

Rural Affairs Minister Ross Finnie said yesterday experts think it likely the dead mute swan at the centre of investigations around Cellardyke came from a native flock.

The “preponderant” view of ornithologists is it was part of the population found around the Bay of Montrose.

But they have not ruled out the option it came from mainland Europe.

Mr Finnie said the “highly decomposed” condition of the bird is making the task difficult.

Testing is being carried out on four swans, a shelduck and an eider duck found dead at Montrose Basin nature reserve over the weekend.

A member of the public reported to DEFRA he had found two more dead swans and five geese within 300 yards of each other on the western edge of the reserve.

“One of the geese, a greylag, was actually on the public path that leads to the shelduck hide,” he said.

“The Scottish Wildlife Trust has put up signs around the basin warning about bird flu and telling the public not to approach any dead birds but to report their finds to the DEFRA hotline.”

Last night a spokeswoman for SWT said they were unsure of the source of Mr Finnie’s evidence.

“Montrose could be one of the sources but there are many others.

“We understand the Cellardyke bird was not ringed so we don’t know what evidence there is to point towards it coming from Montrose.

“We have not received any evidence from the Scottish Executive and we are concerned about the statement.”

SWT has 122 wildlife reserves, some of which, like Montrose, are important sites for resident and migrating wildfowl.

Since the Cellardyke find the trust has stepped up surveillance and is carrying out daily checks at Montrose Basin and other sites.

Montrose Basin is an enclosed estuary of the South Esk and covers 750 hectares.

A daily tidal cycle brings in a rich soup of nutrients that attracts over 50,000 migratory birds each year.

The basin usually has a fluctuating population of between 100 and 1000 mute swans throughout the year.

By mid-March just 45 were in residence with a further 94 whooper swans also making the reserve their home this spring.

A wildlife expert said swan-ringing at the basin some years ago showed birds travelled up and down the coast between Montrose and Fife.

The area where most of the dead birds have been found is close to a sacrificial field, designed to attract swans and geese from crops in neighbouring fields.

Because of power lines around the field and shooting nearby there were reports of more dead birds than usual before the bird flu scare.

“Until confirmation that the dead bird came from Montrose it is business as usual,” said SWT.

Its Montrose centre was busy yesterday.

Tests continued over the weekend and SWT hopes to know the Montrose results early in the week.

Scotland’s chief veterinary officer Charles Milne said the mute swan found at Cellardyke had a strain of the virus “very similar” to one that infected more than 100 birds in Germany.

“We have no scientific proof of what’s happened.

“We have no chain of evidence,” said Mr Milne.

“It’s very difficult to form any conclusions into where that bird came from.

“It would be pure speculation to suggest how the bird became infected.”

Mr Finnie said the “preponderant” view of ornithologists that the bird was part of the native population around the Bay of Montrose had one caveat—that the population is added to by 10 to 20 birds a year from Europe.

There is not sufficient evidence to say if it is definitely part of the local population.

He added, “I understand, although it is proving very difficult because of the highly decomposed nature of the swan, that tests are taking place to try and get a better fix on that.”

Mr Finnie said people realise it is a serious situation rather than a crisis.