Ticks & Lyme Disease –  information for Birders

deer-ticksThe transmission of Lyme disease resulting from a tick bite is a potential risk of any outdoor activity. Be that encounter in the forest, field or simply in your own back yard.

According to the Gouvernement du Québec health website, the presence of Ixodes scapularis tick populations infected by Borrelia burgdorferi have been confirmed in the province, particularly in the following areas:

  • The north and west of Estrie
  • A large part of Montérégie
  • The south-west of Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec
  • The south-west of Outaouais

We encourages anyone participating in our field trips to learn about Lyme risks and tick bite prevention strategies.

 

Resources 

The Government of Quebec’s Lyme Disease resource page https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/lyme-disease/

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page on ticks http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/

The Public Health Agency of Canada  website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/tickinfo-eng.php

The  University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter Resource Center has some very useful resources:
Tick Identification Chart: http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_identification/tickid_nonflash
Videos: http://www.tickencounter.org/resources/how_to_videos

LymeDisease.org is a very comprehensive web resource about the topic