There have been a number of reports of dead and sick birds in Little Egg Harbor, and police are encouraging residents to report sightings to the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection to combat the spread of avian flu (H5N1).

Avian flu is a respiratory disease that is typically carried by waterfowl, shorebirds and waterbirds, but can also infect chickens, geese and other domestic poultry, as well as raptors, corvids and mammals, according to the NJDEP.