Experts thought H5N1 bird flu would more likely reach Australia’s north. But an arrival from Antarctica had always been possible Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Brown skuas and giant petrels are a common sight offshore in southern Australian waters in the winter months, but they will rarely risk venturing on to land. So when two of these birds were discovered sick – on beaches a few kilometres apart on Western Australia’s southern coastline – it was a sign something might be wrong.