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Common murres, scoters, loons and more, all are being killed in droves. The dead birds are not just being found on Hobuck Beach, it's the same on other beaches along the Washington coast. Huge numbers of dead birds have been documented by Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Teams (COASST), a citizen science project of the University of Washington, along the Kalaloch and LaPush beaches as well. This is reported to be the largest ever recorded kill of seabirds documented along the Washington coast.
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More locally, as reported this week in the Bellingham Herald in an article, "150 ducks found dead near Lynden", it is reported that the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the death of 100 dead ducks, mostly mallards and pintails, found at Wiser Lake and 50 more dead ducks found near the Bylsma levee on the Nooksack River. While it is suspected that these duck deaths were due to a fungal infection caused from ingesting fermented barley at nearby farms, this is still tragic, scary and shocking news.
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Working with the COASST program locally, I have two beaches, Sucia South and Sucia North, which I am due to survey as soon as this latest bout of strong winds and torrential rains has subsided enough that I can safely walk those beaches during a low tide and not be knocked over by the waves. While my beaches are located along Washington's inner coast and protected by the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, recently our shellfish harvest was closed due to a local algae bloom known as Red Tide. I do not know what impact Red Tide might have on our sea birds, but Red Tide can paralyze, or even kill, if we eat shellfish from an infected beach.
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Currently, I am monitoring our local weather forecasts and tide charts, and will let you know what I discover during my surveys. I am hoping to find no dead birds, but after reading these latest articles, I just can't be sure.
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To read the full article in the Seattle Times, as reported by Lynda V. Mapes, follow this link - http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010165049_birds30m.html.
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The article from the Bellingham Herald, as reported by Isabelle Dills, can be found here - http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/1136381.html, and this same story as reported by Tim Flanagan for the Puget Sound Maritime, can be found here - http://www.pugetsoundmaritime.com/2009/10/150-ducks-found-dead-near-lynden/ .
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Rose this is really tragic. Are these migratory birds?
ReplyDeleteATW, I consider all of these birds native to the Pacific coast as they are very common water birds found as far north as Alaska and as far South as California. We're on the Pacific flyway, so any of these birds migrating from Alaska stop here as do those from California. I spend a lot of time (a lot!) out on our beaches and I'm out there during all kinds of weather and during all seasons, and always spot murres, scoters and loons. Mallards and pintails too. Although the ducks tend to be more of a migratory bird, some do make their home here year round.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, California reported huge bird kills along their coast, and Oregon too, in the months just before this toxic foam from the algae bloom spread into our waters. Believed that bird health is a good measure for the overall health of our beaches and waters, while the scientists are still studying the cause of this this bird kill (the toxic foam and algae bloom), the rumor is that the rising ocean temperature is to blame. How do you suppose we're gonna solve that one?
As far as the duck kill at Wiser Lake (a very tiny lake just north of me) and the Nooksack River (a river that serves as the source of drinking water for several of the small towns located along its way, has a small diversion dam on it that pumps water as needed into Lake Whatcom (which is the water supply for the town in which I live), and also where several waste water treatment plants in those small towns up river happen to pump their "processed" water back out), I certainly hope that the fact that it was traced to a fungal infection from fermented barley at local farms does not get swept under the table. While I realize that our local farmers are struggling to stay in business because of high costs and the addition of so many new regulations, in my opinion, there does need to be some sort of accountability to nature and this planet . . .