Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 09:14:32 -0800 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kyle Rambo Subject: Re: Dead Ruddy Ducks MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Todd, I recommend reporting it. Could be an outbreak of avian cholera, which typically spreads during icy conditions when large numbers of birds are crowded together. Infected birds die pretty quickly, and usually show no obvious outward sign of disease. Anyone remember the outbreak a few winters ago when something like 150,000 Oldsquaws were killed? We collected thousands of dead birds and burned their carcasses in large pits at the landfill. Birders may want to check other stretches of shoreline and report any unusually large numbers of dead ducks (and other waterbirds). Intervention to interrupt the spread of the disease is often warranted. Kyle Rambo Natural Resources Manager NAS Patuxent River, MD (301) 342-3670/5456 or (301) 757-1888 --- Todd Day wrote: > Hello all... > > While Kurt Gaskill and I were birding the Colonial > Beach, VA area on > Saturday, we discovered fourteen dead Ruddy Ducks, > and one dead scaup. All > of these birds were in a stretch of shoreline about > 100 feet long. Due to > the shape and privacy of the marina, as well as the > time of day, we were > unable to search further for them. > > They were found in the harbor that dumps into the > Potomac, at the tip of land > at the end of Colonial Beach. The ducks were caught > along the rocks that the > peninsula we were standing on was built on, or > bolstered with. The ducks all > seemed to be pretty much in the same state of decay. > Mostly they looked > recently dead. A couple appeared to be a bit > bloated, but otherwise they > looked pretty recent. They were in the water with > no easy access to examine > one, so I have no idea if they were shot. My hunch > is that they were not > shot. Rather they died from ingesting some toxin. > But, that is a pure > guess. > > What I am wondering is whether or not 15 dead ducks > along 100 feet of > shoreline is significant, or is this nothing that is > going to raise concern > among appropriate authorities. Also, would this be > something I should report > to VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, or is this > VA Fish and Game's > jurisdiction? If anyone has any information > regarding this, or has seen any > dead Ruddy Ducks, feel free to let me know. > > Thanks... > > Todd Day > Jeffersonton, VA > BlkVulture@aol.com > > ========================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to > listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff > mdosprey > ========================================================================= > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================