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More Than 600 Birds Found Dead On 2 Minn. Lakes


bd477

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ST. PAUL (AP) ― The Department of Natural Resources is reporting bird die-offs on two Minnesota lakes.

Officials say dead and dying double-crested cormorants, pelicans, ring-billed gulls and a great blue heron were found last week at Minnesota Lake in Faribault County and Pigeon Lake in Meeker County.

DNR biologists say the dead birds included 687 cormorants and 37 pelicans.

DNR workers discovered the dead and dying birds while banding pelicans.

Initial tests for avian influenza were negative, but officials say the cause of the bird illness hasn't been determined yet.

The DNR, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are cleaning up the sites and collecting more samples for lab analysis.

http://wcco.com/pets/dead.cormorants.lakes.2.776659.html

This is really strange. that this many birds at one time. anyone have any ideas?

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Well Pigeon Lake is just north of my location and there is no fishing there. It's a big water hole with bird droppings all over the place, hence "Pigeon Lake". It doesn't surprise me that if there was a bird sickness it happened there as it's filthy.

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Thats to bad about those birds :(, but thats good on the cormorants. They eat all the fish in the lakes,(known to eat 2x there own weight or more a day) Think of a huge flock, the damage they could do.(Like Leech Lake,and many other ponds and lakes. mad) They also kill the trees with there acid [PoorWordUsage]! I dont see why they are protected in the first place.

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Which pigeon lake By Dassel or Paynesville? There both too close to home to not cheer! The last two springs over 600 cormorants on our 2 bays on Diamond lake maybe a couple hundred acres for both.Lots of complaints to the DNR from me and many neighbors.I have a pic of 400-500 pelicans in this bay maybe 50 acre bay They lined the shore 3/4 full dippin.

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Hundreds of double-crested cormorants, American white pelicans and other water birds were discovered dead or dying at two Minnesota lakes early last week. The discovery was made by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff who were in the area banding pelicans at Minnesota Lake in Faribault County and Pigeon Lake in Meeker County.

The dead and dying birds were found on islands where pelicans, herons, egrets and gulls traditionally nest. As of Friday, 687 cormorants and 37 pelicans, three ring-billed gulls and one great blue heron had been found dead.

Jeff DiMatteo, a wildlife biologist working with pelicans, said staff saw the same thing happening at both lakes. “We saw dead and dying adult cormorants, with the live ones unable to hold their heads up” at Pigeon Lake, DiMatteo said. “There were old carcasses that would suggest that it has been going on for at least a couple of weeks.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Litchfield is looking at sites in the vicinities of both lakes for any additional die-offs.

Initial tests for avian influenza were negative. The specific cause of the bird illness remains undetermined at this time.

Officials from the Minnesota DNR, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting site clean-ups, and collecting swab and carcass samples for lab analysis. Some early lab results should be available later this week, although it might take longer to determine the exact cause of the bird illness.

While the die-off so far has been detected only in wild water birds at the two locations, wild birds can be a potential source of disease when they come into contact with domestic poultry.

For that reason, state animal health officials remind farmers to practice sound biosecurity, including monitoring their poultry flocks for signs of illness and taking steps to prevent wild birds from having contact with their domestic birds. If birds show sign of sickness, producers should contact their veterinarian or the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at (320) 231-5170.

There are approximately 39 nesting colonies of double-crested cormorants in Minnesota, 87 percent of which occur along with other colonially nesting water birds. Most active nesting sites have a long history of use, being utilized by the birds since the 1960s and 1970s.

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Minnesota Lake is a shallow, decent sized lake in southern Minnesota (just south of Mankato). I don't know if there is any recreational fishing opportunities there other than for bullheads and roughfish. It is a very popular lake for duck/goose hunting in the fall.

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Hundreds of double-crested cormorants, American white pelicans and other water birds were discovered dead or dying at two Minnesota lakes early last week. The discovery was made by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff who were in the area banding pelicans at Minnesota Lake in Faribault County and Pigeon Lake in Meeker County.

The dead and dying birds were found on islands where pelicans, herons, egrets and gulls traditionally nest. As of Friday, 687 cormorants and 37 pelicans, three ring-billed gulls and one great blue heron had been found dead.

Jeff DiMatteo, a wildlife biologist working with pelicans, said staff saw the same thing happening at both lakes. “We saw dead and dying adult cormorants, with the live ones unable to hold their heads up” at Pigeon Lake, DiMatteo said. “There were old carcasses that would suggest that it has been going on for at least a couple of weeks.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Litchfield is looking at sites in the vicinities of both lakes for any additional die-offs.

Initial tests for avian influenza were negative. The specific cause of the bird illness remains undetermined at this time.

Officials from the Minnesota DNR, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting site clean-ups, and collecting swab and carcass samples for lab analysis. Some early lab results should be available later this week, although it might take longer to determine the exact cause of the bird illness.

While the die-off so far has been detected only in wild water birds at the two locations, wild birds can be a potential source of disease when they come into contact with domestic poultry.

For that reason, state animal health officials remind farmers to practice sound biosecurity, including monitoring their poultry flocks for signs of illness and taking steps to prevent wild birds from having contact with their domestic birds. If birds show sign of sickness, producers should contact their veterinarian or the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at (320) 231-5170.

There are approximately 39 nesting colonies of double-crested cormorants in Minnesota, 87 percent of which occur along with other colonially nesting water birds. Most active nesting sites have a long history of use, being utilized by the birds since the 1960s and 1970s.

You should really put that in a quote. Unless you want people to think you wrote it.

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Wild bird die-off probably not caused by humans, officials say.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 23, 2008 - 1:54 AM

http://www.startribune.com/local/25757804.html?location_refer=Homepage:6

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Quote:
I'm sure there will be a link to global warming, errrrrrr, climate change coming soon.

As Darwin said: Adapt or die.

I was talking to a guy the other day, he said we should bring back DDT. He said Bald Eagles eat alot of fish, also.

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