http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020106/loc_20060201010.shtml
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!--<MCC PUBDATE>020106 </MCC PUBDATE><MCC SECTION>local</MCC SECTION><MCC PRIORITY>1</MCC PRIORITY><MCC SUBPRIORITY></MCC SUBPRIORITY><MCC PUBNAME>JuneauEmpire</MCC PUBNAME><MCC DIGEST>Some urban wildlife observers fear the salt on Juneau's roads and sidewalks is killing more than two birds with one stone.</MCC DIGEST>-->Web posted <MCC DATE>February 1, 2006</MCC DATE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Pigeons in peril: Is salt the culprit?
Raven attacks on birds surprise witnesses, who fear
road salt is making pigeons easy prey
By ERIC MORRISON
JUNEAU EMPIRE
Brian Wallace / Juneau Empire
Birds in jeopardy: A pigeon pecks at snow Tuesday on
Second Street downtown. Some people speculate pigeons
have been getting sick after eating road salt.
Some urban wildlife observers fear the salt on
Juneau's roads and sidewalks is killing more than two
birds with one stone.
Bird enthusiasts and downtown residents have seen
ravens preying on sickly pigeons. Some have witnessed
"lethargic" pigeons torn apart by bands of ravens in
the streets of Juneau over the last several weeks.
Some blame the salt's health effects for making the
birds susceptible.
"I was like in shell-shock," longtime Juneau resident
Sharon Kelly said, of the recent mayhem.
A little more than a week ago, Kelly saw about a half
dozen crows or ravens gang up on a passive pigeon that
did not try to defend itself.
"They killed one (pigeon) and started into another
one," she said. "It was like a little massacre."
Biologists and bird watchers have noticed too. The
local birdwatchers' Internet chat site, "Eaglechat,"
has been filled with postings. That enticed at least
one biologist to get into the field for more
observations.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Ryan
Scott spent part of Friday and Sunday downtown looking
for samples of dead pigeons. He found two, which he
sent to the department's wildlife veterinarian in
Fairbanks.
Eaglechat
Check out the local bird-watchers' chat site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eaglechat/
"It's something that has generated quite a bit of
interest around town," Scott said. "But the bottom
line is we don't know a lot of what's going on at this
point,"
It's not uncommon for ravens to scavenge on a dead
bird, but for them to be so vicious just might be,
Scott said.
"It is kind of interesting that they are preying on
live pigeons," he said.
Pigeons are not native to Southeast Alaska.
The Fish and Game Department will know more about the
cause of death when the results of the necropsies sent
to Fairbanks come back, possibly in several weeks.
Scott said it is plausible the salt spread to melt ice
on roads and sidewalks could be leading to dehydration
of the pigeons, making them more susceptible to
predators.
He also said it is plausible that the pigeons are
lethargic because of the cold weather, disease or even
bacteria in bird food left out by humans.
Beth Melville thinks it's the salt on the roads that
is leading to the pigeons' demise.
"We treat our roads with salt in order to melt the
snow, but the problem is the pigeons depend on the
snow for their water," she said. "The reason those
pigeons are so lethargic is because they are actually
becoming dehydrated from digesting the salt."
A posting on "Eaglechat" said bird rescuers treated
two sick pigeons for dehydration and released them.
Melville says she has seen the lethargic pigeons
getting ripped apart by ravens. She said they don't
fear people and will not fly away when approached.
Silverbow Inn & Bakery employee Dani Byers has also
seen the carnage.
"I've noticed a bunch of dead pigeons around, and I
wasn't sure if it was other animals doing it or people
mutilating them," she said. "It was really strange.
Walking home from work I kept seeing wings with nobody
or anything attached. It was like the wings just fell
off."
Photographer Art Sutch recently witnessed the ravenous
ravens from his downtown shop.
"I saw one eating and it looked like the lower end of
a pigeon," he said. "It had a pigeon leg stickin' out
of its mouth."
Pigeons are not the city's most glamorous animal
residents, but Melville said they should be respected.
"I think they're like rats and ****roaches. They're
something that live with people," she said. "I really
don't mind squashing ****roaches, but I do mind the
idea that we're harming (pigeons), although I don't
really have a clue of what we can do."
Ryan said people should wait until the necropsy
results before making conclusions about the increase
of pigeon deaths.
"While we don't have a lot of information at this
time, we don't want people to become too concerned
about it until we have more information," he said.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!--<MCC PUBDATE>020106 </MCC PUBDATE><MCC SECTION>local</MCC SECTION><MCC PRIORITY>1</MCC PRIORITY><MCC SUBPRIORITY></MCC SUBPRIORITY><MCC PUBNAME>JuneauEmpire</MCC PUBNAME><MCC DIGEST>Some urban wildlife observers fear the salt on Juneau's roads and sidewalks is killing more than two birds with one stone.</MCC DIGEST>-->Web posted <MCC DATE>February 1, 2006</MCC DATE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Pigeons in peril: Is salt the culprit?
Raven attacks on birds surprise witnesses, who fear
road salt is making pigeons easy prey
By ERIC MORRISON
JUNEAU EMPIRE
Brian Wallace / Juneau Empire
Birds in jeopardy: A pigeon pecks at snow Tuesday on
Second Street downtown. Some people speculate pigeons
have been getting sick after eating road salt.
Some urban wildlife observers fear the salt on
Juneau's roads and sidewalks is killing more than two
birds with one stone.
Bird enthusiasts and downtown residents have seen
ravens preying on sickly pigeons. Some have witnessed
"lethargic" pigeons torn apart by bands of ravens in
the streets of Juneau over the last several weeks.
Some blame the salt's health effects for making the
birds susceptible.
"I was like in shell-shock," longtime Juneau resident
Sharon Kelly said, of the recent mayhem.
A little more than a week ago, Kelly saw about a half
dozen crows or ravens gang up on a passive pigeon that
did not try to defend itself.
"They killed one (pigeon) and started into another
one," she said. "It was like a little massacre."
Biologists and bird watchers have noticed too. The
local birdwatchers' Internet chat site, "Eaglechat,"
has been filled with postings. That enticed at least
one biologist to get into the field for more
observations.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Ryan
Scott spent part of Friday and Sunday downtown looking
for samples of dead pigeons. He found two, which he
sent to the department's wildlife veterinarian in
Fairbanks.
Eaglechat
Check out the local bird-watchers' chat site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eaglechat/
"It's something that has generated quite a bit of
interest around town," Scott said. "But the bottom
line is we don't know a lot of what's going on at this
point,"
It's not uncommon for ravens to scavenge on a dead
bird, but for them to be so vicious just might be,
Scott said.
"It is kind of interesting that they are preying on
live pigeons," he said.
Pigeons are not native to Southeast Alaska.
The Fish and Game Department will know more about the
cause of death when the results of the necropsies sent
to Fairbanks come back, possibly in several weeks.
Scott said it is plausible the salt spread to melt ice
on roads and sidewalks could be leading to dehydration
of the pigeons, making them more susceptible to
predators.
He also said it is plausible that the pigeons are
lethargic because of the cold weather, disease or even
bacteria in bird food left out by humans.
Beth Melville thinks it's the salt on the roads that
is leading to the pigeons' demise.
"We treat our roads with salt in order to melt the
snow, but the problem is the pigeons depend on the
snow for their water," she said. "The reason those
pigeons are so lethargic is because they are actually
becoming dehydrated from digesting the salt."
A posting on "Eaglechat" said bird rescuers treated
two sick pigeons for dehydration and released them.
Melville says she has seen the lethargic pigeons
getting ripped apart by ravens. She said they don't
fear people and will not fly away when approached.
Silverbow Inn & Bakery employee Dani Byers has also
seen the carnage.
"I've noticed a bunch of dead pigeons around, and I
wasn't sure if it was other animals doing it or people
mutilating them," she said. "It was really strange.
Walking home from work I kept seeing wings with nobody
or anything attached. It was like the wings just fell
off."
Photographer Art Sutch recently witnessed the ravenous
ravens from his downtown shop.
"I saw one eating and it looked like the lower end of
a pigeon," he said. "It had a pigeon leg stickin' out
of its mouth."
Pigeons are not the city's most glamorous animal
residents, but Melville said they should be respected.
"I think they're like rats and ****roaches. They're
something that live with people," she said. "I really
don't mind squashing ****roaches, but I do mind the
idea that we're harming (pigeons), although I don't
really have a clue of what we can do."
Ryan said people should wait until the necropsy
results before making conclusions about the increase
of pigeon deaths.
"While we don't have a lot of information at this
time, we don't want people to become too concerned
about it until we have more information," he said.