http://staugustine.com/stories/020407/news_4380577.shtml
Pelicans, loons turning up dead
Commission seeks answer to mystery
By TIFFANY PAKKALA |tiffany.pakkala@staugustine.com | Posted: Sunday, February 4, 2007 ; Updated: 6:49 AM on Sunday, February 4, 2007
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking into the deaths of several loons and pelicans that have turned up on St. Johns County's beaches in recent weeks.
The commission's avian mortality veterinarian, Danielle Stanek, said there hasn't been a "drastic" number of deaths reported, but she's looking into it in case there's more to it than survival of the fittest.
Stanek, who's based in Tampa, said it's typical for juvenile birds to die off this time of year simply because they can't compete for food with older birds. She suspects that was the case with many of the young birds that were found.
But some adult birds are turning up on the beaches, too, Stanek said, so the commission is running tests to find out why.
"We've already submitted some loons for avian influenza testing, and all of the tests turned out negative. We still haven't gotten a definitive diagnosis on these guys," she said.
Part of the difficulty is that the birds' bodies decay before they're submitted for testing. If they're dead longer than 48 hours, much of the data used to determine their cause of death is gone, Stanek explained.
She said one contributing factor may be this year's strange weather conditions.
"We're seeing different movement this year because birds follow their food sources. The bait isn't going south, so the birds are staying farther north," she said.
Another factor she's watching is whether the birds' immune systems are weakened. One loon Stanek tested had an above normal level of arsenic in its liver.
"That wasn't what killed the bird, but it could have affected its immune system," she said, adding that the heavy metal could have come either from a Florida source or from the bird's summer habitat to the north.
Stanek stressed that it's important to report a dead bird sighting as quickly as possible so experts can get to it in time for the necessary testing.
To report a dead bird sighting to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, go to http://myfwc.com/bird.
Pelicans, loons turning up dead
Commission seeks answer to mystery
By TIFFANY PAKKALA |tiffany.pakkala@staugustine.com | Posted: Sunday, February 4, 2007 ; Updated: 6:49 AM on Sunday, February 4, 2007
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking into the deaths of several loons and pelicans that have turned up on St. Johns County's beaches in recent weeks.
The commission's avian mortality veterinarian, Danielle Stanek, said there hasn't been a "drastic" number of deaths reported, but she's looking into it in case there's more to it than survival of the fittest.
Stanek, who's based in Tampa, said it's typical for juvenile birds to die off this time of year simply because they can't compete for food with older birds. She suspects that was the case with many of the young birds that were found.
But some adult birds are turning up on the beaches, too, Stanek said, so the commission is running tests to find out why.
"We've already submitted some loons for avian influenza testing, and all of the tests turned out negative. We still haven't gotten a definitive diagnosis on these guys," she said.
Part of the difficulty is that the birds' bodies decay before they're submitted for testing. If they're dead longer than 48 hours, much of the data used to determine their cause of death is gone, Stanek explained.
She said one contributing factor may be this year's strange weather conditions.
"We're seeing different movement this year because birds follow their food sources. The bait isn't going south, so the birds are staying farther north," she said.
Another factor she's watching is whether the birds' immune systems are weakened. One loon Stanek tested had an above normal level of arsenic in its liver.
"That wasn't what killed the bird, but it could have affected its immune system," she said, adding that the heavy metal could have come either from a Florida source or from the bird's summer habitat to the north.
Stanek stressed that it's important to report a dead bird sighting as quickly as possible so experts can get to it in time for the necessary testing.
To report a dead bird sighting to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, go to http://myfwc.com/bird.