New York state - Dozens of dead birds found along Tonawanda shoreline - likely died of natural causes

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Location in Erie County and the state of New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonawanda_(town),_New_York

Dozens of dead birds found along Tonawanda shoreline


By Callan Gray, News 4 Reporter
Published: May 8, 2015, 7:16 pm Updated: May 8, 2015, 8:08 pm


TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) ? At least two dozen birds have been found dead on the waterfront in the Town of Tonawanda.

?I?ve lived here my entire life, I?ve never seen something like this,? said Katie Tatro, who alerted News 4 of the problem.
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?The first thing I noticed was actually the smell,? said Tatro. ?You could smell it from very far away and as I got closer, it looked like these circular rocks and I saw it was over 20 dead ducks.?
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?I found a few dead birds that appear to be cormorants,? said Dan Hudson, a crew chief with the Department of Parks and Recreation. ?I found about six or seven, I bagged them up and I?m getting rid of them.?
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The State Department of Environmental Conservation told us they will look into what?s causing the birds to die.
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http://wivb.com/2015/05/08/dozens-of-dead-birds-found-along-tonawanda-shorline/

 

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Dead water fowl wash up along Niagara River
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6:18 p.m. EDT May 8, 2015

TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- In Tonawanda along the Niagara River, dead birds are washing up on shore....

Just like debris that washes up on land after ice thaws each spring, birds that may have been victims of a harsh winter wash up, too.
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Town officials say it's uncommon, but it does happen at Aqua Lane Parks sometimes, including last year.

... A crew chief said he picked up six or seven in just an hour.
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Dan Hudson from the recreation department believes the majority are cormorants, deep-diving birds that nest on a nearby Island, while 2 The Outdoors' Terry Belke believes others are gulls.
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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating the exact cause of their deaths. The popular belief is that many birds starved over the course of the past two winters, which were uncommonly harsh, unable to get through the thick ice, and that many of the birds froze.


Full text & video:
http://www.wgrz.com/story/news/loca...er-fowl-wash-up-along-niagara-river/27007915/

 

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DEC: Dead ducks likely died of natural causes

By Mark Belcher, News 4 Digital Producer
Published: May 15, 2015, 7:40 pm

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) ? After dozens of dead birds washed ashore of waterfront in the Town of Tonawanda, the Department of Environmental Conservation set out to learn what was wrong.
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After an investigation, they say the birds likely died of natural causes. The birds had died a long time ago, according to the DEC officers. What killed the birds, though, was something they call ?winterkill?. The ducks were unable to locate food as they?re diving ducks. The expansive ice cover likely led to their demise.

The DEC says the cause of death was likely starvation...

http://wivb.com/2015/05/15/dec-dead-ducks-likely-died-of-natural-causes/