NZ - Christchurch, 6000 birds died - avian botulism

[Sally Furniss]

Up to 800 birds have been found dead at wetlands in Christchurch's eastern suburbs and the oxidation ponds.

more http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/6394280/Wetland-bird-toll-hits-800

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 800 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 800 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

Disease outbreak kills more birds than Rena
SAM SACHDEVA Last updated 05:00 25/02/2012

A suspected avian botulism outbreak in Christchurch's wetlands has killed more than 4000 birds, taking the death toll to above that from the Rena oil spill.

Increased sewage levels in the Bromley oxidation ponds, the Avon-Heathcote Estuary and the eastern wetlands caused by the earthquake may be responsible for the outbreak, according to a conservation officer.

In an email obtained by The Press, council ornithologist Andrew Crossland told council staff and conservation organisations that more than 10 per cent of the area's population had died due to the outbreak.

The email, which used figures from December 20 last year, said that 3877 dead birds had been collected in the area.
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-sta...5/Disease-outbreak-kills-more-birds-than-Rena

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 800 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 800 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

The worst-affected species were the paradise shelduck, which lost more than 85 per cent of its population (1415 birds), the mallard/grey duck (49 per cent, or 385 birds), and the grey teal duck (13 per cent, or 495 birds).

The deaths meant there would be a "substantial decrease in numbers" in Avon-Heathcote and Bromley, as well as at "source areas and migration/dispersal destinations".

Several other significant species, including the scaup, shoveler and royal spoonbill, had also been suffered losses, "but not at levels that the population can't recover from in one to three years".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/6478605/Disease-outbreak-kills-more-birds-than-Rena

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 4000 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

Re: NZ - Christchurch, 4000 birds died - initial diagnosis is avian botulism

Bird deaths begin to slow
SAM SACHDEVA Last updated 05:00 29/03/2012

An avian botulism outbreak in Christchurch's wetlands has killed nearly 6000 birds, but officials hope the worst is over.

News of the outbreak broke last month after city council workers found thousands of dead birds near the Bromley oxidation ponds and in the eastern wetlands.

In an email obtained by The Press at the time, a council ornithologist said more than 10 per cent of the area's bird population had died because of the outbreak.

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6655490/Bird-deaths-begin-to-slow