Treyfish
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Sick geese
Posted by [URL="http://blog.oregonlive.com/billmonroe/about.html"]Bill Monroe[/URL] December 29, 2007 02:39AM
Categories: The duckblind/all about the hunt
Sauvie Island hunters are seeing sick, dying and dead snow geese on the public hunting area, but state officials say it's almost certainly not deadly bird flu or any of dozens of varieties of influenza specific to waterfowl and other birds.
The snows are probably ingesting old lead shot from days past when lead was legal to use for waterfowl hunting, said Brad Bales, waterfowl chief for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department owns and manages about half of the island for waterfowl and wildlife.
Mark Nebeker, manager of the wildlife area, said he's sent several dead geese to a federal wildlife lab in Ames, Iowa, for testing.
It will take about two weeks to get a report back, he said.
Lead was once used on the island and even after non-toxic steel and other shot came into use, birds occasionally ingested old lead.
The problem was abating until a few years ago when workers had to move large amounts of earth on some wildlife area projects. The project inadvertently exposed old accumulations of lead, killing dozens of the rooting snow geese that year, and the department had to cap it with more fill to keep the lead buried.
Bales said it appears the snows have been feeding somewhere on an area where lead still is exposed, although no one knows exactly where. "We've kind of got an idea, though," Nebeker said.
Bales said snows are far more prone than Canada geese to ingesting lead from soil because they root while feeding. Canadas typically snip the ends off grass and other vegetation without getting into the soil.
Hunters who see dead, dying or disoriented geese should report them to one of the island's checkstations:tiphat: http://blog.oregonlive.com/billmonroe/2007/12/sick_geese.html
Posted by [URL="http://blog.oregonlive.com/billmonroe/about.html"]Bill Monroe[/URL] December 29, 2007 02:39AM
Categories: The duckblind/all about the hunt
Sauvie Island hunters are seeing sick, dying and dead snow geese on the public hunting area, but state officials say it's almost certainly not deadly bird flu or any of dozens of varieties of influenza specific to waterfowl and other birds.
The snows are probably ingesting old lead shot from days past when lead was legal to use for waterfowl hunting, said Brad Bales, waterfowl chief for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department owns and manages about half of the island for waterfowl and wildlife.
Mark Nebeker, manager of the wildlife area, said he's sent several dead geese to a federal wildlife lab in Ames, Iowa, for testing.
It will take about two weeks to get a report back, he said.
Lead was once used on the island and even after non-toxic steel and other shot came into use, birds occasionally ingested old lead.
The problem was abating until a few years ago when workers had to move large amounts of earth on some wildlife area projects. The project inadvertently exposed old accumulations of lead, killing dozens of the rooting snow geese that year, and the department had to cap it with more fill to keep the lead buried.
Bales said it appears the snows have been feeding somewhere on an area where lead still is exposed, although no one knows exactly where. "We've kind of got an idea, though," Nebeker said.
Bales said snows are far more prone than Canada geese to ingesting lead from soil because they root while feeding. Canadas typically snip the ends off grass and other vegetation without getting into the soil.
Hunters who see dead, dying or disoriented geese should report them to one of the island's checkstations:tiphat: http://blog.oregonlive.com/billmonroe/2007/12/sick_geese.html