Dead birds wash up on GB

[mistaredone]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/thousands-dead-birds-litter-stretch-georgian-bay-shoreline-202027073.html

 

I saw about 10 dead birds and 2 big carp on Saturday taking the dogs for a walk near Penetanguishene all in a 100' stretch of beach. Most of the birds looked like loons but they all were face down in the sand.

[Roy]

Looked like loons, probably cormorants.

[SirCranksalot]

I saw about 30 B & W dead ducks on the sand at the mouth of the Notty. The news said botulism from dead fish. I'm wondering if it's ok to eat fish aught from the river??

[Terry]

Health Canada says proper cooking and handling of food eliminates the botulism toxin

[glen]

So the ducks would be ok to eat then too?

[Joey]

As long as you cook it properly Glen, although not sure I'd be chancing it myself!

[Rizzo]

So the ducks would be ok to eat then too

 

...I'd suggest not eating anything you find that is already dead

[Skipper D]

When we brought the big boat down to Miland from Tobermorey a few weeks back , about half way across in the middle of no where i passed about two dozen dead fish laying on top of the water , some thing weird is going on out there .

[glen]

Hunters may be shooting and eating ones that are sick.

[irishfield]

Daed fish in GBay... just part of the cycle.

 

[Skipper D]

understood agreed , thank you for clearing that up .

[irishfield]

That's a 50" musky by the way...

 

..what did you see out in the Bay Don?

[Sinker]

I've researched this, and nowhere can i find out what kind of birds they are. I can't tell from the picture, but they might be cormorants. Could be loons too....hard to say. I would love to know what they are though.....if anyone is up there and see's this, take a photo of one of the birds for me!!

 

S.

[OutdoorDan]

I don't think they are cormorants -- they look to have white bellies. Maybe migrating divers? That would explain the big number as well.

[12footspringbok]

Me and a buddy were on the bay saturday. The 2 birds I saw closely looked to be loons. Saw some other ducks out swimming around looking healthy. Hopefully this things over and done with seems a little fishy to me that its just botulism...

[Whitespinnerbait]

Obviously 'they' have no clue what killed the birds..........They can't even identify what kind of birds have washed up....

[hammercarp]

Those look like diver ducks to me. Maybe long tailed.

[BillM]

Looked like loons, probably cormorants.

 

Let's hope.

[4x4bassin]

We have had a family cottage east of Wasaga, and in my life I have never seen anything like this nor have I

seen these types of ducks in the area . Very strange indeed !

[Harrison]

I heard it was a mix of Divers, Puddlers, Geese, Gulls, Loons etc..

 

[Fisherman]

It was on the A channel news last night, some of those black and white ducks are on their migration south, that's why you don't see them here on a regular basis. There are cormorants, loons, seagulls and others floating and dead on shore. Too bad it wasn't just cormorants.

[hammercarp]

I heard it was a mix of Divers, Puddlers, Geese, Gulls, Loons etc..

 

Like I said,long tailed ducks. This happens every once in a while.

Edited October 24, 2011 by hammercarp

[Joey]

CTV news just said it was botulism caused by zebra mussels and gobies, stirred up by sturgeon, who washed dead on shore a few months ago (the sturgeon). This pushed it up higher and now the other birds are eating it.

[davey buoy]

Growing up and living just north of wasaga,every few years you would get shiners(thousands)on the beach.I Remember birds from time to time washed up on the shore. Ministry always said it was a cycle. We used to have to clean them up ourselves.

[mistaredone]

A friend heard reports of a fish die off on GB not long before the birds washed up but I never read anything. If it was botulism wouldn't there be more dead fish than birds?