I Am Getting Too Emotional

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Am I going nuts in my old age.

 

I got off the C-train downtown and was walking to the office with a buddy when an object fell from above and almost hit him in the head. I looked down and a little song bird was dying before my eyes.

 

It got me thinking again about how many of these little birds just migrating south are running into the windows of lit buildings.

 

It is just sad...but what can you do. Grin and bear it? A janitor at one building told me once that their biggest job every morning is to check and make sure there are no dead birds around the building.

 

Worst morning walk in about 11 years ago was seeing 5 dead robins on the ground.

 

Anyways...

 

It was just sad watching it die.

[reevesr1]

Back in Louisiana, if we found 5 dead Robins we would have thought "Hey, a mid-morning snack!"

 

 

[bigbowtrout]

Here are some stats for you.

http://www.fws.gov/birds/mortality-fact-sheet.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jayhad]

go to the city section of the bow in feb-mar...... that's a lot of dead birds

[fish4trout]

go to the city section of the bow in feb-mar...... that's a lot of dead birds

specially if you spend a day at the *hit hole

[bhurt]

specially if you spend a day at the *hit hole

 

The *hit hole has nothing to do with the dead birds, what happens in the winter time is that alot of birds group togather and end up eatting their own body waste and they get a desise from it that kills them. I forget what it is called but I am sure someone will say it.

 

Another reason why you can find them in these places during these times of year is because the TREATED (I forget where I read it but we have some3 of the best water treatment in N. America, and do you really think that we are dumping raw sewage back into our rivers?) water that is coming out is warmer then the rest of the river thus making it an ideal place for these birds to go to.

 

Personally I have been through out the bow in the city section during these times of year and you find dead birds all over the place, espically if we have very cold tempatures.

 

I have also see frozen gesse (Dead of course) floating down the river during the winter time

 

 

And to answer your question Sun, yes you are going nuts just like the rest of us, its called old age.

[headscan]

I forget what it is called but I am sure someone will say it.

Someone told me it was avian cholera. Don't know for sure that's what it is though.

[bhurt]

Someone told me it was avian cholera. Don't know for sure that's what it is though.

 

Yeah that is exactly what it is, basiaclly its the birds eating their own *hit.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Yeah that is exactly what it is, basiaclly its the birds eating their own *hit.

 

could it be botulism?

 

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fiel.../chapter_38.pdf

 

 

[bhurt]

No its not, I remeber seeing a news story about it, I always forget the name of the disese until I hear it. Basically it affects the birds nervous system and they go all crazy and die, not they do not go rabid but crazy.

[fish4trout]

bhurt, the reason the birds are dying is because when it gets that cold the river should be frozen and the birds should be down south. Instead the treated waste water keeps the river open all year, so they stay here, and when you get a real cold stretch or -30 to -35 you see a bunch of dead ones(they arent meant to handle -30). Nothing to do with them eating there own *hit

[FunkyWaders]

http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/speakers/0803_Anderson.html

 

http://home.att.net/~thehessians/birds.html

 

http://www.servprocanada.com/news_1.html

 

 

 

 

[canadensis]

bhurt, the reason the birds are dying is because when it gets that cold the river should be frozen and the birds should be down south. Instead the treated waste water keeps the river open all year, so they stay here, and when you get a real cold stretch or -30 to -35 you see a bunch of dead ones(they arent meant to handle -30). Nothing to do with them eating there own *hit

 

You sure about this?

[Jayhad]

bhurt, the reason the birds are dying is because when it gets that cold the river should be frozen and the birds should be down south. Instead the treated waste water keeps the river open all year, so they stay here, and when you get a real cold stretch or -30 to -35 you see a bunch of dead ones(they arent meant to handle -30). Nothing to do with them eating there own *hit

 

I talked to some reseachers walking the river and SRD last winter about the dead birds..... they stated it was collara (sp) which they get from eating each others feces.

 

The ducks are here because of the warmer water though.

[Hawgstoppah]

bhurt, the reason the birds are dying is because when it gets that cold the river should be frozen and the birds should be down south. Instead the treated waste water keeps the river open all year, so they stay here, and when you get a real cold stretch or -30 to -35 you see a bunch of dead ones(they arent meant to handle -30). Nothing to do with them eating there own *hit

 

I tend to agree more with this theory... maybe eating their own crap adds to this effect, but I think the fact they stay waaaaaaaaay too long and then get thumped with a week of -35C, is what eventually finishes them off.

 

[bigbowtrout]

ALBERTA, CANADA - February 22 - Wildlife experts are examining another 50 ducks found dead along the Bow River on Wednesday, bringing the total number of dead birds discovered this week to 115. Test results won’t be available to confirm the cause of death until later this week, but the likely culprit is a bacteria or viral infection. It’s not likely the H5N1 strain of avian bird flu that’s been responsible for bird deaths and mass culls in other parts of the world. "There’s no reason for the public to be concerned." The rapid spread of disease isn’t uncommon among birds during the winter months when large areas of their habitat freezes, forcing them to live in closer proximity. "When we have concentrated groups of animals, it’s a breeding ground for diseases, infections (and) bacteria. This is a natural phenomenon." In previous years, large groups of birds have fallen victim to avian cholera in Calgary.