Thousands of birds feared dead after outbreak in N. Portland lakes
PORTLAND, Ore. - Several thousand ducks and geese may have already died on two North Portland lakes operated by Metro after the waters became infected with deadly bacteria.
It's happening on Smith and Bybee lakes near Portland International Raceway just off Marine Drive.
Oregon Fish and Wildlife and Metro crews were out on kayaks and canoes Friday looking for dead birds, attempting to stop the outbreak before more birds die.
"We want to make sure we are doing everything we can for the birds that are healthy out here," said Metro Natural Areas Land Manager Don Moeller.
A disease known as avian botulism has already killed at least 2,000 birds, mostly young green teals.
The state's wildlife veterinarian said several thousand may have already died.
Collecting the birds is an essential part of staving off more massive losses of waterfowl, according to Metro.
"Because the maggots that end up on the dead carcasses and can be consumed by other birds and that's how the botulism spreads from one bird to another. And as you can imagine, then it can spread very quickly," said Moeller.
And the fly populations only increase as the number of rotting carcasses increase, compounding the outbreak. Warm water and decomposing plant material in the fall also help increase bacteria levels in the lakes.
It's not dangerous for humans, but it can devastate migrating bird populations.
Birds with limp necks and paralyzed legs are the early signs of the disease, according to an expert at the Audubon Society of Portland.
"Then it goes to kind of a respiratory distress, because their lungs become paralyzed, and then eventually they die from suffocation," said Lacy Campbell with the Audubon Society Care Center.
The Audubon Society is helping nurse sick birds back to health and releasing them back into safer waters.
Experts said the cooler temperatures are helping, but they are really waiting for the fall and the rains to dilute the warm water and help end the outbreak once and for all.
Metro is also drawing down the water in the lakes to try to get migratory birds to move on to other locations.
No other area lakes are in danger, but Bybee and Smith lakes are closed until further notice.
Check Metro’s website to learn when it’s safe to return to the lakes.
..this is not nature's handiwork..this is due to our filling in so many wetlands and leaving too little space for wild things...like what's going on with Hayden Island.
What sucks is if you like to go bird watching at these lakes...it'd be a very sad experience to go birding there now! Â I got there a few times every year...
I love it when the Canadian Gees fly over my house and honk their goodby's in the fall.
Natures y of Population Control .
This is very sad, but it seems to be a an act of nature and do we risk causing worse problems down the line by interfering with this process?
Disturbing/sad and quite a job to get the lakes safe again for birds.
sad =(
That's sad to see. Well, I'm with the birds, ready for some cooler weather and good ole' Oregon rain.
The free market at work.
 @on shing dao Please feel free to leave if you don't like it!
 @PDX Dave  @on shing dao why don't you leave..see my comment above.
I assume that if this posed a danger to humans, they would have mentioned it.
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Seem to be a lot of geese around this year-I wonder if overpopulation is party to blame?
 @al_02 The article states it's not hazardous to humans, so it be o-tay.
 @al_02 From the article:
"It's not dangerous for humans, but it can devastate migrating bird populations."
 @gofigure  @al_02 I read that article 3 times looking for that, and missed it every time. Must have been a longer week than I thought. Thanks.
Illegal immigration is to blame. And these Canadians are so bold, that they even travel around the USA w/o proper papers!!!
 @OSUx2 Wonder if it ruins the efficiency of the Canadian Geese, dragging around all those soggy papers from our Northwest rains, and that's why they leave them behind?