Subject: [Tweeters] Dying Swallows in the Ridgefield area
Date: Oct 2 04:10:46 2013
From: Wayne Weber - contopus at telus.net


Tweeters,



There are also state-operated and private labs in some areas that could do
the necessary work (and the latter would probably be paid eventually by
government agencies for doing the work). In some areas, even the SPCA has
been known to pay for such work, although their responsibility is mainly for
pets and domestic animals, not wildlife.



Failing all else, a few of the dead birds could be frozen in somebody's
fridge until it is possible to do the lab work-- if chemicals or even
pathogens are responsible, it should still be possible to determine the
cause of death.



Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

contopus at telus.net







From: Devorah the Ornithologist [mailto:birdologist at gmail.com]
Sent: October-02-13 3:11 AM
To: Sherry Hagen
Cc: Wayne Weber; TWEETERS
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Dying Swallows in the Ridgefield area



thanks to the government shutdown, it would seem that examining these
unfortunate swallows to learn what may have killed them is not going to
happen in real time.





On Tue, Oct 1, 2013 at 8:45 PM, Sherry Hagen <littlebirder at pacifier.com>
wrote:

I talked to the lady at Green Lake this morning and she found 3 more dead
swallows this morning. All of them are trying to roost under her eaves out
of the weather. She knows an ornithologist at the WDFW and will contact him
to see if she can get the birds to the right place for testing.




Sherry Hagen
Vancouver, WA
littlebirder at comcast.net



From: Wayne Weber <mailto:contopus at telus.net>

Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2013 7:11 AM

To: TWEETERS <mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>

Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Dying Swallows in the Ridgefield area



Tweeters,



I suspect that Sherry is correct and that the cause of the swallow mortality
is starvation. However, in cases like this where large numbers of dead birds
are found, some of the dead birds should ALWAYS be taken to a facility where
autopsies can be done and the cause of death determined. I am sure that
officials with WDFW or the US Fish & Wildlife Service could help in
recommending a facility where autopsies could be done.



There have been numerous incidents in the Pacific Northwest where mass
mortality of birds has been caused by pesticide applications or by diseases
such as botulism, aspergillosis, or salmonella outbreaks. Although this
seems unlikely with swallows, post-mortem investigations should be done to
ensure that infectious diseases or poisoning are not the cause of the
mortality. Speculation will not answer the question of why the birds died.



Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

contopus at telus.net







From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Sherry
Hagen
Sent: September-30-13 10:23 PM
To: tweeters message
Subject: [Tweeters] Dying Swallows in the Ridgefield area



Since I wrote about the 10 Barn Swallows found dead earlier this evening, I
have learned about 58 Barn and Violet-Green Swallows found dead around the
Plank House at the Ridgefield NWR and another 2 dozen young Tree Swallows
found dead near Green Lake where the Barn Swallows were found. The weather
the past few days and last night must have played havoc on the food supply
and migration of the swallows.


Sherry Hagen
Vancouver, WA
littlebirder at comcast.net

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