Dead Ducks In Denver

[KNOWTHIS]

www.denverpost.com/lacrosse/ci_5050512

Dead ducks a mystery to officials

Ducks are dying at the Metro Wastewater treatment facility in Denver and officials want to know why.

Over the past two weeks 200 ducks have been found dead in the treatment plant's chlorine contact basin and wastewater officials have summoned the help of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help figure out what's happening.

"We have something strange going on," said Steve Frank, spokesman for the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. "That facility has existed for 20 years. No one I know here has ever seen anything like this before. We are asking why here and why now."

Security officers are regularly firing pistols with blanks to scare the ducks from the basin while biologists try to figure out what is happening, he said.

Wastewater officials are considering placing a net over the basin.

"We took immediate action because protecting the environment, including wildlife, is among our top priorities here at Metro," said Director of Environmental Services Steve Pearlman.

Colorado Division of Wildlife officers have taken several specimens to the state's veterinary lab to run tests to try determine the cause, Frank said.

[CDsNuTz]

Hmm, Maybe its the frozen lakes/ponds, the 3-4 ft of snow everywhere or the single digit temps. Take your pick.

[CDsNuTz]

Sorry KT wasn't trying to be sarcastic. Just a little irritated at the 3-5 ft of snow since Dec. 19th. And its still all here, all 3-5 feet of it and its been really cold the last couple of weeks.
So the way i saw it, no food , no water, no ducks... then i saw your other link...


gastronamus.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=animal&action=display&thread=1166319684

PEACE BRO

[chickenlittle]

This is still a Good point though, CD one I had not personally thought of but perhaps where these birds are accustomed to flying in winter is also a cold environment now,which is abnormal to these birds so they would be exausted,I mean don't they usually only fly a certain distance each year.
This would kind of be like a traveler who is extremely tired from the journey and no motel has a vacancy anywhere he goes, I mean eventually said traveller would fall asleep at the wheel.
I know that this is an odd comparison.but do you see what I mean.
In most of these cases they are not really dying from any strange diseases or anything,perhaps they should check them for simply exhaustion.
Well maybe
Also not to brag too much on myself ::)but I called this about a year ago I said it seems that the geese seem to be confused on which way to go and they were not flying in any formation,to me when I n oticed this a while back I knew in my heart that nature was talking and I at that time just happened to be listening,but I KNEW this was a sign of something nasty ahead.
take care,
chicky

[CDsNuTz]

I've noticed that lately also. The geese seem to fly in either a \ or a backwards formation \/ vs /\..

[KNOWTHIS]

Sorry KT wasn't trying to be sarcastic.

No problem. I didn't take it that way anyway.

Also not to brag too much on myself ::)but I called this about a year ago I said it seems that the geese seem to be confused on which way to go and they were not flying in any formation,to me when I n oticed this a while back

I believe the earth's reversing magnetic field is effecting their migratory patterns. It’s believed that the field is utilized by many birds as a sort of internal compass that guides them.

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1102_TVbirdflite.html

Do Birds Use Magnetic Field to Plan Migration Routes?

A new study suggests that birds use the Earth's magnetic field to plan dining locations along their migration route. These culinary stopovers are critical to the success of the migration because, according to a second study, the fatter the bird, the more efficiently it is able to fly.

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0909_040909_earthmagfield.html

Earth's Magnetic Field Is Fading

Earth's magnetic field is fading. Today it is about 10 percent weaker than it was when German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss started keeping tabs on it in 1845, scientists say.

If the trend continues, the field may collapse altogether and then reverse. Compasses would point south instead of north.

[chickenlittle]

Like we all talked about in the Animals Thread The birds are a good gauge of what is happening in the world ,I think we all agree they are giving us clues to what we need to know.
Chicky