Beach Rangers needed and Loon found poisoned
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:31 am
Anyone who walks the beaches frequently and would be willing to be a BEACH RANGER... please call me at 448-2220.
Beach Rangers monitor the beaches for dead birds and fish in the fall. This is in response to Avian Botulism. I don't expect much this year as the water remained cooler than normal and the algae didn't form. But we might find a few.
On another note, a loon was found on Little Sand Bay suffering from Lead Poisoning. The loon was on the shore-water line but otherwise seemed fine. I carried it out into the water, it swam away. A few minutes later, it again beached itself. Lead poisoning affects the brain making the animal do things it wouldn't normally do, like stopping eating and in the case of loons- beaching themselves. There is no cure and the animal will die.
Lead sinkers are picked up by the bird, thinking it is a rock that can be used in it's gizzard to break down food. Lead is absorbed by the bird and causes the poisoning and death.
Please if you have lead sinkers-fishermen and women- do not use them and dispose of them properly. They are hazardous to animals.
Beach Rangers monitor the beaches for dead birds and fish in the fall. This is in response to Avian Botulism. I don't expect much this year as the water remained cooler than normal and the algae didn't form. But we might find a few.
On another note, a loon was found on Little Sand Bay suffering from Lead Poisoning. The loon was on the shore-water line but otherwise seemed fine. I carried it out into the water, it swam away. A few minutes later, it again beached itself. Lead poisoning affects the brain making the animal do things it wouldn't normally do, like stopping eating and in the case of loons- beaching themselves. There is no cure and the animal will die.
Lead sinkers are picked up by the bird, thinking it is a rock that can be used in it's gizzard to break down food. Lead is absorbed by the bird and causes the poisoning and death.
Please if you have lead sinkers-fishermen and women- do not use them and dispose of them properly. They are hazardous to animals.