Beach Rangers needed and Loon found poisoned

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jacquel
Posts: 759
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:24 pm

Beach Rangers needed and Loon found poisoned

Post by jacquel »

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.
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