Albuquerque – Large numbers of migratory birds are dying around New Mexico as scientists scramble to determine what has led to one of the largest bird deaths in the Southwest in recent memory.
As people began searching for dead birds in recent days in places ranging from hiking trails to suburban driveways and golf courses, the mystery of what caused the deaths has intensified.
Biologists are investigating whether wildlife on the West Coast could be a cause of death, whether smoking changes potential forms of transport or increases the toxins inhaled by birds.
Researchers at universities in New Mexico and other parts of the country are also looking at other potential factors, such as the recent cold snap in Mount West or the drought in the southwest that has reduced pest populations, providing food for many. Migratory birds.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in New Mexico in recent times,” said Martha Desmond, a professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology in New Mexico.
One of the first warnings about the deaths came on August 20, when a report described a sharp rise in the number of dead birds found in the White Sands missile range in southern New Mexico, Drs. Desmond said.
Since then, Des. Desmond and other researchers kept reports of dead migratory birds in many parts of New Mexico, as well as parts of Southern Colorado and West Texas. D Des. Desmond said the number of dead birds in the region could easily be in the thousands.
Trish Cutler, a wildlife biologist at the White Sands Missile Range, told the Albuquerque television station KOB over the weekend that less than half a dozen dead migratory birds have been found dead at the weapons test site over the past week.
“We’ve had a few hundred this past week, so really got her attention,” Ms. Cutler said.
Residents from different parts of New Mexico began posting more similar reports in recent days. In a post over the weekend on Twitter, Austin Fischer, a freelance journalist from northern New Mexico, recorded a video of dead birds in Vallarde during a trip on the Rio Grande tubes.
“I thought to myself,‘ Wait, I’ve never seen so many dead animals in my life, ’Mr. Fisher said.
Two doctoral ornithology students from the University of New Mexico, Jenna McCallo and Nicolas Vinciguera, later surveyed the area and collected a total of 305 birds, including 258 violet-green swallows.
“Many of them are low in fat, very underweight, and there aren’t many external signs that they smoke a lot,” she said. McCullough said.
Rewandrew Fernworth, a senior research collaborator at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, noted that deaths began before a sharp drop in temperature in New Mexico last week. He added that in the huge problem of migratory birds, death was often the same as “obviously a big, big event” caused by cats or breaking into man-made structures.
It’s. “This year is different than other years,” Furnsworth said, adding that he believes wildfires could be a potential cause of bird death. “We have plenty of summer, but this massive fire, coupled with the heat from the drought, has started.”
Dr .. Furnsworth said that smoke or toxic compounds from smoking can be a major factor. Pointing to migration patterns, he said researchers could also find similar reports of dead birds “in all sorts of rockies” in northern Mexico.
Many different types of birds have been found dead in New Mexico, including fights, swallows and flycatchers. Trista Bordford, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, said biologists could determine the cause of death.
Ms. Bickford said New Mexico officials provided samples of dead birds to the National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin for examination. She said it could potentially take months to diagnose the cause if significant testing is needed.
“This is definitely not a normal thing,” Ms. Bickford said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bookford urged those approaching the sick or dead birds to proceed with caution. He recommended keeping cats indoors to relieve the extra stress on migratory birds and urged them to wear gloves to hand over to the game and fish authorities if they collect samples of dead birds.
