Dead birds have washed up on Tiny Township’s beaches again this fall. Tiny staff have been in contact with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), which collects the bird samples for testing, said Jacqueline Brown, communications officer with the township. “We are estimating that staff have picked up approximately 150 birds so far. Unfortunately, this is often a cyclical occurrence that happens around this time of year, and we work closely with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) and follow their direction,” Brown said. Dead birds wash up on shores of Georgian Bay - officials monitoring situation “The birds have been found at several beaches in Tiny with the majority of reports and sightings coming from south of Jackson Beach Park,” she said. On its website, staff ask that if you find dead birds (or fish) on township-owned beaches, please call Tiny’s public works department to have these picked up and disposed of. “Most importantly, where residents are bagging these birds from beaches not in the current municipal inventory of the township, we want them to ensure they are wearing proper PPE (personal protective equipment) including a mask, gloves, and eye protection as recommended by the CWHC and outlined in our public communication,” she said. Dozens of dead birds found along Georgian Bay shorelines When residents find dead birds on their private beaches, they are asked to double bag them and place them at the side of the road and call the Public Works Department to pick them up. Dead birds wash up in Tiny Township There are two possibilities for what is going on with one much more likely than the other, said Brian Stevens, DVM, DVSc, DACVP and Wildlife pathologist with CWHC. “Type E botulism is a common cause of death during this time of year for fish and our diving ducks and other fish-eating birds. This is the most likely cause of the mortality event as it often occurs this time of year and affects a wide range of species, including fish,” Stevens said. Stevens said another possibility is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) which causes large scale mortality events in many species of waterfowl during fall migration, however, this wouldn’t explain the fish dying, which are in the reports. The CWHC suggests when handling dead birds, residents wear a mask, gloves, and eye protection to avoid touching them directly. A shovel can also be used to place the dead birds into garbage bags.
