Rare spoonbill the latest victim

A rare bird is the latest casualty in a wave of deaths following an avian botulism outbreak.

A royal spoonbill was found dead at the Mangere wastewater treatment plant last week.

Several birds have been found dead at the site in recent weeks, but it's the first spoonbill to be added to the list, Lyn MacDonald, New Zealand Bird Rescue Charitable Trust manager, says.

She describes the latest find as "really heartbreaking".

"It's just terrible. The spoonbills are quite rare and it looked like we were starting to get a group establishing themselves here."

Auckland Council is aware of the avian botulism, which occurs annually in shallow, warm water and says it is a natural occurrence.

Humans can't catch the disease.

Continued

Botulism seen in Upper Peninsula water bird deaths

GULLIVER, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say they've found the bodies of about 700 water birds along a stretch of northern Lake Michigan shoreline in the Upper Peninsula.

The Mining Journal of Marquette (http://bit.ly/PQ1Gun ) says authorities suspect that the birds died of Type-E botulism.

The 694 dead birds were found in Schoolcraft County near the unincorporated village of Gulliver. They include 247 common loons, 152 horned grebes, 98 red-necked grebes, 73 long-tailed ducks and 64 white-winged scoters.

Authorities say there also were smaller numbers of ring-billed gulls, double-crested cormorants, red-breasted mergansers and herring gulls.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says Type-E botulism bacteria cause a toxin that paralyses birds and fish. Similar die-offs happened in the Upper Peninsula in 2007 and near Sleeping Bear Dunes National lakeshore in northern Lower Peninsula in 2006.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Botulism-seen-in-Upper-Peninsula-water-bird-deaths-4007586.php#ixzz2BMIZ9vQw

Thousands of birds feared dead after outbreak in N. Portland lakes

PORTLAND, Ore. - Several thousand ducks and geese may have already died on two North Portland lakes operated by Metro after the waters became infected with deadly bacteria.

It's happening on Smith and Bybee lakes near Portland International Raceway just off Marine Drive.

Oregon Fish and Wildlife and Metro crews were out on kayaks and canoes Friday looking for dead birds, attempting to stop the outbreak before more birds die.

"We want to make sure we are doing everything we can for the birds that are healthy out here," said Metro Natural Areas Land Manager Don Moeller.

A disease known as avian botulism has already killed at least 2,000 birds, mostly young green teals.

The state's wildlife veterinarian said several thousand may have already died.

Collecting the birds is an essential part of staving off more massive losses of waterfowl, according to Metro.

"Because the maggots that end up on the dead carcasses and can be consumed by other birds and that's how the botulism spreads from one bird to another. And as you can imagine, then it can spread very quickly," said Moeller.

Continued and video:  http://www.katu.com/news/local/Thousands-of-birds-feared-dead-after-outbreak-in-N-Portland-lakes-170798166.html