birds, drought and botulism,

[Harry Fuller]

THere were many waterfowl corpses afloat in Tule Lake.  Likely many were victims of botulism which is an annual problem and is made worse by drought & the fact that it is a basin that never drains and concentration of birds in confined wetlands.  Think of too many people confined in prisons or nursing hoes and the resulting covid...and ducks can't wear masks nor social distance when lake surface area is limited.

It might be a big problem at Klamath except there is very little water to even attract waterfowl though we saw cranes, swans and shorebirds gathering in fields with just a few inches of standing water.  THat was just north of Stateline Road.

https://atowhee.blog/2021/03/15/birds-and-botulism/

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Harry Fuller

author of: San Francisco's Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars:

https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/sfnh/

author of Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA: https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-great-gray-owl-book/

author of Freeway Birding: freewaybirding.com
birding website: http://www.towhee.net
my birding blog: atowhee.wordpress.com