2021-Oct-21
Dead Birds on Georgian Bay Beaches Likely Caused by Invasive Species and Climate Change
An investigation is underway after hundreds of dead and injured birds washed up on the shores of Southern Georgian Bay beaches in Collingwood, Midland and Tiny Township.
Migrating birds ingesting large quantities of invasive round goby and zebra and quagga mussels that carry botulism is probably the cause of the die off of fish eating birds such as loons, cormorants, seagulls and grebes on beaches along the southern shores of Georgian Bay. The bacteria that causes the botulism is usually locked in the sediment, but the bottom dwelling mussels ingest it when they filter the water, the round goby eat the mussels and the birds eat the goby. There was a similar occurrence 10 years ago in the same area, and it is likely that this will keep happening as climate change induced warming water allows these invasives to flourish and provide an easy to catch food source for the birds.
Read more here.
https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2304212&jwsource=cl