01-12-2007, 12:21 AM
by Andrew Chubb, AAP and Amanda O'Brien
A DEAD wattle bird could hold the key to the mystery deaths of thousands of birds in Esperance.
[b]6PR audio: Millsy and Kent talk to an Esperance resident[/b]
The bird arrived in Perth yesterday after being flown 725km on a commercial flight from the southern port in a last-ditch effort to discover why thousands of the town's birds have died mysteriously over the past three weeks.
Residents are increasingly concerned, although West Australian health authorities have denied there is any likelihood of a risk to human health.
A post-mortem on the delicate 35g native bird took just over an hour yesterday at the state's animal health laboratory, but a spokesperson said the results would not be known for at least a week.
Tissue samples will be sent to the National Animal Health Laboratory in Victoria in the search for answers.
The catastrophic deaths of up to 5000 wattle birds, honeyeaters and miners in three weeks, have experts baffled. The birds have been found vomiting and convulsing in bushland and suburban backyards over an extensive area.
The Department of Environment and Conservation has failed to uncover any likely cause despite questioning industry groups, agronomists, grain handlers and timber companies about pesticide and chemical use.
They have not ruled out a natural cause, although most believe chemicals or pesticides are more likely.
While five previous autopsies have failed to find answers, the wattle bird represents the state Government's best chance to date because it was handed in while still alive, enabling its organs to be preserved before it was sent to Perth for autopsy.
Members of the public are being asked to hand in any dead or dying birds for further tests, but with few birds left in the town they hold little hope of getting more specimens.
Department of Environment and Conservation Esperance nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald says toxic wetlands near Esperance are the most likely reason for the mass bird deaths.
Acting state chief veterinary officer Fiona Sunderman said having the latest bird - found in a park by local resident Michelle Crisp - handed in alive should help in the bid to unlock the mystery.
The attitude of WA officials is in stark contrast to their counterparts in Texas, who declared a major emergency this week when 63 dead birds were found in a street in the city of Austin.
Austin police shut 10 city blocks as workers in hazardous-materials suits tested for contaminants that may have killed grackles, sparrows and pigeons.
Experts believe the most likely cause of the Texas die-off is a deliberate poisoning as the crow-like grackles are regarded as a pest, covering the sidewalk in droppings.
As Texas officials insisted there was no threat to humans, West Australian Health Department director of environmental health Jim Dodds said there was nothing to indicate any risk to human health in Esperance.
"We're not aware of any concerns out of the bird deaths," Dr Dodds said.
"Our advice stands ... that people should collect the birds using a plastic bag as a glove and deliver the bird to the Department of Environment and Conservation office."
The uncertainty has wildlife experts worried, with Dave Pettet from WA Raptor Rehabilitation and Education concerned that birds of prey such as eagles and kytes could be at risk if they pick up the dead or dying birds.
"If there's a poison going through, it will be a secondary possibility that the raptors will start coming into it fairly soon," he said. "I'm concerned that somebody is doing it on purpose and we need to get to the bottom of it."
Officials admit that they have hit a wall in investigating the phenomenon.
But Mr Fitzgerald said the deaths could be a result of the dry winter, which had caused algal and bacterial blooms in the Esperance Lakes Nature Reserves north of the town.
Esperance Airport recorded only 457mm rainfall in 2006. Its long-term average is 620mm.
The bird deaths pre-date last week's destructive storm, which led to the area being declared a natural disaster zone.
ââ¬ÅBecause we had a long dry winter the Esperance wetlands that surround the town, some have been slightly eutrophic, high in algal growths and bacteria,'' Mr Fitzgerald said.
ââ¬ÅItââ¬â¢s possible the toxin has arisen from the eutrophic wetlands and somehow entered the birdsââ¬â¢ food chain.ââ¬Â
The main casualties are all species that eat nectar and insects.
ââ¬ÅWhatever is causing the deaths is not giving us very much indication at all,ââ¬Â Mr Fitzgerald said.
He said despite the thousands of carcasses, specimens suitable for autopsy were rare because the birdsââ¬â¢ internal organs decayed soon after death.
The recent superstorm had cut roads, meaning autopsy specimens had to be sent to Perth by air.
ââ¬ÅThe constraint with sending birds for autopsy is they have to be as fresh as possible,ââ¬Â Mr Fitzgerald said.
ââ¬ÅWe have to wait for a bird that looks ill to die in the afternoon so we can courier it.ââ¬Â
Mr Fitzgerald said the first reports of birds dropping dead in people's yards came in three weeks ago. More than 500 deaths had since been notified. But the calls stopped suddenly last week, reportedly because no birds were left.
"It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"The birds are dying around sprinklers, water tanks, bird baths ... it seems as a result of them being ill. They're seeking water and they're dying around those water points.''
Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence.
"Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about."
He expected birds would return to the area once the problem was fixed but said it was vital the cause was identified.
Michelle Crisp was one of the first to contact the DEC after finding dozens of dead birds on her property one morning.
She said she normally had hundreds of birds in her yard, but that she and a neighbour counted 80 dead birds in one day.
"It went to the point where we had nothing, not a bird," she said. "It was like a moonscape, just horrible.
"But the frightening thing for us is that we didn't find any more birds after that. We literally didn't have any birds left to die.ââ¬Â
On Monday, Esperance, 725km southeast of Perth, was declared a natural disaster zone after 232mm of rain in 48 hours washed away roads, bridges and filled a harbour with sand.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0%...%2C00.html
A DEAD wattle bird could hold the key to the mystery deaths of thousands of birds in Esperance.
[b]6PR audio: Millsy and Kent talk to an Esperance resident[/b]
The bird arrived in Perth yesterday after being flown 725km on a commercial flight from the southern port in a last-ditch effort to discover why thousands of the town's birds have died mysteriously over the past three weeks.
Residents are increasingly concerned, although West Australian health authorities have denied there is any likelihood of a risk to human health.
A post-mortem on the delicate 35g native bird took just over an hour yesterday at the state's animal health laboratory, but a spokesperson said the results would not be known for at least a week.
Tissue samples will be sent to the National Animal Health Laboratory in Victoria in the search for answers.
The catastrophic deaths of up to 5000 wattle birds, honeyeaters and miners in three weeks, have experts baffled. The birds have been found vomiting and convulsing in bushland and suburban backyards over an extensive area.
The Department of Environment and Conservation has failed to uncover any likely cause despite questioning industry groups, agronomists, grain handlers and timber companies about pesticide and chemical use.
They have not ruled out a natural cause, although most believe chemicals or pesticides are more likely.
While five previous autopsies have failed to find answers, the wattle bird represents the state Government's best chance to date because it was handed in while still alive, enabling its organs to be preserved before it was sent to Perth for autopsy.
Members of the public are being asked to hand in any dead or dying birds for further tests, but with few birds left in the town they hold little hope of getting more specimens.
Department of Environment and Conservation Esperance nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald says toxic wetlands near Esperance are the most likely reason for the mass bird deaths.
Acting state chief veterinary officer Fiona Sunderman said having the latest bird - found in a park by local resident Michelle Crisp - handed in alive should help in the bid to unlock the mystery.
The attitude of WA officials is in stark contrast to their counterparts in Texas, who declared a major emergency this week when 63 dead birds were found in a street in the city of Austin.
Austin police shut 10 city blocks as workers in hazardous-materials suits tested for contaminants that may have killed grackles, sparrows and pigeons.
Experts believe the most likely cause of the Texas die-off is a deliberate poisoning as the crow-like grackles are regarded as a pest, covering the sidewalk in droppings.
As Texas officials insisted there was no threat to humans, West Australian Health Department director of environmental health Jim Dodds said there was nothing to indicate any risk to human health in Esperance.
"We're not aware of any concerns out of the bird deaths," Dr Dodds said.
"Our advice stands ... that people should collect the birds using a plastic bag as a glove and deliver the bird to the Department of Environment and Conservation office."
The uncertainty has wildlife experts worried, with Dave Pettet from WA Raptor Rehabilitation and Education concerned that birds of prey such as eagles and kytes could be at risk if they pick up the dead or dying birds.
"If there's a poison going through, it will be a secondary possibility that the raptors will start coming into it fairly soon," he said. "I'm concerned that somebody is doing it on purpose and we need to get to the bottom of it."
Officials admit that they have hit a wall in investigating the phenomenon.
But Mr Fitzgerald said the deaths could be a result of the dry winter, which had caused algal and bacterial blooms in the Esperance Lakes Nature Reserves north of the town.
Esperance Airport recorded only 457mm rainfall in 2006. Its long-term average is 620mm.
The bird deaths pre-date last week's destructive storm, which led to the area being declared a natural disaster zone.
ââ¬ÅBecause we had a long dry winter the Esperance wetlands that surround the town, some have been slightly eutrophic, high in algal growths and bacteria,'' Mr Fitzgerald said.
ââ¬ÅItââ¬â¢s possible the toxin has arisen from the eutrophic wetlands and somehow entered the birdsââ¬â¢ food chain.ââ¬Â
The main casualties are all species that eat nectar and insects.
ââ¬ÅWhatever is causing the deaths is not giving us very much indication at all,ââ¬Â Mr Fitzgerald said.
He said despite the thousands of carcasses, specimens suitable for autopsy were rare because the birdsââ¬â¢ internal organs decayed soon after death.
The recent superstorm had cut roads, meaning autopsy specimens had to be sent to Perth by air.
ââ¬ÅThe constraint with sending birds for autopsy is they have to be as fresh as possible,ââ¬Â Mr Fitzgerald said.
ââ¬ÅWe have to wait for a bird that looks ill to die in the afternoon so we can courier it.ââ¬Â
Mr Fitzgerald said the first reports of birds dropping dead in people's yards came in three weeks ago. More than 500 deaths had since been notified. But the calls stopped suddenly last week, reportedly because no birds were left.
"It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"The birds are dying around sprinklers, water tanks, bird baths ... it seems as a result of them being ill. They're seeking water and they're dying around those water points.''
Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence.
"Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about."
He expected birds would return to the area once the problem was fixed but said it was vital the cause was identified.
Michelle Crisp was one of the first to contact the DEC after finding dozens of dead birds on her property one morning.
She said she normally had hundreds of birds in her yard, but that she and a neighbour counted 80 dead birds in one day.
"It went to the point where we had nothing, not a bird," she said. "It was like a moonscape, just horrible.
"But the frightening thing for us is that we didn't find any more birds after that. We literally didn't have any birds left to die.ââ¬Â
On Monday, Esperance, 725km southeast of Perth, was declared a natural disaster zone after 232mm of rain in 48 hours washed away roads, bridges and filled a harbour with sand.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0%...%2C00.html
