(e) = estimate; * = morbidity, not mortality

Humboldt State University Department of Wildlife (HUM), Kissimmee Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (KDL), Maryland Diagnostic Laboratory (MD), Oregon State Diagnostic Laboratory (OR), National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVL), Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCW), University of California Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (CVL), University of Pennsylvania (UPA), Unknown (UNK), USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NW), Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (WI), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WAS).

Written and compiled by: Mark Jankowski - Eastern US, Krysten Schuler - Western US, Kathryn Converse, and Jennifer Bradsby – Technician.

To report mortality or receive information about this report, please contact the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711:

National Wildlife Health Center Quarterly Mortality Report

Marine bird mortality along Oregon coast. During March 2007, unusually high numbers of horned and tufted puffins were found dead along the Oregon coast with eight other species. The birds were found during volunteer surveys for beached birds. An estimated 200 dead birds have been counted. Rhinoceros auklets and horned and tufted puffins were the primary species involved. The birds appeared freshly dead and most seemed very thin. Horned and tufted puffins submitted to the USGS NWHC were emaciated with no evidence of food in the digestive tract. The higher than expected numbers of birds observed could reflect a change in the number of birds this year, a change in winter distribution or a change in ocean conditions. Biologists with the NOAA report that there is abundant phytoplankton but numbers of small forage fish may be down. The USFWS biologists suggest that the puffins may have moved down from Alaska in poor condition due to reduced food resources there. The generally poor condition of birds in these populations may also be linked to the poor marine food resources in 2006. See The Newport News Times 4/6/2007

Mystery deaths in California piscivorous birds. In February 2007, an estimated 100 piscivorous birds were found dying or dead in the area of the Santa-Ana River Estuary. Intoxication was suspected based on the clinical signs and breadth of species. Gulls, grebes, cormorants, loons, pelicans, night herons, auklets, and scaup and ruddy ducks were the primary species collected. Birds were necropsied by ANTEC Diagnostics Labs and the NWHC, most birds were in good flesh and there were no gross indications of infectious disease. On microscopic examination of tissue there was some myopathy present. Brain cholinesterase levels were normal indicating no exposure to organophosphorus or carbamate compounds. Caron Labs at USC determined stomach contents from one cormorant were positive for Domoic Acid (DA) while tests on blood for DA on other birds were negative. Recent algal samples from Orange County had very little Pseuod-nitzschia present.

Lead poisoning in waterfowl leads to eagle deaths in Oregon. During the months of January and February 2007, approximately 1500 mallards died from lead poisoning after feeding in a flooded agricultural field near Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon. Mallards collected in January and February had liver lead concentrations of 19.99 – 46.68 ppm and 17.51 – 54.00 ppm, normalized to wet liver, respectively. These levels are known to be lethal in mallards. Lead pellets were present in the gizzards of some ducks. Furthermore, after observing approximately 100 bald eagles scavenging mallards, refuge staff live-trapped 8 bald eagles and 1 golden eagle to collect blood for lead analysis. Blood lead levels for all eagles ranged from 0.04 to 0.31 ppm, wet weight, and none were below the detection limit of 0.02 ppm. One bald eagle found dead in February was necropsied and determined to have died from lead poisoning (0.17 ppm, liver wet weight). Biologists assume that the birds obtained the lead pellets on this former waterfowl hunting area. Alternatively, local land contamination with lead pellets resulting from efforts to control nuisance birds is also possible. Cold weather conditions may have concentrated local mallards for an extended period in one of the few remaining unfrozen water bodies in south-central OR. The source of the lead remains equivocal.

Severe winter weather leads to deaths of juvenile pelicans in Maryland. Following a month of extremely cold weather conditions in January and February 2007, weak or dead young-of-year eastern brown pelicans were observed along coastal Maryland and Virginia. An estimated 95 pelicans were found weak and many were taken into rehabilitation. All sick and dead pelicans were in poor condition with foot lesions consistent with frostbite and some birds also had respiratory distress, coughing and head shaking. Many birds were euthanized. A diagnostic finding of interest was the presence of gapeworms (Cyathostoma sp.) in some birds. No other specific pathogens were isolated. A similar mortality event involving 50 brown pelicans occurred in this area January and February 2003 during a similar period of harsh weather conditions.

Bovine Tuberculosis in Minnesota wild deer. From January to March 2007, six wild deer were diagnosed with suspected cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in northwestern Minnesota. Bovine TB was first discovered in a MN cattle herd in early 2005 near Skime, MN. Since 2005, only seven wild deer have been found to be infected with the disease. As of October 2006, six additional cattle herds were found to be infected, all in northwestern Minnesota. Officials believe contact between cattle and deer can spread bovine TB to the deer population. All of the bovine TB positive deer have been located on or within a few miles of TB positive cattle farms. A TB Management Zone for infected deer has been created over a 20-mile by 20-mile area that covers the intersection of Roseau, Lake of the Woods, Marshall and Beltrami counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services is working at reducing the deer population, within the TB Management Zone, to reduce the risk of ongoing transmission potential between deer and cattle.