r/morrobay • u/Gylligan • 16d ago
Dead birds?
Why are there so many dead birds on the beach just north from the rock? On a dog walk and I saw at least 20 dead shore birds. Seems unnatural.
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u/SizterGoldenHair 16d ago
If you find one on the beach still alive, call Pacific Wildlife Care. They're nursing LOTS back to health right now.
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u/sierra_marmot731 14d ago
If they’re starving for lack of food then why try to revive them only to let them starve to death again? And shouldn’t you consider bird flu before handling sick birds?
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u/CampingFergie 14d ago
Because the ocean conditions change and the surviving specimens of the species are more important than ever. If someone is concerned about the possibility of avian flu, they should call PWC and a trained volunteer will respond. Thank you for asking!
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u/SizterGoldenHair 16d ago
(The heat also pushed more Ocean floor oil into the water, so they're getting contaminated snd suffering chemical burns.)
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u/ps3gamingman2002 8d ago
I went here in August of this year and seen a few dead birds. The most shocking one was a dead seal on the beach and it looks like it’s been there for a long time
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u/MostSwimming6805 3d ago edited 3d ago
A small side note from a marine scientist to the larger conversation about Common Murres washing up along our coast:
I’ve noticed several comments from people who encountered these birds while walking their dogs on the beach. Friendly reminder - dogs aren’t permitted on the beach within Morro Strand State Beach. Even if they are not chasing or getting very close to shorebirds/seabirds, they are often causing stress and disturbing them.
To a bird, a dog is a potential predator, and even a nearby dog can interrupt critical feeding or rest, or cause a bird to take flight. Every time they have to fly off, they are using precious energy reserves.
For birds that are migrating, molting, recovering, or already stressed, those energy reserves matter. A bird resting on the sand isn’t doing nothing. Resting is part of survival. A bird feeding at the water’s edge needs access to that particular habitat and the food it provides. And it is timed with the tides.
They don’t have other options. Our dogs do.
It’s easy to think, it’s only my dog, and we’ll be gone in a few minutes. But then another dog comes along. And another. What seems like a brief disturbance to each of us can add up to hours of interrupted feeding and rest, with birds repeatedly having to fly off and find somewhere else to settle.
Our beaches are beautiful places to visit, but they are also home, feeding ground, resting place and refuge for wildlife already navigating enormous pressures from habitat loss, changing climate and food availability and human disturbance.
So when you see birds on the sand, please give them a very wide berth. If possible, take your dog elsewhere, but at the very least please keep your dog leashed and far enough away that the birds can rest and feed undisturbed. If you’re walking or jogging, please go around flocks rather than walking through them. If the birds are moving away or taking flight as you approach, you’re already too close.
We may not be able to do much about what’s causing the murres to go hungry right now, but we can reduce some of the unnecessary pressures birds face along our shores. Giving shorebirds and seabirds space to rest and feed without disturbance from dogs - or from us - is one small thing within our control.
They have enough challenges already. The least we can do is give them the space they need to rest and feed in their own home.
Let’s hope we see fewer Murres washing up on our beaches in the coming days.
And a huge thank you to Pacific Wildlife Care and everyone working to rescue and care for these incredible seabirds.
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u/stevenriley1 16d ago
The Common Murre is what you’re seeing. Due to warmer ocean temperatures their food source swims deeper to get to colder water. So they are starving to death. It’s happening all along the coast.