In recent months, a mysterious plague has been affecting seabirds in Southcentral Alaska.
Hundreds of common murre seabirds have been flying inland. These black and white pelagic birds, which normally spend their entire lives in the sea or on seaside cliffs, are becoming stranded far from water, hungry and weak.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Anchorage nonprofit Bird Treatment and Learning Center is currently rehabilitating between 300 and 350 of the grounded birds.
Here in Unalaska, a local biologist is asking residents to report any dead birds they may come across.
"So here, we haven't seen a big bird die off, but the other day I was on Morris Cove beach and I found 15 crested auklets and one least auklets on the beach and it looked like they had been scavenged by foxes," Good said.
Melissa Good of the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program says she wants to hear about other sightings.
"Basically I'm asking people to look for dead birds, or if they see dead birds to give me a call. I don't want any one picking dead birds up, they could be sick," Good said. "But if we see a similar die off in birds, we want to be sure to document it out here, and also collect some birds for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well."
Good says the best way to reach her is via email at melissa.good@alaska.edu. Her office phone number is (907) 581-1876. If you see a dead bird, Good asks you to note down the date, time and location of the sighting and pass it along to her.
