Dead birds are washing up on beaches in Southern California in alarming numbers, and the reason why has so far eluded experts. They do have some guesses, though.
People have reportedly found numerous dead seabirds along sections of coastline from Ventura County to Long Beach, as well as between Ventura County and San Diego. According to International Bird Rescue CEO JD Bergeron, beginning around March 1, the nonprofit’s hotline went from about 10 calls per day about dead birds to roughly 40.
“When the numbers start to come in more rapidly, we get nervous,” Bergeron told The LA Local.
The author of the report on The LA Local said that along one 1.5-mile stretch, she saw eight dead birds. When she went to Reddit to see if anyone had seen dead seabirds in the area, a user in Santa Barbara recalled seeing “14 dead birds, spaced about one every 30-40 feet.”
Then she called the Long Beach Lifeguards Headquarters to see if they had seen more dead seabirds than normal on the beaches. They told her the number of dead birds they had been seeing was anything but normal: 30 dead seabirds in one day.
What is killing so many birds on Southern California beaches?
There are many possible reasons why so many seabirds are washing up dead on Southern California beaches. Unfortunately, according to experts, none of them have proven to be the culprit.
Some speculated offshore oil operations near Long Beach may have something to do with it. Bergeron said none of the birds showed signs of oil exposure, though. Some blamed pollution and trash along local beaches, but that was just speculation.
Researchers also ruled out bird flu after testing some of the recovered birds. Scientists also considered harmful algal blooms, known as red tides, as possible causes but couldn’t directly link them to the deaths.
According to the Times of San Diego, birds may be dying along Southern California’s coast due to a lack of food. Higher temperatures have forced fish into deeper, colder waters farther offshore, making them inaccessible to seabirds.
“We have been seeing an increase in the number of seabirds coming into rehabilitation facilities and washing up dead on the beaches across southern and central California for a few months now,” said Tammy Russell, a seabird expert at Scripps. “Most of the birds are emaciated and have tested negative for HPAI (avian flu), therefore, we have concluded that the primary cause of this mortality event is due to starvation.”
Bergeron agrees, saying, “From my perspective, it’s hard to see any version of this in which the temperature of the water is not a factor.”
Because of this, scientists and rescuers warn that dead seabirds might just become a more frequent sight along the Southern California coast.