Something strange iswashing up on Southern California beaches, and it’s not just trash.
Dead seabirds have been turning up inalarming numbers along stretches of coastlinefrom Ventura County to Long Beach, and San Diego and Ventura County, according to areport from The LA Local.
The outlet reported spotting at least eight dead birds along a 1.5-mile walk on the beach in Long Beach, while social media users across California described seeing even more carcasses littering the sand.
One Reddit user cited by the outlet claimed they counted 14 dead birds during a visit to Ellwood Beach in Santa Barbara.
Officials and wildlife experts said the sightings are far from normal.
A staff member at Long Beach Lifeguards Headquarters reportedly said dead birds occasionally appear on beaches, but the volume seen in recent months has been unusually high. The employee told The LA Local that officials once found roughly 30 dead birds on the beach in a single day.
International Bird Rescue — a nonprofitseabird rescue organizationwith a wildlife center in San Pedro — also confirmed a spike in reports.
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CEO JD Bergeron told the outlet the organization began receiving roughly four times its normal number of calls about dead birds starting around March 1, jumping from about 10 calls a day to roughly 40.
“At first, we get nervous,” Bergeron told The LA Local, explaining that bird flu was among the first concerns investigated.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
