The city of South Haven is working with the Van Buren-Cass District Health Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to determine what’s caused a large bird kill-off in the past week.
South Haven city beach safety superintendent Matthew Day tells us the kills has included around a couple hundred birds, mostly found at beaches.
“Out of my eight years of being on the beach, this is the first time I’ve seen it,” Day said. “I’ve heard about it, and based on people that I’ve talked to down on the beach while monitoring the situation, they’ve never seen anything like that besides the typical fish coming up after winter.”
Day said the DNR and health department have taken some samples. South Haven Assistant City Manager Matthew Landis says they suspect the kill-off could be related to bird flu but need to be sure.
“Generally, we always want to be aware of a potential connection to avian influenza, which is bird flu,” Landis said. “We’re asking people to not approach them or touch them. We’ll be taking care of them in personal protective equipment in the dawn to do so.”
The birds are all kinds, from gulls to ducks to flock birds. Day says if this were happening just a few months from now, the city would likely close the beaches.
Anyone who suspects a bird kill-off is asked to report it to the DNR. You can find the department’s Eyes in the Field site right here.
