Hello Chatters. We have some experience with Avian Botulism here. Like food poisoning, it can re-occurr. If the bird has injested enough toxin it will become paralysed. Water birds become unable to hold their heads on their backs and so the head repeatedly falls into the water, causing drowning. If an affected bird can be caught and kept quiet and warm, it may recover. As said before, if too much toxin is taken in, the bird will die. Some Common Loons and other water birds manage to struggle ashore and avoid drowning but may still become cold, paralysed and stop breathing. What I try to do is catch the affected bird, dry it and keep it safe and warm overnight. If it is improving and can hold up its head normally, then it may be ready for release. While the Avian Toxin is killed by heating, remember to wash your hands each time that you touch the bird. If my memory is correct the Botulism toxin that affects us is the most deadly natural poison of all. Something like 0.0000001 parts of a gram can have dreadful effects on a human. In the early 'seventies, that is nineteen, not eighteen-- I counted 22,000 Common Loons migrating past Kettle Point on Lake Huron in the Fall. Following the death of 10,000 loons from Botulism here several years ago, I count more RED-THROATED LOONS here now than Commons and as always, there are still the occasional ARCTIC/PACIFIC individuals to make things interesting. I hope that this note might be helpful. Good Birding. Alf. Alf Rider. Forest. Ont.

As many of you will recall, several years ago we watched as hundreds of Green-winged Teal and other waterfowl succumbed to avian botulism in the then-completely-water-filled Cranberry Marsh in southwest Whitby,ON. It was an ugly scene. As a result the water was drained off into the lake. Since then we have been seeing various stages of botanical changes, there being very little rain, hence very little water in the "marsh". Doug Lockrey, Whitby ----- Original Message ----- From: "The RIDERS" <rider@xcelco.on.ca> To: <ontbirds@hwcn.org> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 12:43 AM Subject: [Ontbirds]Re- AVIAN BOTULISM. > Hello Chatters. > We have some experience with Avian Botulism here. > > Like food poisoning, it can re-occurr. If the bird has injested enough > toxin it will become paralysed. Water birds become unable to hold their > heads on their backs and so the head repeatedly falls into the water, > causing drowning. > > If an affected bird can be caught and kept quiet and warm, it may recover. > As said before, if too much toxin is taken in, the bird will die. > > Some Common Loons and other water birds manage to struggle ashore and > avoid drowning but may still become cold, paralysed and stop breathing. > > What I try to do is catch the affected bird, dry it and keep it safe and > warm overnight. If it is improving and can hold up its head normally, then > it may be ready for release. > > While the Avian Toxin is killed by heating, remember to wash your hands > each time that you touch the bird. > If my memory is correct the Botulism toxin that affects us is the most > deadly natural poison of all. Something like 0.0000001 parts of a gram > can have dreadful effects on a human. > > In the early 'seventies, that is nineteen, not eighteen-- I counted 22,000 > Common Loons migrating past Kettle Point on Lake Huron in the Fall. > Following the death of 10,000 loons from Botulism here several years ago, > I count more RED-THROATED LOONS here now than Commons and as always, there > are still the occasional ARCTIC/PACIFIC individuals to make things > interesting. > > I hope that this note might be helpful. > > Good Birding. > Alf. > Alf Rider. > Forest. Ont. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial > birding organization. > Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org > For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit > http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm > ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: > 269.15.10/1091 - Release Date: 10/24/2007 2:31 PM > >