COLORADO SPRINGS — “Birds have mattered to me for a very long time,” said Linda Hodges.
She is Chair of the Aiken Audubon Society chapter in Colorado Springs.
Her love of birds is a passion.
She spots them for their beauty and follows the science of birds because their numbers are dropping.
Hodges said, “We’ve lost 3 billion birds in the last 50 years or 30% of birds in North America.”
Now she is concerned about the potential impact of Avian Flu on wild birds.
“It's devastating when we see anything that takes birds out of the picture because habitat loss and climate change are already affecting them.”
During recent weeks she has been hearing from her birding allies about an unusual number of dead geese spotted in and around Colorado Springs.
“A few members of our Audubon group have seen them at Big Johnson, Prospect Lake, the Air Force Academy.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers have taken reports about the dead birds.
They have not yet confirmed that the issue is Avian Flu, but do say it is possible because they know it is in other parts of Colorado.
Avian Flu in Colorado was first discovered among snow geese along their migratory path on the northeast edge of the state.
That was about a year ago
At several locations, investigators found more than a thousand dead geese on a single reservoir.
What started further east could have migrated closer to the front range.
“I’d just like to know, what exactly should the community do?” said Hodges.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a fact sheet posted online at this link with background and advice on what to do if you suspect Avian Flu in a bird.
It says to contact parks and wildlife if you find three or more dead birds in the same area within two weeks
And, don’t touch sick or dead birds because although rare humans can be infected.
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