Mass perishing of aquatic birds in Utah, USA.
As the most recent in a series of incidents this past year where tens of thousands of birds and other animals such as fish suddenly and often mysteriously died, more than 3,500 of the duck-like aquatic birds known as eared grebes recently crash-landed onto a retail store parking lot and adjacent areas in southern Utah, USA.
Although approximately 2,000 were rescued, some 1,500 of the birds lost their lives as they collided with the pavement.
Teresa Griffin, wildlife program manager for the Utah Department of Wildlife Resource said that scientists thought that the weather may have created light conditions that caused the pavement to look like water, thus disorienting the birds as they were migrating south toward Mexico's coastal waters.
Our sincere thanks, Ms. Griffin, Utah Department of Wildlife Resource colleagues and volunteers for your efforts to save the lives of thousands of eared grebes amidst this distressing event. May these and all cherished feathered friends be graced with conditions that allow them to travel in safety and ease.