ABOVE: Some deceased geese in the foreground lie on Lake Sisseton in Fairmont while more are clustered together in the background.

FAIRMONT– A large number of dead geese have been reported on several lakes in Fairmont and on Fox Lake in Sherburn. The reports have gone on to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Windom Area Wildlife, which is the nearest agency to look into the matter.

“It’s been a big mortality event across the midwest,” said Chad August, Assistant Area Wildlife Manager. “We’re not sure that it’s Avian Influenza, but we kind of expect it.”

He said if they hear of one or even several dead birds, they don’t report it, but when they hear of large volumes of deceased birds they look into it.

“The latest report on Budd (Lake) was about 30 and Sisseton (Lake) was at least 50. People stopped counting after that so it’s probably more than that already,” August said.

The reports have come from the conservation officer in the county but August said they do take reports from the public because they track mortality events.

“At this time we don’t need it from lakes that we already know,” he said.

Reports of deceased geese in large amounts have also come from Jackson County, Nobles County, Blue Earth County and Cottonwood County.

To determine the actual cause of what’s killing the geese, August said they will be sending in some of the birds for sampling. At this time he said they are testing from five separate counties to see if it’s the same thing affecting them from a wide area.

“We don’t need to send in every bird. It is expensive to test,” he explained.

Avian Influenza, like Influenza in people, is highly pathogenic and spread from bird to bird, especially when they’re highly concentrated like geese are.

“It’s kind of unusual to happen this late in the season, usually it happens earlier during peak migration,” August said. “It’s been so warm, I think through the fall that most of the birds were further north and now that it’s getting colder they’re moving south and numbers are building and they’re concentrating more on what small amount of open water is left so that’s probably what is causing this.”

He could not recall many cases of Avian Influenza last year, but said several years ago there were quite a few cases reported.

“It hasn’t been anything like this with so many birds in one area,” August said.

Even once it’s determined what the cause is, August said there’s not much they can do.

“It’s natural and there’s really nothing we can do but hope with colder weather it will push birds further out of the area and spread them out so they’re not as concentrated,” August said.

In the meantime, the geese will have to stay where they are.

“They get scavenged by eagles or raptors and they get infected sometimes, but there’s nothing you can do when the ice is so thin,” August said.

He said they suggest people don’t handle dead birds, but if they do, they’re asked to wear gloves to avoid spreading the disease to other poultry.