Environmental officials are working to figure out why an unusual number of dead birds are being found at Jackfish Lake.
Over a hundred immature gull bodies have been found on the road up to the Metinota area, and more dead bodies have been found at the south end of the lake.
According to ministry of environment conservation officer Jim Oliver, who spoke to the Regional Optimist a week ago, it started with calls coming in to their office about immature gulls being run over on the highway up to Metinota.
The first reports came in the week before the August 2 long weekend.
Park staff at Jackfish Lake investigated and did find an unusual number of immature gulls, dead on the road. Three of the bodies were picked up and put in the freezer.
July 30, Oliver said he took a call and found out about more dead bodies of immature gulls, which he picked up from Lehman Creek at Cochin. He also took a drive up to Metinota and it was on this road that he counted well over 100 immature gull bodies.
On the following Wednesday he walked the area that includes the Ducks Unlimited Marsh at the south end of Jackfish Lake. He found no bodies in the water or in the ditch. All were on the road.
Oliver told the Regional Optimist that he ruled out the possibility of a predator being involved when he found a sickly Cormorant during his foray into the marsh. He also found two sick gulls still alive - an indication that a disease might have been involved.
Kelly Rempel of Ducks Unlimited confirmed that there were sightings of dead gulls throughout the south end of Jackfish Lake and in the marsh, not only turning up on the side of the road but in the marsh and in fields as well.
Ducks Unlimited had been involved along with the environment ministry in an inspection of the area, and had collected samples to try and figure out whether any disease was involved.
Live samples of the affected birds were sent to the University of Saskatchewan for testing. Both the ministry of the environment and Ducks Unlimited were waiting to hear back the results this week.
Les Olson of the Ministry of Environment said on Tuesday they had yet to receive results on the birds. Those were expected to arrive by the end of the week.
