A “Most Unusual Event”: Birds returning from Fukushima-area with troubling symptoms — Appear to not have been able to find food in North Pacific — “I’ve never seen birds in that poor of a condition come back to New Zealand”
By ENENews
April 30th, 2012
Title: Muttonbirds affected by Fukushima
Source: NZ Herald News
Author: Paul Harper
Date: 10:55 AM Monday Apr 30, 2012
Headline: Muttonbirds affected by Fukushima
Department of Conservation seabird researcher Graeme Taylor told Radio New Zealand
The birds return to New Zealand in November to mate, but […] the ones that returned were in poor condition
“We won’t know if they’ve died up there in the north Pacific until another year goes by, because sometimes these birds skip a breeding season- where if they are in a poor condition they don’t attempt to breed, and so they may turn up again and breed”
“But if the birds never turn up again then you have to start to wonder what’s gone on with the population”
The drop in numbers was the “most unusual event” in 20 years of studies of the birds’ numbers
He said many of the birds which arrived back had old feathers on their tails, wings and body
“I’ve never seen birds in that poor of a condition come back to New Zealand”
He said the condition of muttonbirds suggested they did not get the food in the north Pacific they usually do
The Rest…HERE
