Answer Man: Local bird population dropping? Salmonella to blame?
Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:
Question: I ve lived in this area for 10 years, and I have always fed birds. It seems to me that there are fewer birds around compared to a decade ago, and I ve particularly noticed it this year. Is this just my imagination, or have there been some significant changes? On the other hand, the number of squirrels that show up to pick up bits of bird feed that fall to the ground has not changed at all. Their population always seems quite high. Is there any information on the density of squirrels per square mile within our urban areas?
Posted By Katie Hennessey on Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 3:17 PM click image Facebook / Wildlife Diversity Program - Texas Parks and Wildlife An image posted to Facebook by Texas Parks and Wildlife shows dead bats under a Texas bridge. After last week s historic winter storm, dead and dying bats are turning up under bridges and overpasses across the state, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said. Hundreds have been found in San Antonio. In response, TPWD announced an investigation of the bat fatalities on social media, asking Texans to share observations, including photos, and to estimate the number of fatalities on iNaturalist, a social network used to identify and track plants, wildlife and other organisms.
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The department is asking residents to help them out and report sightings of dead animals, including bats to them.Wildlife Diversity Program - Texas Parks and WildlifeShow MoreShow Less
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On Wednesday, Wildlife Diversity Program with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department posted on its page that it is getting reports of large bat fatalities under bridges.Wildlife Diversity Program - Texas Parks and WildlifeShow MoreShow Less
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The department said the deaths are related to Winter Storm Uri.Wildlife Diversity Program - Texas Parks and WildlifeShow MoreShow Less
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If you see dead bats, the department said it s extremely important to not handle them. The best course of action is to record the observation via iNaturalist.Wildlife Diversity Program - Texas Parks and WildlifeShow MoreShow Less