Bird mystery: Thousands disappear and abandon eggs, nests on island off Florida's Gulf Coast

sounds like a bad omen. there's a lot of it about.

originally posted by: RoScoLaz4
sounds like a bad omen. there's a lot of it about.

Well...something odd is definitely going on there.

originally posted by: Greathouse
Seahorse key, in the Cedar Keys is a cottonmouth infested island . I don't feel I'm going out on the limb when I say it has some involvement with this vipers .

The birds and snakes normally cohabitate with the baby snakes feeding on the regurgitated fish from the birds. When things are normal the snakes do not attack the birds because they are full from the Fish the birds bring .


My guess is fish stocks are showing depletion and the cotton mouths are adapting by eating birds in checks and eggs . Read about it some more this National Geographic link .

My second guess is that the invasive pythons have made it to the island and are eating the birds .


cottonmouth and migratory birds cohabitate

If that's the case, thousands of birds disappeared from one week to the next, that must be an island infested with some very large and very full pythons. Highly doubt this is the cause.

originally posted by: StoutBroux
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Doig said some of the Seahorse birds seem to have moved to a nearby island, but they're just a fraction of the tens of thousands of birds that would normally be nesting on the key right now.

OK, that's just weird. Seems like it must be something related to the exact location they were previously, since they moved to a nearby island. The environment, food and water sources would be virtually the same. What a mystery.

I'm glad someone else pointed that out.

The only thing I could think of that would make them all move, all at once would be a problem with the direct nesting site itself.

Problems with food supply and things like that would be result in gradual depletion as different species would react/adapt differently. Not to mention birds at nearby locations would also be showing signs of stress as they would also be eating from at least some of the same sources.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Yup truly odd. They tested for new chemicals and diseases that came back negative. They also looked for new predators none where found. This worries me a little more. A bunch of birds leave their nests unguarded and nothing steps in to take the free meal? It's like they said a "Dead Zone".

The birds have been gone for a little while now. I wonder if they know where they moved to. That might help shed some light on the problem. But I've never seen anything good come after animals book-it from an area, for no man made reason.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: StoutBroux
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Doig said some of the Seahorse birds seem to have moved to a nearby island, but they're just a fraction of the tens of thousands of birds that would normally be nesting on the key right now.

OK, that's just weird. Seems like it must be something related to the exact location they were previously, since they moved to a nearby island. The environment, food and water sources would be virtually the same. What a mystery.

I'm glad someone else pointed that out.

The only thing I could think of that would make them all move, all at once would be a problem with the direct nesting site itself.

Problems with food supply and things like that would be result in gradual depletion as different species would react/adapt differently. Not to mention birds at nearby locations would also be showing signs of stress as they would also be eating from at least some of the same sources.

Didn't the article say that only a small portion of the 10's of thousands of birds were thought to have gone to the other island? The rest simply disappeared.

a reply to: Rezlooper



I can't rule out that as cause. But it is a fact that the pythons are threatening The extinction of several migratory bird species on the mainland .


But I would think it is food related more than anything. If you read the link you will see the island is infested with cotton mouths( snakes ) and they thrive during this. And so do the babies from the regurgitated food they get from the birds. They will certainly attack chicks and eggs if they are deprived of that source of food.


Like I normally do. I just did actual facts and existing problems to threads. If people don't want to acknowledge them that is up to them .

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Their wording is really dramatic though….saying that all the birds left all at once in May and that the largest bird colony on FL's Gulf coast is now a Dead Zone…

Did they migrate? Sometimes for whatever reason, their cycle gets messed up and that years migration is delayed for whatever reason so they may abandoned their nests or chicks. Could be because of food supply or timing, weather, whatever. If they arrived late in the season and started nesting late that could explain it. Sure its a dead zone, they all left.

Not unheard of.

If whatever they all ate dried up, then yah, they have to move or die.

Sure, but when the biologists that keep the area up think it is odd then I would think it really is odd. If this had happened before then there would be no cause for alarm it would seem. They seem alarmed.

But, have we been keeping records as long as birds have been around? They have instincts we have no clue about, but, did they leave because the fresh water is bad, or drying up? We could use some animal instincts ourselves or we should go the way many species have gone before us.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Just so you know, we do not have volcanoes in Florida. And seismically we only have earthquakes below 1.0, although thousands per day according to the University of Florida where I live near in North Florida. I read about EQ's probably ten or fifteen years ago though.

And although it sounds like a small island it is still quite a bit of land. So, it strikes me as particularly odd that whatever it was affected the entire island with all of it species of bird. I believe I read the other islands are all in the same Rookery and protected area. So, some did not go far which to me would preclude and environmental problem for their resources. I would lean toward some a$$hats got on the island firing weapons at the birds and they all split. I have seen idiots in the past go into our State and National forests doing the same thing. I could see a couple of moronic locals whining their cars are being bombed by these birds and going out and scattering them. Some humans are incredibly ignorant self-centered beings.

The Nature Coast has been plagued by agricultural run-off for some time now. There really isn't anywhere in the state that isn't, to be honest. My bet is that they moved to be nearer to a cleaner water source and/or a better/more abundant food source. The hawks & ospreys have been known to do this, though not on this large of a scale. It could quite literally be as simple for the birds as "Hey, Mary, Joe said he & the Mrs found a ton of food & cleaner water over yonder, let's go! Hurry up, come on!"

Biologists may be panicky over the thought of one less generation, but for the birds, this could well be a way to make sure there's more generations to come. Why stay in an area where the water's sucky or the food is dropping & risk future chick numbers tumbling or ill health? If all it took was one years' worth of chicks to ensure dozens or hundreds more, it does make more sense than staying put & dying off or becoming weaker, sickly does. If people weren't restrained by money, we'd probably do this as often as animals migrate for better areas if we could.

a reply to: spirit_horse

That would be a lot of effort to just scare off some birds that will most likely just move some place else near by.

I double checked the water temp' around the area and it's only about 2 degrees above normal. There isn't any kind of crazy spikes that might cause fish to move some place else hot or cold.

No seismic activity as well in the area. Some further south but we've had that be for and the birds didn't move for that so I don't see why they would now.

a reply to: Greathouse

I wasn't aware the pythons had made it either that far north, or to the barrier islands. Last I'd read,they were still limited to the Everglades & surrounding swamps gorging on the wildlife down there. If you have links that say otherwise, please share -- I might not live there anymore, but I do still try to keep up on the local news.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

So that makes me wonder if there is something going on with the freshwater sources around there in FL? Anyone know of any volcanoes or anything in the area that could be disturbing the freshwater supply?

the Caribbean tectonic plate boundary is close by... that same underwater plate I think was the cause of the very destructive Haiti EQ a few years back

I would suggest there is plate movement or grinding taking place and the wildlife is getting-out-of-Dodge

originally posted by: Rezlooper

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: StoutBroux
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Doig said some of the Seahorse birds seem to have moved to a nearby island, but they're just a fraction of the tens of thousands of birds that would normally be nesting on the key right now.

OK, that's just weird. Seems like it must be something related to the exact location they were previously, since they moved to a nearby island. The environment, food and water sources would be virtually the same. What a mystery.

I'm glad someone else pointed that out.

The only thing I could think of that would make them all move, all at once would be a problem with the direct nesting site itself.

Problems with food supply and things like that would be result in gradual depletion as different species would react/adapt differently. Not to mention birds at nearby locations would also be showing signs of stress as they would also be eating from at least some of the same sources.

Didn't the article say that only a small portion of the 10's of thousands of birds were thought to have gone to the other island? The rest simply disappeared.

Disappeared or went elsewhere.

My comment was that if there was a problem in the external environment, it would affect the birds of different species differently and over time, not suddenly, and it wouldn't stay contained to just the birds on one island. Other rookeries would be affected too. So the mass disappearance and abandonment can really only be explained by something directly there at the island itself that cropped up suddenly to become a problem.

So maybe the birds unaccounted for did vanish into thin or maybe they simply flew further away than the biologists could search for them. If they already lost their chance to nest for the season, then they may have scattered widely.

originally posted by: ObjectZero
a reply to: spirit_horse

That would be a lot of effort to just scare off some birds that will most likely just move some place else near by.

Not necessarily. Birds that are used to a closed island are used to quiet. A couple a$$hats walking around shooting a 12ga. would be quite a startling event. I just figure since contaminants, food, and water sources have been checked and found noting wrong, it is an event related to the location itself. I am sure the FWC would know if a predator like a python made it to the island. I haven't heard of the pythons swimming across the sea to islands, but I suppose it is possible. The problem in the Everglades is from pet pythons released or escaped during hurricanes, etc.

I double checked the water temp' around the area and it's only about 2 degrees above normal. There isn't any kind of crazy spikes that might cause fish to move some place else hot or cold.

Some birds flew to a nearby island. So the food sources are not the issue and the biologists and FWC have not found a problem (see above).

No seismic activity as well in the area. Some further south but we've had that be for and the birds didn't move for that so I don't see why they would now.

The EQ's happen at such low seiszmicity in Florida that most Floridians are not even aware Florida has any EQ's. I am not sure < Mag 1 even shows up unless you look at the monitors themselves. Which was my point. EQ's aren't an issue here.

a reply to: spirit_horse

I agree it's that island.

But the idea that they just left is worrying.

a reply to: spirit_horse

Something like that has occurred to me as well. Dumbassery by a bunch of beered-up hee-haws. If it was that, surely they will be found out in time.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: spirit_horse

I agree it's that island.

But the idea that they just left is worrying.

Yes, I concur. The fact the biologists haven't found a cause would seem to make it a condensed event.

However, migration patterns in wildlife has been changing quite rapidly. We know birds use the magnetic field to navigate long distances. I wonder if a new cell or microwave tower was put up to cover barrier islands better and possibly cause an issue. However, they nested and laid their eggs, so it would have to be put up and/or activated around that time frame. I don't know where to check for recent installations or power output upgrades of radio towers. A lot of people live on barrier islands in Florida. I do, but it is in the Atlantic off NE Florida.

originally posted by: angeldoll
Dumbassery by a bunch of beered-up hee-haws.

With Shotguns

Yep, that would make me evacuate my house too!

Yeeeee-Haawwwww!!!!

originally posted by: Nyiah
a reply to: Greathouse

I wasn't aware the pythons had made it either that far north, or to the barrier islands. Last I'd read,they were still limited to the Everglades & surrounding swamps gorging on the wildlife down there. If you have links that say otherwise, please share -- I might not live there anymore, but I do still try to keep up on the local news.

That's part of the problem. It doesn't seem that all the information gets out of Florida. Pythons were found as far north as the Ocalla national Forest in 2010 after the big freeze . Burmese python's, boa constrictors and Monitor lizards are only a few of the invasive species that could threaten migratory bird population .



sour ce