Date: 12/9/25 9:20 pm From: Patrick O'Driscoll <patodrisk...> Subject: [cobirds] Bird flu and geese, continued . . . Denver City Park 12/9
This is to add to the reports here the past couple of days about goose deaths of avian influenza in local parks and ponds. I visited Denver City Park on Tuesday afternoon after being out of town for most of a week.
I found four dead Canada and Cackling Geese -- three floating apart from each other near the far east shore of Duck Lake, and one in the meadow grass between the Pavilion and the MLK Jr. statue. All appeared probable flu victims. The fatalities I've seen in City Park in recent years have tended to have their heads/necks in somewhat contorted positions, mirroring their movements when suffering in latter stages of the disease.
Sadly, I also encountered Tuesday a live Cackling Goose clearly affected by flu. It stood alone on the grass, just off the pavement between the east shore of Ferril Lake and the big meadow west of the Museum of Nature & Science. It's a popular grazing site throughout the day for some of the more than 3,500 geese (mostly Cackling) now in the park for winter.
The bird had been well apart from the rest of the flocks for hours, highly unusual behavior for a wild goose. Whenever flocks large and small flew noisily back and forth from the lake, it did not move or react at all. It occasionally shook its head slightly and appeared a bit unsteady on its feet. When I first suspected it was ill, I slowly moved closer (over about 10 minutes' time). It did not move at all until I was within 8-10 feet. That alone indicated a bird in quiet distress. Unlike the park's small flock of year-round Canadas, the wild Cacklers are very wary of humans; they will scurry away or even take flight before we get within 30 feet. When the goose did move, it did not flee. It emitted a soft, throaty sound, much less than a honk, and took four or five slow, awkward steps in a small, almost staggering circle, before stopping and standing still again.
That circular movement reminded me of an infected goose I'd seen on the water in Duck Lake several years ago. The disease appeared further along in that case. Drifting and fidgeting, that goose intermittently swam in tight circles, head and neck twisted to the side, seeking relief in vain.
Also at Duck Lake were a couple of solitary Cacklings adrift on the water, away from each other and all other geese. I'm guessing they, too, are infected and keeping to themselves, distracted from doing the things wild geese usually do in their flocks.
I'll report my findings to Parks & Wildlife in the morning. I hope this isn't the tip of an iceberg this winter.
Patrick O'Driscoll Denver
-- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to <cobirds...> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate. * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+<unsubscribe...> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAMNEzJPXDwLm6T%2BmpnkQQ0_o60rUqB%<2BwgZ6Vg01N4z55m-q_JQ...>
