Some large wind farms have people whose job is to count, document and collect? the songbirds killed by the blades, the number of which is huge. Unfortunately I can't remember what I've read but they kill many many thousands per year in places. What a surprise that this is not a well known fact, eh? I have a study in my files done by an Ak fish & game biologist friend that shows what the ingested pellets do to ducks. He went around the flats collecting livers and gizzards from hunters for a few years and cut the open to see the damage. It's pretty surprising how many pellets they ingest and most impressive what it does to their livers - they are a mess - black and pretty nasty looking. I never much believed in the non-tox shot issue until I saw his study. The area he did the research in is mud flats across from Anchorage with shallow water where the shot is relatively easy for them to find and ingest. In deeper water I don't see it as much of an issue. There's no questioning that ducks ingesting lead shot is an issue - it is, period. It kills them if they ingest enough.
Dean. The 'vintage' lady I hunted ducks with recently dislikes loons because she has seen them snatch up baby ducks from the lake she lives on! That was as new one on me but does not come as a surprise. I've had them come up and try to snatch grayling off my line as I reeled them in.
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