About 50 birds have dropped dead in an East Bay neighborhood. Why electrocution is being ruled out
File photo of birds on power lines. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
RICHMOND, Calif. - There are many unanswered questions following the discovery of dozens of dead birds in a residential neighborhood in western Contra Costa County.
About 50 dead birds have reportedly been discovered in the unincorporated community of East Richmond Heights in recent weeks.
Electrocution theory
Some residents suspected the birds came in contact with a malfunctioning power line and fell to their deaths after being electrocuted.
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There were reports of residents hearing a zapping noise prior to the birds being found dead.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said last month, deputies were called to the 6100 block of Bernhard Avenue.
"A resident reported multiple birds were possibly electrocuted when they landed on a power line," investigators said in an earlier statement.
Sheriff's officials said PG&E was alerted to inspect the power lines.
The utility brought two dead birds it had collected to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for investigation, according to the state agency.
In a statement, wildlife officials told KTVU that a mourning dove and a European starling were evaluated.
What they're saying:
"CDFW’s Wildlife Health Lab staff found no signs of electrocution in the collected birds," the agency told KTVU in a statement.
Officials said it appeared the birds may have been shot at.
Slingshot, pellet or BB gun?
"The birds did show injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by a pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot," CDFW said.
Officials also noted that state wildlife experts reviewed photos of four other dead birds from the Bernhard Avenue neighborhood and concluded that those birds also suffered injuries consistent with trauma, though they could not identify the exact cause of the trauma.
PG&E crews have investigated
PG&E said it has sent crews to the area, and given its findings and those by the CDFW, the utility does not believe its equipment caused the avian deaths.
"The power pole at issue is compliant with avian safe guidance, as established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee," PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian told KTVU.
Even after making those conclusions, the utility said it sent another electric worker to the location last week for further investigation, due to the ongoing and heightened concerns of the residents in the neighborhood.
"He confirmed that everything in our electric system in that location was operating safely and properly," Sarkissian said.
KTVU reached out to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and the county’s Animal Services Department about possible investigations they may be conducting but did not immediately receive responses.
Duck tangled in power line
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