Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Images in this story may be disturbing to some readers.SALT LAKE CITY — Several thousand birds are struggling for survival Monday after they accidentally landed at Dugway Proving Grounds where they were unable to take off again.
As many as 5,000 eared grebes, a kind of migratory water fowl also known as black-necked grebes, were apparently fooled by the late snow and cold April weather and landed at an area they mistook for water at Dugway Proving Ground, according to spokesperson Paula Thomas.
As many as a third were killed on impact when they mistook the wet, hard asphalt for water. Many others have injured wings or broken legs.
"When birds are on the move like this in large flocks, any kind of weather like we've had in the last couple days - especially last night with the fog bank - the wind and snow will push these migrating birds to the ground," said wildlife biologist Robbie Knight.
For those that survived uninjured, the situation is still dire. Because the birds are water-bound, they can't take off from dry land. Several hundred birds were either trapped and struggling or dead when discovered by staff Monday morning, Thomas said.
Knight said 20 civilians and 20 soldiers were attempting to save as many of the birds as possible by loading them up into large boxes and moving them to nearby water sources where they could take off, including Horseshoe Springs, Skull Valley and retention ponds at Dugway itself.
Knight said he could see thousands of birds stuck on the ground throughout the West Desert on his way to assess the situation.
About 2,000 birds had been moved as of Monday morning. Officials say it will take one or two days to preen, dry off and get back into flying condition.
Thomas said that the birds are at the peak of their migration season and they were likely on their way to the Great Salt Lake before becoming stranded.
Knight said this happens ever year or two and is fairly normal.
"This is not as strange as people think," he said.
Anyone who has seen these stranded birds is asked to report the sighting to 801-538-4700.
Contributing: Andrew Adams
