JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating after dozens of shearwater birds found dead on Northeast Florida beaches were reported to the agency.
FWC says since June 16, there have been "approximately 30 dead shearwaters (Procellariidae) across Fernandina Beach, Vilano Beach, and St. Augustine."
Renee Finley told First Coast News on Friday that she spotted "at least 10 dead or dying amongst all the sea grass that has surfaced" while on her milelong walk on Ponte Vedra Beach.
“It was creepy. It was weird to see birds on the beach," said Amy Harris, who had a similar experience on Amelia Island when she saw dead birds on two different beach walks last week.
Harris walks the beach on Amelia Island daily.
She usually keeps an eye out for wildlife, but admittedly, expects what she sees to be alive.
“I thought it was just me," said Harris. "It’s so strange. You just wonder what could’ve happened to these birds.”
"We do not yet know the cause of mortality and are coordinating with partners to collect fresh carcasses to test for diseases of concern," FWC said in a statement to First Coast News. "These types of events can sometimes happen with certain weather patterns and extreme wind events."
FWC said the birds can live in the open ocean, but they rely on wind patterns to maintain flight for days while at sea. Right now, the agency does not know where the birds came from.
“It almost looked like to me they’d smashed down and died right there," said Harris. "It’s not like there were feathers all the way down the beach. They were just there.”
FWC says the public should continue to report any sightings of deceased, sick or injured shearwater birds to its mortality app or webpage here, as that information is "crucial" to researchers and staff.