More than 100 dead geese found in Sacramento County after storm
SACRAMENTO — Dozens of dead geese were discovered in two areas of Sacramento County following Sunday night's storm.
More than 100 geese were found dead on a residential street in Elverta, and in a business district in Natomas, 20 geese were also found dead.
Elverta residents woke up during the night not only to the sound of thunder but also to thumping on their rooftops. Neighbors on Elwyn Avenue spent the morning collecting the bodies of dead geese.
In a bizarre turn of events following the storm, the peaceful atmosphere of this residential area was awakened to the disturbing sight of the dead birds.
"This is how we found them, just laying around randomly," said homeowner Tom Dickinson.
Dickinson said he thinks the birds were struck by lightning.
"I heard a lot of thunder last night, but there was one that was unbelievably loud, like it was close it was the loudest thunder I've ever heard," he added.
Retired wildlife biologist Dan Airola said Dickinson's theory very well could be correct.
"In fact, it seems most likely to me," Airola said. "I've been working with birds for 40 years in Sacramento and I've never heard of this happening."
He explained that it could have either been a pressure wave or a lightning strike that killed the geese.
"Birds are always flying at night from feeding to resting areas, so they very well could have been in the air when that lightning hit," Airola said.
The wildlife expert says the majority of the dead birds were cackling geese, very similar looking to the Canada goose.
On Tuesday, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife official said postmortem findings show the birds suffered blunt-force trauma consistent with a sudden fall to the ground. With the birds flying through the storm, it appears that the birds were possibly stunned by electrical activity -- causing them to fall.
Fish and Wildlife said routine surveillance testing of the birds for disease remains pending.