MIDLAND, Texas — Finding the occasional dead bird or squirrel on your property isn’t out of the ordinary, but when it’s unclear how they died, and multiple people are reporting the same thing in the area, then it makes one wonder what could be going on.
“My reaction is that well, even though I didn't know for certain what was going on, I did think of several possibilities," said Michael Nickell, museum scientist and naturalist at the Sibley Nature Center in Midland. "For instance, the possibility of some type of disease going around in squirrel populations... Or it could be something like, you know, just the several years of heat and drought that we've been experiencing and all living thing it's taking a toll on everything.”
The possibility of disease or heat can also apply to birds.
“Birds in general tend to be a little bit more environmentally sensitive than most mammals are,” said Nickell.
Another possibility he mentioned for mysterious-looking deaths is animals unknowingly consuming poison used for pests or something similar.
Some people have even reported finding birds missing their heads, but Nickell said mammals like cats or species of predatory birds will often eat the heads.
However, Nickell said these are all just possibilities and that nothing has been confirmed by him or anyone else that he’s aware of and that more data is needed to give a more concrete answer to all this.
“I think it's important to step back and not just jump to conclusions because usually the conclusions that a person jumps to is generally the wrong conclusion and that's all kinds of fear and rumors and false information gets started," Nickell said. "Think about it, and then seek out, you know, somebody that might have more accurate information, you know, to possibly rely on for answers.”
If anyone finds dead animals consistently on their property, reach out organizations like the game wardens or Texas Parks and Wildlife with those concerns.