EMPIRE -- Dead birds are washing up along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, among them, 300 loons.
Biologists believe the birds are being killed by botulism. The disease has been blamed in the deaths of many shorebirds in the Great Lakes region, but officials say it is rare to see this many loons affected.
Dan Ray, a biologist in charge of a project monitoring botulism among fish-eating birds at the park says, "When loons show up dead on the beach people take notice because they are a revered bird."
Scientists believe environmental reasons like the warm weather and warm water is the reason so many birds are getting sick this year. The wind direction is pushing all the dead birds on to our shores.
