Unknown bird illness spreading

A mystery illness that has grounded dozens of birds, killing some of them, has possibly spread to Newport Beach’s shores, experts said Friday.

Starting in the afternoon, Huntington Beach’s Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center Director Debbie McGuire said her office began receiving calls from Newport Beach Animal Control that “scores� of birds had been found dead or dying along the coast.

Huntington Beach has been dealing with the problem, which had been affecting mostly pelicans, since earlier in the week. But now, McGuire said, it has moved down the coast and is affecting another seabird — the cormorant.

McGuire couldn’t say how many birds had been rescued and recovered by Friday evening, but said they’re comparable to Huntington Beach’s.

The symptoms include starvation and dehydration, upper respiratory congestion, hypothermia and disorientation. Experts still don’t know why they’re coming in, but earlier in the week they had all but ruled out domoic acid poisoning, which is caused by algae blooms.

Animal control officials said they’ve seen an increase in bird deaths lately, up to one a day along the coast recently, but nothing like what McGuire and animal experts are seeing.

“All the dead and all the alive show up at the same time,� McGuire said.

Medical personnel there are conducting blood tests on the animals and should be getting results back by Monday, she said.