After a heavy storm, More than 100 dead geese found in Sacramento County

Sunday night's storm left dozens of dead geese in two Sacramento County regions. Over 100 geese were found dead on a residential street in Elverta and 20 in a Natomas business zone.

Thunder and rooftop thumping awakened the inhabitants of Elverta at night. Elwyn Avenue residents spent the morning gathering dead geese.

Surprisingly, the dead birds disturbed the tranquil residential area after the storm. "We found them lying around randomly," homeowner Tom Dickinson said.

dead geese found in Sacramento CountyPhoto bypisagarat

Dickinson believes lightning struck the birds. "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," she said.

Retired wildlife biologist Dan Airola believes Dickinson's theory may be valid. "In fact, it seems most likely to me," Airola added. "I've been working with birds for 40 years in Sacramento, and I've never heard of this happening."

He speculated that a pressure wave or lightning strike 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," said Airola.

The wildlife specialist believes most of the dead birds were cackling geese, which resemble Canada geese. The Fish and Wildlife Department will collect carcasses and test them for bird flu as a precaution.

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