FISH LAKE, Ind. – A large number of migrating Sandhill Cranes in states like Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana have recently been found dead from the bird flu, blamed for the loss of millions of chickens in parts of the nation over the past few months.

Eli Fleace, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources avian flu health specialist, said Sandhill Cranes migrating north have been hit especially hard this year by the current H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

“This is the first time that H5N1 has caused a mortality event in the cranes at this scale,” he said.

According to DNR, an estimated 1,500 Sandhill Cranes in Indiana have died, so far, this year from bird flu in LaPorte, Starke, Jasper, Newton, Green and Union counties.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reported as many as 150 Sandhill Crane deaths from bird flu in the southeast part of the state in early February. Sandhill Cranes, along with ducks and geese, have also been reported dead by wildlife authorities in a dozen counties in Kentucky.

Specific locations in northwest Indiana include Fish Lake, where 100 or more carcasses of Sandhill Cranes have been on the ice and open pockets of water since mid-February.

Fleace said a similar number of Sandhill Cranes succumbing to bird flu were also reported dead at another popular migrating pit stop, the Kankakee Fish and Wildlife area in nearby Starke County.

Historically, Sandhill Cranes migrate from winter nesting places as far south as Florida to Michigan in February and early March.

Fleace said they like to stop along the way in lakes or marshy areas. 

Sean Leone, who lives along the Fish Lake shoreline, said he picked up over 30 Sandhill Crane carcasses from the frozen lake after he noticed the dead birds on the ice about two weeks ago.

He picked up another 15 carcasses on Feb. 25 in a boat he navigated in the open pockets of water from the melting ice. “I can look out my window right now and count 45 of them,” he said.

The 48-year-old Leone was doing the volunteer work himself until just recently when he found a couple of people willing to help retrieve as many of the remaining carcasses as possible.

Leone wears gloves and a mask as recommended by DNR for people wanting to dispose of the carcasses without risk of contracting the virus. He said he’s also following DNR instructions to use a bleach solution or alcohol to sanitize his clothing afterward, along with a shovel that he uses to place the carcasses into plastic bags he takes to a dumpster.

“There’s still a lot to pick-up,” he said.

Leone said he’s disposing of the carcasses so they don’t come into contact and infect predators like hawks and eagles, along with dogs or cats.

Sandhill Cranes are still migrating and landing in pockets of open water on Fish Lake to get a drink before resuming their trip north.

Fleace said he believes the Sandhill Cranes are more susceptible this year to the virus from the strain possibly mutating and being able to attack the immune systems of the birds stronger than in the past.

And, since Sandhill Cranes travel closely together in flocks of 20,000 or more, “it’s easy for them to spread the disease to each other,” he said.

Fleace said he’s hoping the surviving Sandhill Cranes, from greater exposure to the virus, will develop enough immunity in their populations to be only minimally impacted during next year’s migration season.

“I’m expecting to see fewer Sandhill deaths next year,” he said.

Fleace said the worst of the death toll in wild birds and poultry from the virus this year should be over soon. He said the virus found in the feces of infected birds dies quickly as temperatures warm up, which reduces the risk of spread.

Once migration season is over, Fleace said the birds, with rest, will also build up their immune systems taxed from such long travels.

“It is a cold weather virus so as the temperatures start to warm up, we’ll see fewer and fewer cases,” he said.