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The problems appear to have started about a week ago, when the reek of decaying birds at the Lower Otay dock and boathouse caught the attention of the city's lake manager. Swallow deaths have continued for several days, prompting reservoir employees to knock down nests that have dead swallows.
“There are a few that are surviving, but most of the birds . . . and the babies are dying,” said Nelson Manville, supervisor of the lakes program for San Diego. “They have had a horrendous smell.”
Yesterday morning, he learned from employees at El Capitan Reservoir that they were seeing similar problems. El Capitan, the largest lake in the city system, is about 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego.
On Thursday, news reports circulated about the deaths of roughly 100 swallows at Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead. San Bernardino County health officials said they suspected the birds were poisoned, but similarities between the Arrowhead and San Diego incidents are raising questions about whether there's a broader factor at work.
“Any time you have these large number of die-offs, it's concerning,” said Jane Hendron, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Carlsbad.
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