(Web Desk) - People living in Northern California were woken up in the early hours Monday to the sound of a loud storm — and dead geese landing on their roofs.
At least 120 geese were found dead in Sacramento following a storm, according to local media reports.
In the residential area of Elverta, neighbours on Elwyn Avenue spent the morning cleaning up the bodies of the birds scattered along the street and under trees, as well as on some roofs.
"This is how we found them, just laying around randomly," homeowner Tom Dickinson told CBS Sacramento.
"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."
Retired wildlife biologist Dan Airola told CBS Sacramento that he's never seen anything like it in over 40 years of studying birds in the area. He called the lightning theory "most likely."
California's Department of Fish and Wildlife was aware of the situation. Carcasses will be tested for avian flu as a precaution.
"We received several reports of this incident yesterday morning from residents and City of Sacramento personnel," the department's avian specialist Krysta Rogers said in a statement.
"Based on the information and photos provided, the mortality appeared to primarily involve migratory geese including cackling geese (what look like small Canada geese) and snow geese."
The department received four of the geese for testing, with more expected Tuesday.
"The postmortem findings for the four geese submitted to date is consistent with blunt-force trauma resulting from a sudden fall to the ground," Rogers continued.
"Given the mortality coincided with a severe thunderstorm, the birds may have been flying through the storm and were affected by the electrical activity possibly stunning the birds, causing them to suddenly fall to the ground."