KEIZER, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says about 60 dead Canada cackling geese have been recovered in recent days at Staats Lake in Keizer.

ODFW/kgw.com photo

One of the dead geese, as shown in a photo from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Newspaper reports indicate large die-offs also occurred at the private lake in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2007.

ODFW migratory game bird coordinator Brad Bales says previous investigations linked bird fatalities to pesticide contamination and a fungal infection of the lungs. The lake itself has never been the culprit.

Laboratory testing of the carcasses will be done at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. and results should be known within 10 days.

The geese nest in western Alaska and come to the Willamette Valley during winter. They fly and roost in large flocks, often comprising several thousands of birds.