Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia and Captain Kevin Igoe responded to Barrington Beach last week to help clean up some of the dead birds found there. 

The chief said he was concerned about people walking their dogs at the beach and possibly coming in contact with the dead birds. 

Barrington residents have been calling the station to report the dead birds — in addition, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has received multiple reports of dead wild birds across the state, including some in Barrington.

Chief Correia and Captain Igoe located and bagged three dead birds on Thursday. On Friday, the animal control officer responded to the beach and found five more dead birds. 

Chief Correia said the ACO left the five dead birds at the beach; officials are waiting to see if DEM officers will go to the beach and remove the dead birds. 

In a statement to the Barrington Times, DEM Chief Public Affairs Officer Kim Keough wrote that DEM will focus its testing on domestic birds, including chickens. Keough wrote that DEM will “respond and test cases of sick or dead birds that are near backyard flocks or farms.”

Keough added: “While reports of sick or dead wild birds help DEM’s monitoring efforts and all submissions will be reviewed, most reports will not require a DEM response and most dead birds will not be tested.”