The Department of Environmental Conservation says dozens of deceased birds were found behind a popular shopping plaza in Wallkill.

It says more than four dozen crows were found deceased behind several businesses in the Wallkill Town Center on Schutt Road.

An employee contacted the state and News 12 about the gruesome discovery.

A DEC spokesperson told News 12 that they were "initially notified about a number of dead crows at this location on Jan. 9, 2020. At that time, DEC Wildlife staff went to the site and collected multiple crows for submission to the DEC's Wildlife Pathology unit. DEC is awaiting the results of the analysis to determine the cause of death. At this time, it is safe to assume that the vast majority of the dead crows involved in this mortality event died of the same cause. Crows are susceptible to avian reoviruses which can spread rapidly and cause significant mortality in communal roost settings like this one. More information will be available once results are received from DEC's Pathology Lab."