Evidence found this year that birds were deliberately targeted with fireworks - Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana & Kentucky

[Tonka]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana & Kentucky

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:4059398297531403::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,86518

Archive Number 20110106.0061
Published Date 06-JAN-2011
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed die-off, avian - Chile: sooty shearwater
UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, AVIAN - CHILE: SOOTY SHEARWATER
************************************************** **
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 4 Jan 2011
Source: The Ghost Theory [edited]
<http://www.ghosttheory.com/2011/01/04/arkansas-chile-dead-birds-fish>


To add more to the dying bird and fish mysteries,
a report came out today that around 1500
endangered and protected 'Sooty Shearwater'
(_Puffinus griseus_) birds have been found dead in the coast of Chile.

Near the sectors of Mela and Colmuyao, officials
found nearly 1500 dead birds and are puzzled as to why they have died.

Chile has had reports of thousands of the
endangered Shearwater birds mysteriously dying.
What was attributed to a possible poisoning by a
plant species that was re-introduced, the website
ElMostrador.cl reported the death of the birds
last year. Almost no one else heard about it.
Just a few days ago, Chilean officials found more
of these dead birds and the media was quick to jump on it.

[Byline: Javier Ortega]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A photo of the Sooty Shearwater may be found at:
<http://www.ozanimals.com/Bird/Sooty-Shearwater/Puffinus/griseus.html>.

Hopefully officials have sent some of the
carcasses to a veterinary diagnostic lab for
testing to determine what is causing the die*off. - Mod.TG]

[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Chile
is available at: <http://healthmap.org/r/00Bj> - CopyEd.EJP]

[see also:
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA: (AR), RFI 20110104.0036
2010
----
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - Ukraine: (ZP) wild birds, RFI 20101029.3930
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - Russia: (KX) wild birds, RFI 20101001.3566
2009
----
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA: (CA) 2007 agent ident. 20090303.0875
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA: (CA), RFI 20090109.0093
2008
----
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (FL): RFI 20081005.3145
Undiagnosed die-off, swan - UK (02): (Wales),
avian influenza NOT 20080619.1909
2007
----
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (multistate) 20070705.2131]
....................sb/tg/ejp/mpp

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[Tonka]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/hanmuertounas4milavesenlagosdeguanajuatodiputado-625630.html

Spanish to English Translation

Died about 4 000 birds in lakes of Guanajuato: MP
rate: | There 0 Feedback

La Jornada
06-Jan-2011
Related Tags: pollution , water , cold , botulism , Carlos Chacon , fish , birds

Water pollution, cold or botulism, probable causes, said Carlos Chac?n. PVEM lawmaker says perish also fish in reservoirs of the entity


The death of thousands of birds in various regions of the world, like USA, Sweden and Mexico, remains an enigma. Photo: AP


Le?n, Gto. At least 4 000 birds have died in several dams and lakes in Guanajuato during the past three months, as a result of pollution in these water bodies, botulism and even the cold of the season, said Carlos Chacon, deputy Party local Green Ecology of Mexico (PVEM).

Have indicated that ducks and other birds found dead in dams Silva, in the municipality of San Francisco del Rinc?n, El Tigre, Manuel Folding; of Palote, Leon, and the Laguna de Yuriria. Although figures are not alarming, they are considering, I reckon this season and we go counting as 4 000 dead birds in all the reservoirs in the state, said the legislator.

He added that the figures provided were collected directly from residents of communities near the reservoirs, and no proper state authorities and the Environmental Protection Office of the State of Guanajuato (Propaeg), or the State Institute of Ecology of Guanajuato (IEEG) .

By applying IEEG a report on bird mortality in the state, the agency said he is focused Propaeg data and when data are not precise about the cause of death of birds, and if there is no connection between them.

There is an official release that says the botulism is what kills so many birds, some of them are already sick (from the regions where they are native, of which come to Guanajuato for the winter), which may be part of truth, but I think that what background has to do with the contamination of the reservoirs, said Chacon.

Botulism is food poisoning caused by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum.

He added that some of the dams are also listed fish kills, so that the deaths would relate to water pollution.

[Tonka]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=253003&Itemid=1

Spanish to English Translation

New reported mass deaths of birds in the U.S. (Tennessee)

Washington, Jan. 6 (Prensa Latina) Authorities and residents of Tennessee today reported a new episode of mass death of birds in the south central United States, a fact that increases the mystery surrounding the case.

Ruseell Skoglund, a biologist at the state Wildlife Resources Agency, said more than 150 blackbirds found dead near a highway.

Similar incidents in Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana put on alert to the American scientific community a week ago with the emergence of thousands of dead birds in one place.

Experts from around the country analyze the causes of the event, especially after discovering more than 80 thousand dead fish floating in the Arkansas River.

Some scientists contend that birds, mostly robins and starlings, they could stampede for the New Year's Eve fireworks and crash into buildings.

However, this theory does not solve all the cases, and other versions blamed for the death of a centrifugal effect associated with winter storms.

asg / iep

[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110105.0055</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>05-JAN-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (02): (AR, LA)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, AVIAN - USA (02): (ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this report:
[1] Arkansas
[2], [3] Louisiana

******
[1] Arkansas
Date: 4 Jan 2011
Source: CNN [edited]
<http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/01/03/arkansas.falling.birds/index.html?hpt=C1>



The thousands of birds that fell from the sky just before midnight
New Year's Eve in Arkansas likely died from massive trauma, according
to a preliminary report released Monday [3 Jan 2011].

The birds, most of which were dead when they were found, were
red-winged blackbirds and starlings. They were found within a 1-mile
area of Beebe, about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock, the Arkansas
Game and Fish Commission said.

Keith Stephens, a spokesman for the commission, said the birds showed
evidence of trauma in the breast tissue, with blood clots in the body
cavity and a lot of internal bleeding. All major organs were normal.
He cited a preliminary report conducted by the Arkansas Livestock and
Poultry Commission.

"Further tests will be done to rule out other causes, but the birds
suffered from acute physical trauma leading to internal hemorrhage
and death. There was no sign of any chronic or infectious disease,"
the report said, according to the game and fish commission.

As of Saturday [1 Jan 2011], between 4000 and 5000 birds had been
found dead, said Stephens. Karen Rowe, an ornithologist for the game
and fish commission, said the incident is not that unusual and is
often caused by a lightning strike or high-altitude hail.

A strong storm system moved through the state earlier in the day,
Friday [31 Dec 2010]. Officials also speculated that fireworks shot
by New Year's revelers in the area might have caused severe stress in
the birds. [The fireworks theory makes no sense. If the fireworks
were the instigating cause of disorientation, then we would have dead
birds everywhere, every time we celebrate Independence day or New
Year's Day or other celebration where fireworks are used. Weather
makes more sense. - Mod.TG]

Blackbirds do not normally fly at night, and it was not immediately
clear what caused the odd behavior. Loud noises were reported shortly
before the birds began falling, according to the game and fish
commission. [Perhaps nearby fireworks caused them to fly at night,
but the fireworks did not cause the trauma or cause them to fall from
the sky. - Mod.TG]

"The birds obviously hit something very hard and had hemorrhages," said Rowe.

"Initial examinations of a few of the dead birds showed trauma.
Whether or not this trauma was from the force of hitting the ground
when they fell or from something that contacted them in the air, we
don't know," she said.

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap alert via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[It may be more than coincidence that the same day the birds were
falling, there was an environmental meeting regarding expansion of a
natural gas waste processing plant. The residents are angry regarding
the expansion, an issue deemed a health concern because of fumes
released from the plant. Birds are far more sensitive to certain
fumes and airborne toxins than are people. The plant is in the same
area where the birds fell out of the sky.

Pathology on the birds would certainly indicate trauma from the fall,
but diagnosing inhalation of a toxic gas may be much more difficult
or impossible. The gas could have had an asphyxiation effect on the
birds resulting in them falling from the sky because of lack of
enough oxygen to fly, and hence pathology on the carcasses would only
reveal trauma.

It seems some air quality testing in the area of the natural gas
plant may be in order.

The article regarding the gas plant and the odors may be found at:
<http://www.arkansasleader.com/2010/03/top-story-more-gas-waste-worries-beebe.html>.

ProMED thanks Dee Hadorn for sending the article. - Mod.TG]

[For a map of Arkansas with counties, see
<http://geology.com/county-map/arkansas.shtml>. - Mod.MPP]

******
[2] Louisiana
Date: 4 Jan 2010
Source: 2 The Advocate [edited]
<http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/112843019.html>


Hundreds of dead and dying birds littered a quarter-mile stretch of
highway in Pointe Coupee Parish on Monday [3 Jan 2011] as motorists
drove over and around them.

State biologists are trying to determine what led to the deaths of
the estimated 500 red-winged blackbirds and starlings on La. 1 just
down the road from Pointe Coupee Central High School.

The discovery of the dead birds -- some of which were lying face down
clumped in groups, while others were face up with their wings
outstretched and rigid legs pointing upward -- comes just 3 days
after more than 3000 blackbirds rained down from the sky in Beebe, Ark.

Necropsies performed Monday [3 Jan 2011] on the birds in Arkansas
showed the birds suffered internal injuries that formed blood clots
leading to their deaths, The Associated Press reported.

In Louisiana, biologists with the state Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries spent part of the day Monday [3 Jan 2011] scooping up some
of the birds in Pointe Coupee Parish to be sent for testing at labs
in Georgia and Wisconsin.

The remaining carcasses were still on the roadway, on the shoulder
and in drainage ditches Monday [3 Jan 2011] afternoon as some
motorists sped past, flattening birds lying in the roadway, while
other drivers slowed down to gawk.

State Wildlife Veterinarian Jim LaCour said he planned to drive to
Pointe Coupee to pick up some of the bird carcasses to study.

Lab tests could take several weeks to come up with an explanation for
the deaths, and LaCour declined to speculate on possible causes;
however, he did say massive bird deaths have been known to occur in
the state in the past, albeit in smaller numbers.

"Underlying disease, starvation and cold fronts where birds can't get
their body heat up" have caused similar occurrences "in various
species over the years," he said.

LaCour said some of the bird samples will be sent to the U.S.
Geological Survey's National Wildlife Center in Wisconsin for analysis.

USGS spokesman Paul Slota said Monday [3 Jan 2011] afternoon he was
unaware of the mass deaths in Louisiana, but he expects bird samples
taken from the Arkansas occurrence on New Year's Eve to arrive
Tuesday [4 Jan 2011] in Wisconsin.

Slota also declined to speculate on a cause for the deaths, but he
said a search of USGS records shows there have been 16 events in the
past 30 years involving blackbirds where at least 1000 of the birds
have died seemingly all at once.

"These large events do take place," he said. "It's not terribly unusual."

[Byline: Koran Addo]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

******
[3] Louisiana
Date: 4 Jan 2010
Source: The Christian Science Monitor [edited]
<http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0104/Blackbird-mystery-deepens-more-birds-fall-from-sky-in-Louisiana>


Motorists stopped and gawked at hundreds of dead red-winged
blackbirds on a highway in Pointe Coupee Parish, La., Monday [3 Jan
2011], just days after residents of Beebe, Ark., saw more than 1000
birds
<http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0103/Search-for-clues-is-on-after-birds-fall-from-sky-in-Arkansas>
fall from the sky on New Year's Eve.

On Monday [3 Jan 2011], state biologists were gathering up some of
the approximately 500 blackbirds and starlings that lay dead along
Louisiana Route 1 near Pointe Coupee Central High School for testing.

The United States Geological Survey has noted 16 incidents in the
past 30 years where more than 1000 black birds have died at the same
time, usually the result of tightly-packed flocks flying into bad
weather. What's more, more than 5 billion birds die of natural causes
in the United States each year, so it is, in a way, unusual that
Americans don't witness more major bird kills.

Yet the use of improved testing and a state of heightened concern on
the parts of state ornithologists is a proper response, even if the 2
bird kills had not come so close together, experts say.

"Birds can be really good indicators of environmental problems, so
I'd hate to think that 5000 would die and nobody would care," says
Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation at the National Audubon
Society, in Washington. "It's worth investigation to find out what
happened because there is potentially something we should worry
about, and it's potentially something that has an odd, but benign cause."

The newly-discovered bird rain in Louisiana is likely to focus more
serious attention to the plight of blackbirds now bundled in winter
flocks that can number over 100 000 birds.

Postmortem tests of birds in the Arkansas incident showed evidence of
blunt force trauma to many of the victims, which Mr. Butcher says
means that it's likely the birds were spooked by New Year's Eve
fireworks and may, in mass confusion, have run into cars and houses.

Since blackbirds are considered a nuisance by farmers, the mass death
in Louisiana could be attributable to a legal pest control effort.
Pest control experts kill blackbird roosts in several ways, including
spraying water on birds to induce hypothermia or by using legal
poisons. Most such poisons work quickly, but a botched control
attempt could mean that birds may have flown away from the roost and
died nearby.

[Byline: Patrik Jonsson]

--
Communicated by:
Tom H <papaswamp@comcast.net>


[Another sad but interesting plight of the birds. We look forward to
learning what caused the demise of these birds. - Mod.TG]

[For a map of Louisiana with parishes, see
<http://louisiana.hometownlocator.com/maps/statecountymap.cfm>. - Mod.MPP]

[see also:
2010
----
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA: (AR), RFI 20110104.0036]
.................................................s b/mhj/tg/msp/mpp

[...]

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[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110106.0062</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>06-JAN-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (03): (KY)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, AVIAN - USA (03): (KENTUCKY)
*************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 5 Jan 2010
Source: MSNBC [edited]
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40921795/ns/us_news-environment/>


It isn't easy being a bird.

In the 1st place, New Year's Eve [31 Dec 2010] fireworks were blamed
in central Arkansas for making thousands of blackbirds confused,
crashing into homes, cars and each other. Then 300 miles to the south
in Louisiana, power lines likely killed about 450 birds, littering a
highway near Baton Rouge.

On Wednesday [5 Jan 2010], Kentucky wildlife officials said several
hundred grackles, red wing blackbirds, robins and starlings were
found dead last week in the western part of the state.

It's almost certainly a coincidence the events happened within days
of each other, Louisiana's state wildlife veterinarian Jim LaCour
said Tuesday. "I haven't found anything to link the 2 at this point."

Mass bird deaths aren't uncommon. The U.S. Geological Service's
website listed about 90 mass deaths of birds and other wildlife from
June 2010 through 12 Dec 2010. There were 5 mass deaths of at least
1000 birds, with the largest near Houston, Minnesota, where parasite
infestations killed about 4000 water birds between 6 Sep 2010 and 26 Nov 2010.

Officials acknowledged, though, they may never know exactly what
caused the large number of deaths.

Wildlife officials in both Arkansas and Louisiana sent carcasses to
researchers at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison,
Wisconsin, and the University of Georgia. Results are not expected
for 2 weeks or longer.

E. coli?
--------
In 1999, several thousand grackles fell from the sky and staggered
about before dying in north Louisiana. It took 5 months to get the
diagnosis: an E. coli infection of the air sacs in their skulls.

"I hope things go faster than that," said Paul Slota, branch chief
for the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin. He
said necropsies of the Arkansas birds began Tuesday afternoon.

"If it isn't strictly trauma, it may take more time to get results
back," he said. "When nothing shows up, you run the tests longer and
let it incubate longer."

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources spokesman Mark
Marraccini says someone called police about the discovery in
Kentucky, and they alerted state officials.

Marraccini says tests performed on the birds ruled out diseases or
poisons. He said the deaths could have been caused by weather or
another natural event.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Kentucky is available at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/008w> - CopyEd.EJP]

[...]

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[Emily]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

USDA Ames laboratory is now investigating the Arkansas bird deaths.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Ames-...113002379.html

[Emily]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

A couple of experts quoted in this article both think poisoning is the most likely cause of the Arkansas bird deaths. Also the article reports that 25 dead crows were found in Indianapolis by the USDA and those are going to be necropsied.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-report...,7026223.story

Reports of dead birds causing little concern in Michiana
By ERICA MORRISON, Tribune Staff Writer
9:37 p.m. EST, January 6, 2011

Article from another event in Wyoming in 2008 quotes director of the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) as saying:

?I have heard that starling poison is available over the counter in some places."

In this case the poisoning was legal and done with DRC-1339.

http://www.torringtontelegram.com/V2...&story_id=1594

[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20110107.0087</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>07-JAN-2011</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (04): (LA)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, AVIAN - USA (04): (LOUISIANA)
**************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.isid.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 4 Jan 2011
Source: Forbes.com [edited]
<http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/01/04/oddities-us-odd-dead-birds_8237104.html?>


Power line blamed for bird kill in Louisiana
--------------------------------------------
Louisiana's state wildlife veterinarian says at least some of an
estimated 450 birds that died near Baton Rouge may have flown into a
power line.

Jim LaCour said Tuesday [4 Jan 2011] the grackles, starlings,
brown-headed cowbirds and red-winged blackbirds had broken beaks and
backs. He says some live birds had broken wings but ran too fast to catch.

The bird deaths Monday came a few days after about 3000 blackbirds
fell from the sky in central Arkansas. Scientists there say
celebratory fireworks on New Year's Eve likely sent the birds into
such a tizzy that they crashed into homes, cars and each other before
plummeting to their deaths. Officials say such massive wildlife kills
are not uncommon.

[Byline: Janet Mcconnaughey]

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Birds becoming disoriented and flying into power lines occasionally
happens, but seldom in such vast numbers. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (02): (AR, LA) 20110105.0055]
....................sb/tg/ejp/mpp

...

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[Steffi]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

Have you seen this "far too detailed" Google Map, Mass Animal Deaths

http://tinyurl.com/29o6llc

No incident is reported before Dec. 28th, the one in Spruce Creek, Florida, USA, thousands of dead fish at least 3 species. Not a one off incident as this happened at similar time last year, another species than now.

Dec. 29th when the first 15 tons of fish are found in Parangu? beach, Brazil. Later as days go by, the dead fish turn into 100 tons, involving at least 4 species.

The first dead birds are reported falling Dec. 31st - Jan. 1st.


The magnetic (north)pole has shifted a little after the Haiti earthquake + 28th there was an geomagnetic storm.

Airport runway name changes due to Polar shift. Tampa, Florida

"High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. During the early hours of Dec. 28th, the sun's magnetic field near Earth tipped south, opening a crack in Earth's magnetosphere.

Solar wind poured and sparked a G1-class (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm. "


It's also a fact that the currents in the sea like the Labrador Current have changed in the last 20 years, is still changing and could explain the dead fish.




Plausible explanations and a write-off of these incidents ?

[Tonka]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

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Archive Number 20110109.0108
Published Date 09-JAN-2011
Subject PRO/AH> Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (06): (AR) trauma

UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, AVIAN - USA (06): (ARKANSAS), TRAUMA
***********************************************
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

[1]
Date: 9 Jan 2011
From: Eran Kopel <eran.kopel@mail.huji.ac.il> [edited]


I would like to comment that usually fireworks would begin not before
midnight in order to signal the beginning of the new year and its celebrations.

If initial reports arrived at about 11:30 p.m. on 31 Dec 2010, as
mentioned, then fireworks are less likely to be involved in this case.

Also, while blunt-force trauma may be the direct cause of death, it
is not necessarily the underlying cause, and there should be further
investigation to rule out various etiologies, unless this has already
been done and not yet reported to the public.

--
Eran Kopel, M.D.
Berliner 8 St.
Tel Aviv, Israel
<eran.kopel@mail.huji.ac.il>

******
[2]
Date: 9 Jan 2011
From: Sally LS <sallyls@aol.com> [edited]


Could the evidence of trauma have been from the hard landing on the
ground rather than from an in-flight collision? It seems to me that
this is a non-answer to what happened and only a cause of death
stemming from a trauma of unknown origin.

--
Sally LS
<sallyls@aol.com>

[In many US locations, Independence Day is celebrated long before
midnight. However, in the case of the New Year's celebration,
fireworks in the US and many other locations do not begin until
midnight, and reports of the birds' demise began before the midnight
hour. It is unlikely that fireworks were the cause of the birds
flying into things. Otherwise, we would have them at every
celebration in which fireworks are used, and that is not the case.

Both of these statements echo this moderator's belief that blunt
force trauma from falling to the ground may be the direct cause of
death but not the underlying cause.


Storms vs. fireworks, perhaps something stunned the birds causing
them to fall. Regrettably, the necropsy report may be all we have to
go on, but it is far from answering the questions. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (05): (AR) trauma 20110109.0099
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (02): (AR, LA) 20110105.0055
Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA: (AR), RFI 20110104.0036]
.................................tg/msp/mpp

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[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

<TABLE id=maincontent border=0 cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=0 width="100&#37;"><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=2>Black-bird die-off Investigation

• Wildlife Die-Offs are Relatively Common, Recent Bird Deaths Caused by Impact Trauma</I>
• Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: USGS blackbird tests support earlier findings
• NWHC Quarterly Mortality Reports
• New and Ongoing Wildlife Mortality Events Nationwide
• Weather-related mass-mortality events in migrants
• Wildlife Health Event Reporter
• Global Wildlife Disease News Map
• Wildlife Disease News Digest

General Information

• The USGS National Wildlife Health Center works with Federal, state and other natural resource agencies throughout the United States to investigate, research and assist with wildlife health and disease issues.
• The National Wildlife Heath Center is working with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in the investigation of the death of approximately 3,000 red-winged blackbirds and some other species. National Wildlife Heath Center wildlife pathologists examined birds from the Arkansas event on January 4 and samples were submitted to our laboratories for further testing. Preliminary necropsy (autopsy) findings are consistent with “impact trauma”. This is compatible with the report issued by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The initial screening tests for poisoning indicated that the birds had not been exposed to organophosphate or carbamate pesticides. Additional tests are in progress. For example, tissues will also be examined microscopically for damage related to the cause of death. Testing may take up to 2 or 3 weeks.
• National Wildlife Heath Center is also working with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to investigate the death of approximately 500 black birds. The preliminary necropsy findings from these birds were also consistent with “trauma”. Laboratory testing is still ongoing. Many of these birds appear to have collided with a power or fence line.
• We have no evidence of a link between the bird events in Beebe, Arkansas and Louisiana, or a concurrent drum fish die-off in Arkansas. National Wildlife Heath Center is not investigating the fish die-off.
• Additional results from the examination of the carcasses will be sent to our submitters –Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries – prior to public release by the NWHC.
• While large-scale bird die-offs are always a concern, they are not that unusual. Over the past 10 years there have been over 175 wild bird mortality events reported to the NWHC exceeding 1,000 birds. Infectious disease, weather, poisoning, trauma, starvation are just some of the causes for these large scale mortality events.
• It is not uncommon for large numbers of blackbirds to roost in a fairly small area. While we do not have any records of birds being startled by loud noise and subsequently dying, there are many reports of migrating birds becoming disoriented at night from fog and other weather related events, or lights on transmission towers, and colliding with trees, towers and other objects.
• People finding sick or dead birds should report this information to their state conservation agency.

Arkansas Specifics

• This event occurred on New Year's Eve and there were reports that a cannon was repeatedly shot off about the same time as the birds flew from their roost.
• According to weather data there was not a weather event in Beebe on New Year’s Eve; however, there had been severe weather the previous night and earlier in the day.
• Karen Rowe, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ornithologist is investigating this event.

Louisiana Specifics

• Mortality involving about 500 birds was reported on January 3 from near Baton Rouge, LA.
• Louisiana's state wildlife veterinarian Jim LaCour is investigating this event.

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/science_feature/


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- END MAIN CONTENT AREA --><!-- END MAIN CONTENT AREA -->

[Emily]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

NPR reports that contrary to other reports, the wildlife lab in Wisconsin has not concluded its investigation.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/12/132810...nged-blackbird

Puzzling Demise Of Arkansas' Red-Winged Blackbird

by Susan Bence
January 12, 2011
[snip]
The Center has been analyzing 15 other blackbird die-offs over the past five years. And its scientists say the recent Arkansas die-offs seem different than the other cases.

While the lab waits for final test results, it's also fielding numerous calls from people who say they may challenge those results...

[Readymom]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

It's happened again:

Dead blackbirds fall again in Arkansas town

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEAD_BIRDS?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-31-23-46-42

Dec 31, 11:46 PM EST


BEEBE, Ark. (AP) -- Blackbirds have fallen dead from the sky in a central Arkansas town for the second New Year's Eve in a row.

KATV showed a radar image that it said showed a large mass over Beebe a few hours before midnight Saturday. The Little Rock television station reported that hundreds of birds had died.

Beebe animal control worker Hearst Taylor told KATV the reason for the bird deaths isn't yet known. --- CONTINUED at link, above ---

[Emily]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana &amp; Kentucky

Arkansas Game & Fish has evidence now that this year's deaths were due to deliberate animal cruelty. They had agents and also local police out this year and put a fireworks ban in place as soon as the birds were disturbed at all.

That must have made it easier to track down the source of the noise when someone violated the ban by setting off fireworks right next to the roost.

This makes it likely that is what happened last year, too. Residents of Beebe couldn't understand how fireworks could kill so many birds last year when they had never had this happen there before, and it never happened elsewhere. That is why a lot people thought there must have been poison involved as a secondary cause in spite of negative pathology.

But with this new evidence that someone in town targeted the birds, fireworks as the cause of death is unfortunately believable. 200 birds are known to have been killed this year and there are probably more injured and killed that won't be discovered.


http://www.katv.com/story/16427451/b...-new-years-day
Fireworks target blackbirds in Beebe
Posted: Jan 01, 2012 8:50 PM PST Updated: Jan 01, 2012 8:53 PM PST