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United Kingdom. Mystery as scores of starlings found dead in village garden (Telegraph)
TAUNTON, England, March 10 (UPI) -- Animal experts in Britain said they have no explanation for why more than 100 starlings dropped dead from the sky onto the garden of a home.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals said the birds, which had blood oozing from their beaks and claws, fell on a 12-foot-wide patch of garden next to a Somerset County home Sunday night, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Helen Cohen, an RSPCA spokeswoman, said the cause of the avian deaths is "still a mystery."
snip
"Tests were carried out on some of the birds and they were found to have physical injuries but we could find no evidence of any health issues which could explain what had happened.
<!-- S BO --> <!-- S IIMA --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="226" align="right"> <tbody><tr><td> It is possible the starlings were trying to flee a predator
</td></tr> </tbody></table> <!-- E IIMA --> <!-- S SF -->The deaths of 75 starlings which appeared to fall from the sky and crash land on to a driveway in Somerset has mystified the RSPCA animal charity.
The birds were spotted falling onto the entrance of a house in Coxley in Somerset on Sunday 7 March.
Animal welfare officer Alison Sparkes, who was called by police, said: "It was a remarkable sight, I've never seen anything like it."
There is no evidence the birds were ill or poisoned before they hit the ground.
<!-- E SF -->Predator theory
Ms Sparkes said: "Onlookers said they heard a whooshing sound and then the birds just hit the ground.
"They had fallen on to the ground in quite a small area, about 12ft (3.6m) in diameter.
"They appeared to be in good condition other than injuries that they appear to have suffered when they hit they ground.
"Our best guess is that this happened because the starlings were trying to escape a predator such as a sparrow hawk and ended up crash landing."
She said that the birds had suffered broken beaks, broken legs and wings and abdominal injuries.
Five of the birds survived the fall but had to be put down because of their severe injuries.
The RSPCA is investigating the sudden death of more than 100 starlings that witnesses claim simply fell from the sky and landed in a front garden.
Julie Knight, a nurse, returned home from a shift at Glastonbury hospital in Somerset to find her small lawn in Coxley littered with scores of dead and dying birds.
The RSPCA has so far failed to find a reason for the birds? deaths. Disease, toxic chemicals, poison gas clouds and flying into a building or power lines are all considered unlikely or have been discounted.
The birds were close together when they died as most of the corpses fell within the 12ft diameter of Mrs Knight?s garden. Several were still alive and had to be put down when a vet arrived.
Mrs Knight was told by a neighbour that the flock ?fell? from the sky at 4pm on Sunday, half an hour before she arrived home. She said: ?One of my neighbours said they literally seemed to just fall out of the sky. About 70 were dead straight away.
?She said it was like something out of a horror film. It was absolutely terrifying. The sky was raining starlings.? RSPCA animal welfare officer Alison Sparkes was alerted by police and discovered that most of the birds had broken beaks, broken legs and wings and abdominal injuries consistent with impact, but were otherwise in a healthy condition.
Five surviving birds were taken to the RSPCA?s West Hatch wildlife centre in Taunton but had to be put down because of their injuries.
Ms Sparkes said: ?It was a remarkable sight and I?ve never seen anything like it before. Onlookers said they heard a whooshing sound and then the birds just hit the ground. They had fallen on to the ground in quite a small area, about 12ft in diameter.
?Our best guess is that this happened because the starlings were trying to escape a predator such as a sparrow hawk and ended up crash landing.?
Lloyd Scott, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said it was unlikely that the birds had simply flown into each other. Starlings are well known for their spectacular displays of co-ordinated flight.
Mr Scott said: ?Starlings relate each movement to the seven birds closest to them when flying around in a murmuration. They are hardwired into doing this and on instinct they stay away from each other. This is one of the oddest things I?ve ever heard about. We?ve certainly never come across anything similar.?
The best guess is that the flock was simply startled and flew into the ground at speed.
Re: United Kingdom. Mystery as scores of starlings found dead in village garden (Telegraph)
Starlings die after 'mistaking driveway for reeds'
A flock of starlings which ploughed onto a driveway, causing many to die, may have believed thought a patch of shingle was a bed of reeds they could land in or might have been trying to escape from a predator, experts have suggested.
Published: 7:30AM BST 31 Mar 2010
The flock of starlings may have confused the drive's shingle with reeds they could land in
A "fatal error" in the flight of the 76-strong flock caused them to crash into the ground, according to an inquiry led by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) wildlife group.
They could have crashed as they tried to escape a predator such as a sparrowhawk, or become confused by traffic, light reflections or noise, experts at the VLA said.
The VLA also said the shingle on the drive was a similar colour to reed beds and the birds could have thought they were descending fast into tall reeds when they hit the ground.
The agency, along with Natural England and the RSPCA, carried out an investigation into the mass death of the starlings after dead and dying birds were found littered across a garden in Somerset earlier this month.
Onlookers heard a whooshing sound before the birds were spotted falling from the sky and on to the driveway of a house in Coxley in good weather conditions on Sunday, March 7.
Investigation of 60 birds found they were in good condition with no broken wings, legs or skulls but a number had damaged beaks and blood in their mouths.
Alex Barlow, veterinary investigation officer at VLA, said: ''The clinical history along with the post-mortem findings would indicate that this incident was due to a fatal error in flight by the flock. But we can only guess the cause of this error.
''It is possible the birds were trying to avoid a predator such as a sparrowhawk or they were distracted by traffic, light reflections or noise.
''It is also interesting to note that the shingle on the drive is a similar colour to that of reed beds so they may have been descending quickly into what they might have seen as tall reeds.''
Re: United Kingdom. Mystery as scores of starlings found dead in village garden (Telegraph)
I'm not sure I understand what gets posted in the H5N1 - Bird Flu in Animals, birds and poultry thread. Should we post suspected cases? Or cases that sound like they should be, but are not, confirmed?
What exactly goes into this section?
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United Kingdom. Mystery as scores of starlings found dead in village garden (Telegraph)
It is possible the starlings were trying to flee a predator 
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