Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana & Kentucky
Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas, also some in Louisiana & 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)
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A ProMED-mail post
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http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
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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.
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[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]
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******
[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]
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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.