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

[Pathfinder]

More than 1,000 dead birds fall from sky in Ark.

BEEBE, Ark. (AP) -- Wildlife officials are trying to determine what caused more than 1,000 blackbirds to die and fall from the sky over an Arkansas town.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said Saturday that it began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. the previous night. The birds fell over a 1-mile area of Beebe, and an aerial survey indicated that no other dead birds were found outside of that area.

Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."

More...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_DEAD_BIRDS_ARKANSAS?SITE=OHCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

<!-- src/business/templates/design/gallery/caption.tpl -->A worker with U.S. Environmental Services, a private contractor, picks up a dead bird in Beebe, Ark. on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011 as more can be seen on the street behind him. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said Saturday more than 1,000 dead black birds fell from the sky in Beebe. The agency said its enforcement officers began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. Friday. Photo: The Daily Citizen, Warren Watkins / AP ...
http://www.newstimes.com/news/articl...#ixzz19uF8u57A

[Pathfinder]

Re: More than 1,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" xmlns:x="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" xmlns:asp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ASPNET/20" xmlns:__designer="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WebParts/v2/DataView/designer" xmlns:SharePoint="Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls " xmlns:ddwrt2="urn:frontpage:internal"><TBODY><TR>< TD class=tableCell colSpan=2>Dead blackbirds fall into Beebe city limits on New Year?s Eve




</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tableCell width="20%">Date</TD><TD class=tableCell width="80%">01/01/2011 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=tableCell>Description</TD><TD class=tableCell>BEEBE ? Last night, ringing in the New Year took on a whole different meaning for the citizens of Beebe. Beginning at around 11:30 p.m., enforcement officers with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began getting reports of dead black birds falling from the sky in the city limits of Beebe.

Officers estimated that over 1,000 birds had fallen out of the sky over the city before midnight. Most of the birds were dead, but some were still alive when officers arrived. The blackbirds fell over a one-mile area in the city. AGFC wildlife officer Robby King responded to the reports and found hundreds of birds.

?Shortly after I arrived there were still birds falling from the sky,? King said. King collected about 65 dead birds that will be sent to the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission lab and the National Wildlife Health Center lab in Madison, Wis.

The AGFC has flown over the area to gauge the scope of the event. There were no other birds found outside of the initial area.
AGFC ornithologist Karen Rowe said that strange events similar to this one have occurred a number of times across the globe. ?Test results usually were inconclusive, but the birds showed physical trauma and that the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail,? Rowe said.

Another scenario may have been that New Year?s Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area may have startled the birds from their roost. The birds may have died from stress.

Rowe said that it didn?t appear as though the birds died of any poisoning or other event.

?Since it only involved a flock of blackbirds and only involved them falling out of the sky it is unlikely they were poisoned, but a necropsy is the only way to determine if the birds died from trauma or toxin,? she said. Testing will begin on Monday.

The City of Beebe has hired U.S. Environmental Services to begin the cleanup and dispose of the dead birds. The environmental firm will go door-to-door to pick up the birds that are still in yards and on roof tops.

http://www.agfc.com/Pages/newsDetails.aspx?show=146

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[Pathfinder]

Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

Arkansas officials stumped as birds fall from sky


LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas | Sun Jan 2, 2011 12:16pm EST


LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - State wildlife officials were going door-to-door on Sunday in the town of Beebe, Arkansas, to collect dead birds after thousands of mostly blackbirds mysteriously fell from the sky.

Workers were searching Beebe, a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital, to collect what officials estimated as between 4,000 and 5,000 birds which began falling from the sky late on New Year's Eve and continued into the next day.

Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7010UO20110102

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

...

As the incident is still under investigation, only hypotheses are in the works. KARK4 meteorologist Greg Dee, intrigued by the mystery of the birds falling from the night sky, pulled radar images from the time period it happened, posted them on Facebook and said,

?Radar around Beebe at 11pm last night showed no storms. The closest storm was in eastern Arkansas (Lee County) some 50 miles away. Hail was very unlikely. Radar data from Friday night also indicates that there were only 2 lightning strikes around 11pm last night in the area. The two cloud-to-ground strikes were over 50 miles away? We have no way however of detecting cloud-to-cloud lightning so there is a chance it could have been that.?

...

http://firstarkansasnews.net/2011/01/working-to-solve-beebes-new-years-eve-bird-mystery/

[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

No poison found in birds that fell on town

First tests suggest midair collision, but why still isn't certain; number raised to at least 4,000

msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated <ABBR style="DISPLAY: inline" class="dtstamp updated" title=2011-01-03T18:17:08 itxtvisited="1">1 hour 6 minutes ago</ABBR> 2011-01-03T18:17:08

BEEBE, Ark. ? Preliminary autopsies on 17 of the up to 5,000 blackbirds that fell on this town indicate they died of blunt trauma to their organs, the state's top veterinarian told NBC News on Monday.

Their stomachs were empty, which rules out poison, Dr. George Badley said, and they died in midair, not on impact with the ground.
...

Rowe noted that birds of prey and other animals, including dogs and cats, ate several of the dead blackbirds and suffered no ill effects.

"Every dog and cat in the neighborhood that night was able to get a fresh snack that night," Rowe said.

Mike Robertson, the mayor in Beebe, said the last dead bird was removed about 11 a.m. Sunday in the town about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock. A dozen workers hired by the city to do the cleanup wore environmental-protection suits for the task.

Full text and video:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40885546/ns/us_news-environment/

[Pathfinder]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" xmlns:x="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" xmlns:asp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ASPNET/20" xmlns:__designer="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WebParts/v2/DataView/designer" xmlns:SharePoint="Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls " xmlns:ddwrt2="urn:frontpage:internal"><TBODY><TR>< TD class=tableCell colSpan=2>Blackbirds fall on Beebe on New Year?s Eve




</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tableCell width="20%">Date</TD><TD class=tableCell width="80%">01/03/2011 </TD></TR><TR><TD class=tableCell></TD><TD class=tableCell>
Description


BEEBE ? Results from preliminary testing released today by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Veterinary Diagnostic Lab show that red-winged blackbirds died from massive trauma on New Year?s Eve.

The trauma was primarily in breast tissue, with blood clots in the body cavity and internal bleeding. All major organs were normal and the birds appeared to be healthy. Gizzards and stomachs of the birds were empty.

According to the report, ?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.?

It?s not apparent what caused the bird?s unusual behavior, although loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky. Blackbirds have poor night vision and do not typically fly at night.

Beginning at about 11:30 p.m., Dec. 31, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officers received reports of blackbirds falling from the sky in a square-mile area of Beebe.

It?s estimated that up to 5,000 birds fell before midnight. Most of the birds were dead, but some were alive when officers arrived.

The AGFC flew over the area in a helicopter to gauge the scope of the event. No dead birds were found outside of the initial area of fallen birds.




</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://www.agfc.com/Pages/newsDetails.aspx?show=148

[jflorida]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

Hundreds of dead blackbirds found near New Roads [ http://www.wbrz.com/news/hundreds-of...ear-new-roads/ ]

LABARRE, La. - Around 500 dead blackbirds and starlings have been found in Pointe Coupee Parish, according to state wildlife officials.

The birds were spotted lying in roads and ditches near Labarre Elementary School. The community is between Morganza and New Roads on Highway 10.

Scientists from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been sent out to collect samples, which will be sent for testing to the University of Georgia and National Wildlife Center in Wisconsin.

[jflorida]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

What Does the Bird Flu Mean For the Birds? [ http://www.slate.com/id/2119708/ ]

May 27, 2005
Domesticated birds show a sudden decline in egg production a few days after they contract the illness; other symptoms include nasal discharge, swollen combs and wattles, severe internal bleeding, organ damage, and sudden death.


From an account of H5N1 in chickens posted here a few years back:

These results suggest that dysfunction of endothelial cells and monocytes/macrophages upon HPAI virus infection may induce hemostasis abnormalities represented by the excessive blood coagulation and consumptive coagulopathy in chickens. [ http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37788 ]

So I dont know if we are out of the woods just yet.

[Shiloh]

Now Dead Birds Found In Louisiana

Source: http://www.sure-start.com/now-dead-b...siana/3673107/

Jan 32011
Now Dead Birds Found In Louisiana
By: Alan Edwards

Today in LaBarre, Louisiana, about 500 dead blackbirds and starlings were discovered, say wildlife officials. The birds were discovered lying dead on roads between Morganza, La. and New Roads, La. on highway 10.

This latest bird kill-off follows the news that more than a thousand dead blackbirds were found on New Year?s day in Arkansas. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been tasked with recovering as many birds as they can. The carcasses will then be sent to the University of Georgia for genetic and pathogenic testing to ascertain a potential cause for the mass death...

...LaCour went on to say that the cause of death is still unknown and that the birds should be considered biohazards. People should not handle or even touch the dead birds. Other scientists contacted for this story have suggested that the yet-to-be-identified issue could turn out to be a variant of a known virus that made it?s way through the bird population through a common exposure vector...

[jflorida]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

Woman reports dozens of dead birds in her yard [ http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local...112830524.html ]
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky.

Near her car, a dead bird. A quick walk to her mailbox, another. Scattered across her front yard, a local woman discovered dozens of dead birds.

"I've never seen anything like it. Never," Sandy said of the discovery.

Sandy, who asked we not share her last name, first noticed the birds several days ago but cleaned them up, not thinking twice.

"I have outdoor pets and just assumed they were bringing them from around the neighborhood."

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[hawkeye]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

Apparently, loud booms were heard and reported, however the last I have seen was that the authorities were looking into what might have made the noise. The booming sound reported was much more than your average bottle rocket.

"A rain of dead and injured red-winged blackbirds that fell over an Arkansas town on New Year's Eve was likely caused by a booming noise, potentially from fireworks, state officials said Monday."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704835504576060293132745646.html

[hawkeye]

Re: Now Dead Birds Found In Louisiana

I'm currently not worried about these couple of die offs. They happen all the time. However the magnitude of warning is what facinates me. Either the news cycle is slow or there are some very vigilant folks out there right now.

"could turn out to be a variant of a known virus that made it?s way through the bird population through a common exposure vector..."

[jflorida]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

I like this explanation:


[ http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2011/0...#ixzz1A2MzbO00 ]

In all, more than 3,000 birds tumbled to the ground. Scientists said that the fireworks appeared to have frightened the birds into such a frenzy that they crashed into homes, cars and each other. Some may have flown straight into the ground.

"The blackbirds were flying at rooftop level instead of treetop level" to avoid explosions above, said Karen Rowe, an ornithologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

"Blackbirds have poor eyesight and they started colliding with things."

But Ms Rowe stopped short of declaring the mystery solved, saying labs planned to test bird carcasses for toxins or disease. Another theory was that violent thunderstorms might have disoriented the flock or even just one bird that could have led the group in a fatal plunge to the ground.

[Story]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

It's happening elsewhere.

LABARRE, La. - Around 500 dead blackbirds and starlings have been found in Pointe Coupee Parish, according to state wildlife officials.

http://www.wbrz.com/news/hundreds-of-dead-blackbirds-found-near-new-roads/

More in Marshall County, KY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajIXYofBhGk

[Giuseppe]

Re: Between 4,000 and 5,000 dead birds fall from sky in Arkansas

From A TIME'S MEMORY archive:

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, AVIAN - THAILAND: (PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTTHAYA) OPENBILL STORK, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (ProMedMail.org, May 2, 2010, extract, edited)


[Source: ProMedMail.org, full text (LINK). Extract, edited.]

Archive Number 20100502.1431
Published Date 02-MAY-2010
PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed deaths, avian - Thailand: (PN) openbill stork, RFI

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, AVIAN - THAILAND: (PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTTHAYA) OPENBILL STORK, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***********************************************
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: Sun 2 May 2010
Source: The Bangkok Post [edited] <http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/176556/>


Thousands of openbill storks in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya's Phak Hai district have died, with avian influenza thought to be a possible cause.

A vast wasteland in tambon Khok Chang of Ayutthaya is home to tens of thousands of Asian openbill storks [_Anastomus oscitans_, Order Ciconiiformes, Family Ciconiidae. Picture at <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..._oscitans2.JPG>. -Mod.AS]. It is one of the largest flocks of birds in Ayutthaya.

A few days ago, thousands of Asian openbill storks died without apparent cause.

Residents are worried the flock might have been infected with the bird flu virus, as Phak Hai district was one of many areas nationwide reported with the virus outbreak last year [2009]. They want authorities to investigate why the birds have died.

"Bird carcasses lie scattered over the wasteland and the canal bank nearby, sending out a bad smell all over the place," Vichien Puanglamjiak, a local farmer said.

Phak Hai district chief Rewat Prasong has warned residents to stay away from the area.

Health experts and veterinarians will collect samples from the carcasses to determine the cause of the birds' death, he said.

Mr Rewat said the birds might have eaten some kind of toxic aquatic animal or they might have been poisoned by farmers who raised fish which were eaten by the birds.

In his view, the bird flu virus was unlikely to be the cause of the deaths, as it usually spreads in the early winter season, not in the summer. However, it was not being ruled out in the investigation, said the district chief.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[Information on the results of field and laboratory investigations of the described event will be appreciated. In 2004, HPAI H5N1 virus was reportedly found in 2 out of 15 sampled Asian open-bill storks in Thailand (see 20041214.3303). - Mod.AS]

[The tone of this report is of "thousands" dying in a short period of time, which is odd. We have had HPAI long enough in this region to expect a measure of background immunity and to ask: "Why now?" My first take on this, even if the numbers are more in the range of hundreds, is that I would first suspect an intoxication or poisoning. - Mod.MHJ]

[The weather should be investigated. Birds are very sensitive to temperature and weather changes. It can cause disorientation and for some birds who are migrating birds, when fat stores are lost, they can easily deplete their energy stores in a storm and die from exhaustion.

A thorough necropsy will tell us more about the condition of the birds and the possible cause of death. It would be unlikely for this many birds to be affected by avian influenza all at once.

However, if the carcasses are not picked up quickly, then botulism can form in the carcasses. As the maggots move in they consume the carcasses and other birds may eat the maggots, and thus become poisoned by botulism. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
2004
----
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (145): Thailand, birds 20041214.3303]
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