Apocalypse now? Mystery bird deaths hit Louisiana

[marmar]

Apocalypse now? Mystery bird deaths hit Louisiana
Hundreds of blackbirds fall from sky over Louisiana, days after similar phenomenon in neighbouring Arkansas

Paul Harris in New York
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 4 January 2011 23.40 GMT



Hundreds of dead birds lie on a road in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, 300 miles south of Beebe, Arkansas, where thouands of blackbirds fell from the sky three days earlier. Photograph: Liz Condo/AP


Birds dropping dead from the skies and rivers flowing with tens of thousands of dead fish sounds like a cheesy Hollywood movie about the Apocalypse. Or the ravings of a Revelation-obsessed street preacher.

But residents of several US states are coping with the reality of mystery mass wildlife deaths, which have left officials scratching their heads and jumpy members of the public joking (nervously) about the end of the world.

Today it emerged that about 500 red-winged blackbirds and starlings had been found dead in Louisiana. Their tiny corpses littered a short stretch of highway near the city of Labarre after apparently falling dead from the sky.

That would be spooky enough. But the Louisiana bird die-off came just a few days after up to 5,000 blackbirds fell to earth in neighbouring Arkansas in the small town of Beebe. Residents there had reported stumbling upon the bodies littering the ground and even being hit by them as they fell. One woman said she was struck while walking a dog. Another avian corpse bounced off a police car. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/04/apocalypse-mystery-bird-deaths-louisiana

[walldude]

1. I have seen dozens of articles like this one:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/04/national/main7211432.shtml

Claiming it was "Fireworks" that caused it. I saw one yesterday that actually had some woman explaining how Blackbirds can't really see well so they were flying low and running into rooftops and such.

For some odd reason, I'm not buying it. :rofl:

[abelenkpe]

3. Yeah I don't buy it either.

But what do I know?

[abelenkpe]

2. Broken backs and beaks?

And yet....

"Bird experts stressed no one should be worried. "Mass bird die-offs can be caused by starvation, storms, disease, pesticide, collision with man-made structures or human disturbance ... Initial findings indicate that these are isolated incidents that were probably caused by disturbance and disorientation," Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation at the Audubon Society, said."
(from article)

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What do you think is causing this? Is it from the oil spill?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Hey guys, let's all die today and fall on this here street.... I wouldn't

be surprised if the oil spill had something to do with this, not the spill so much but the response to it.

[earth mom]

5. Sounds like they were poisoned and it could very well be because of the BP Ecocide in the Gulf. nt

[Still a Democrat]

10. They all starved to death simultaneously?

Or their disease overtook them all at the same instant?

[yodermon]

6. it's HAARP! run for your life!11!!!11

[Chisox08]

8. No it's the greedy pigs taking their revenge

on the birds with their own slingshots.

[lunasun]

7. End of Days...in an eschatological sense of course nt

[Still a Democrat]

11. Making me Google

:)

[applegrove]

9. That is not good.

[kentuck]

12. I would guess...

it was caused by a strong wind or a tornado.