Mystery of falling dead birds and masses of dead fish

[treesparrow]

Another incident, this one again in the US and again involving starlings. This is the 5th mysterious mass bird death event in the US over the last fortnight.

TOWSON, Md. - Baltimore County Officials are trying to figure out what caused a giant flock of birds to be hit by a van early Thursday evening.

Police say that a van was traveling on Burke Avenue just past the Berkshire Marriott just before 4:00 p.m., when a flock of about 75 birds flew in front of the van.

The van subsequently hit most of them, killing them.

Baltimore County's Bureau of Highways was called out to the scene to clean up the birds and dispose of them appropriately.

There is no word on what may have caused the birds and the van to collide.

No one was injured in the incident.

Video -

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/baltimore_county/flock-of-birds-hit-killed-by-van

 

[treesparrow]

I thought I might have been over doing this thread until I saw the latest report on Sott -

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/239714-US-Thousands-of-Blackbirds-Fall-to-Their-Death-in-Arkansas-Town-for-Second-New-Year-s-Eve-In-a-Row

Same place exactly one year later - truly weird.

So, for what it's worth some additional reports.

Walkers discover in Neuchatel poisoned ravens

Poisoned birds fall from the sky and die in agony Have they been intentionally poisoned? Walkers have discovered in Neuchatel ten dead raven. "It was a bloodbath," said one of them. Two of the animals are now being investigated. The police are investigating.

The full report translated from German -
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa%3Dt%26fd%3DR%26usg%3DAFQjCNElms-FGWmAl8oE81scVlXHiKSfmQ%26url%3Dhttp://www.badische-zeitung.de/neuenburg/vergiftete-voegel-fallen-vom-himmel-und-verenden-qualvoll--53874037.html

Another report from the US at the end of November -

Cluster of dead birds leaves motorists, bystanders puzzled

November 30, 2011 9:14 PM

DAILY NEWS STAFF

A cluster of more than 100 dead birds scattered across N.C. 24 left passing motorists and bystanders puzzled Wednesday afternoon.

The starlings were found dead on the highway at the Wildlife Boat Ramp in Cedar point around 2:30 p.m. Eyewitnesses hypothesized that a flock of the birds had been struck by a large passing vehicle, or that a charge from a nearby powerline had killed them.

Law enforcement officers were unable to provide an official explanation for the phenomenon.

Officials with the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office said they had been called out to investigate the strange incident, but when they arrived on the scene just before 3 p.m., they could not locate the birds, and they closed the incident investigation shortly thereafter.

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/birds-97975-dead-cluster.html

An update of the situation concerning the Indian report -

Crow death specter spreads to Jajpur

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-30/bhubaneswar/30572371_1_crow-deaths-h5n1-avian-influenza-virus

 

[HiThere]

Masses of dead herring stranded

Masses of herring found dead at a beach in the north of Norway in late december, cause unknown:

_http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/troms_og_finnmark/1.7936999

 

[treesparrow]

Re: Masses of dead herring stranded

Masses of herring found dead at a beach in the north of Norway in late december, cause unknown:

_http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/troms_og_finnmark/1.7936999

Reminds me of this similar report from Iceland on the 20 Dec -

Seabirds Feast on Dead and Dying Herring

Dead and dying herring on the beaches of Breiðafjörður fjord in west Iceland attract thousands of birds. Forty sea eagles were spotted at Jónsnes. Stench extends from the decaying fish and spreads in the thaw.

The situation is blamed on fishing and infection in the herring; the Icelandic Marine Research Institute will investigate the death in January, Fréttablaðið reports.

“There were thousands of seagulls, probably around one hundred ravens but the most magnificent sight was a group of forty sea eagles,” said Jóhann Kjartansson, one of the owners of the land Jónsnes on Snæfellsnes peninsula.

“An incredibly large percentage of the stock gathered there in a small area,” he added. The Icelandic sea eagle stock numbers around 65 couples.

A large part of the Icelandic summer spawning herring stock has resided in Breiðafjörður in the past years. The herring fleet has caught fish there and has been successful in fishing within quota limits issued after an infection came up in the stock.

This year the fishing was limited to Breiðafjörður; the infection hasn’t been as prominent outside the area.

There are two theories as to why there is such a large amount of dead and dying herring on the fjord’s beaches and ocean floor.

One the one hand, that fishermen have been too active in the autumn and, on the other hand, that the infection is to blame. Approximately 30 percent of the herring stock is infected and it is therefore considered the most likely explanation.

“There is a considerable amount of herring decaying on the beaches. It is a sorry situation and continues to worsen. In still weather you see gas bubbles surface; it is if the ocean is boiling. There must be something decaying on the ocean floor,” commented Lárus Hallfreðsson, farmer at Ögur near Stykkishólmur.

Lárus said the seaweed on the beaches is covered in herring oil from which there extends a pungent disgusting smell.

“I find it likely that an infection is partially to blame but no less the fishing of the large ships which came all the way up to the shore to catch herring,” he theorized.

The Icelandic Marine Research Institute is planning a research expedition to Breiðafjörður next month and the Directorate of Fisheries has started taking samples for research.

Here's a useful blog listing daily mass animal, bird and fish deaths, for those who may be interested. Includes recent mass bird deaths in Australia (magpies) and New Mexico, US (crows).

http://paradigmsbend.blogspot.com/p/list-of-mass-animal-deaths-2011.html

 

[davey72]

They concluded last year that it was due to the fireworks. Looks like they did it at the same time this year to use it as an excuse. For the blackbirds, anyway.

 

[WhiteBear]

Let's see if the drumfish in Arkansas are next :/ ... again...

Oh...and fireworks were banned there this year, yet the birds still died. Anniversary syndrome? ;)

 

[Yozilla]

And after that fantastic fireworks in Sidney - and no dead bird or fish ... neither rabbits?

 

[treesparrow]

Mass death of birds discovered in east China Hebei

All were magpies were separated at a distance, many of the trees hung alone or in groups of two or three

More than 100 dead birds, all magpies were found in plantations near Lake Hengshui in Hebei Province in eastern China. The bodies were hanging from trees.

The cause of death is unknown...await the outcome of investigations.

According to the publication "Yachzho dushibao" dead magpie found everywhere along 200 meters. The bodies of the birds were separated by a distance although in some places two or three together.

His eyes are open, legs spread open and without injury to the body. The local zoologist suggested that the cause of death of birds could be food poisoning which stressed the neighbors do not use dead birds for cooking their food to prevent food poisoning.

The Epoch Times - www.lagranepoca.com
28 Dec 2011
A Gubin
Photo courtesy of Epoch Times

http://wdin.blogspot.com/

 

[domwatts23]

Just thought I would share something I heard on a BBC documentary about the bird deaths a couple of days ago, a quote which both amused and angered me:

'And, believe it or not, these mass deaths have even got some of the TOP SCIENTISTS baffled' - says a lot

 

[treesparrow]

One of the more arresting reports of late. Perhaps contaminated waters spreading out from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster area and into the Bahamas Islands region, caused this mass die off?

Hundreds of Dead Fish Drift to Montagu Shoreline

January 11, 2012Hundreds of dead fish and other marine life washed up at Montagu Foreshore yesterday, baffling fishermen and environmental officials alike. The young fish littered the shoreline. There were varying species, including snappers, barracudas, minnows, needlefish, puffer fish and even an octopus.

Spokesperson for the Montagu Vendors Association Sherlin Brown said he just wanted to know what was going on.

"I've never seen this before," Brown said. "It isn't normal for you to pick up dead fish all along the bay here.

"We know we had other situations with the water. We have customers coming here, people using the water... so we need to know what [is] causing the fish to die and if it's a danger to the humans because a lot of fish are dying."

Brown said while vendors do not fish near Montagu Beach, if the situation persists it would create a serious problem for them. While a number of fish swam to or washed up onshore, Brown said the seabed was also littered with dead fish.

"Some of them (fish) came to the shore disoriented and we tried to put them back in [the water but] they just ended up dying," he said.

Captain Cyril Roker, acting controller at the Port Department, said he got a call from a concerned citizen to investigate the situation. He said his department would alert the relevant authorities to conduct a proper assesment of the event.

A representative from the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources was also on the scene but he declined to comment, stating he too was only assessing the situation. Craig Curtis, assistant port controller, said the incident reminded him of an event that happened off the coast of Andros.

"It was alleged that it was associated with sonar testing [which] caused some of the fish to float up," he said.

"For me this poses a grave concern because this is the young marine life that is being affected. So it is going to be interesting to see what the marine biologists will conclude once they are done."

_http://www.bahamaslocal.com/newsitem/39767/Hundreds_of_Dead_Fish_Drift_to_Montagu_Shoreline.html

 

[treesparrow]

Experts Investigate Dead Birds


Moss Landing, Calif. -Sea shells and crabs are usually found along the shore, but in Moss Landing people say a different animal is stinking up the beach.

"Last week, [There was] clear beach, clear skies, beautiful weather. Now what do I see? There are carcasses on the beach. Why?" said Michael Kasclica, who lives in Watsonville and walks frequently at Moss Landing Harbor beach.

At the edge of Sandholdt Road in Moss Landing is a graveyard for a variety of rotting birds.

"It's despicable and it is definitely unusual," said Kasclica.

People walking along the beach said they found a half dozen birds on both sides of the beach and are alarmed by the sheer number and variety of dead birds.

Both the California Department of Fish and Game and the SPCA Wildlife Center came to check out the dead birds. The departments don't know what killed them and called the scene out of the ordinary. "The concern is the amount of birds and the location where they're at. It's hard for them to wash a shore this high up," said Warden Sarah Weimer of the California Department of Fish and Game.

"There are a lot of them. A necropsy will show if there are any gun wounds or any human infliction of injury. But otherwise, it looks like something else is going on," said Jessica Shipman, the interim SPCA Wildlife Center supervisor.

SPCA interim Wildlife supervisor said it seems something in the water killed the birds.

"The fish eat the toxic algae and the birds eat the contaminated fish. Their bodies can't handle that," said Shipman.

Most of the dozen birds were taken to biologists at the Department of Fish and Game in Monterey to be tested. The Department of Fish and Game said test results will show the cause of death. Experts do not suspect any human foul play.

What makes this report a little more interesting is the variety of bird species found dead (or so I'd have it).

Video clip -http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/16636009/experts-investigate-dead-birds

 

[treesparrow]

Another mass starling die off event.

Dead Birds Cause Mess On I-95 In Laurel

LAUREL, Md. (CBSDC) — A scene out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie played out in real life along Interstate 95 in Maryland on Wednesday.

About a hundred dead birds were scattered across a stretch of the highway in Laurel near exit 33, likely victims of an impact with a vehicle.

“[European] Starlings are birds the fly around in pretty good size flocks,” said David Hellmeyer of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources told All-News 99.1 WNEW.

Hellmeyer said it’s pretty uncommon, but not unheard of for that species to be struck by vehicles.

The mess caused heavy congestion just before the afternoon rush got underway around 3 p.m. Some drivers says the delays spanned miles.

State highway officials were able to respond and clean up the mess fairly quickly.

The birds have been collected for testing to confirm the trauma was the cause of death.

Some indeed, may have been hit by a truck (or trucks). If that's the case then what might have impaired their flying abilities so much that they couldn't avoid colliding with the vehicles? In normal circumstances a fast flying and manoeuvrable species flock like this would not get hit by traffic. An isolated sick or injured individual, yes maybe, but a large number like this ? I seriously doubt it.

edit - link -http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/02/15/alfred-hitchcock-movie-comes-to-life-in-laurel-dead-birds-cause-mess-on-i-95/

 

[treesparrow]

Dozens of birds mysteriously drop dead on UCF campus

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

Dozens of birds are mysteriously dropping dead on the campus of the University of Central Florida.

Students have reported the dead birds near the music building, and the incident is still a big mystery.

The assumption is perhaps the birds see the reflections of the trees in the windows and they fly right into them.

The windows are about eight feet long and cover a large portion of the building.

"It's sad they're flying into the building," said UCF student Megan Robinson.

"I don't know. It's pretty bizarre. It's like a weird Alfred Hitchcock movie or something," said student Adam Hull.

University officials won't go that far in their assessment of the situation.

A school spokesman told WFTV this sort of thing happens often and everywhere, especially during migration periods.

"Birds are known to do that. They're kind of stupid," said Hull.

The dead birds haven't caused any sort of health hazard.

A spokeswoman with Orange County Animal Services said there's nothing the agency can do about the situation.

Video clip -

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/dozens-birds-mysteriously-drop-dead-ucf-campus/nLPSm/

 

[Amarock]

Does anyone has an idea?

On the beaches of Peru was discovered more than 500 dead pelicans, said on Monday, April 30, BBC News. The birds were found in the regions of Piura and Lambayeque in the north-east. Lenta.ru 09:18

More than 200 pelicans were found dead on the beaches of the northern coast of Peru, the causes of their deaths has not yet established, reports the Sunday TV Univision. The dead birds were found in approximately the same locations where the bodies were previously found nearly 900 dolphins. RIA Novosti 8:11

Dead birds and animals were observed along the northern coastline for 70 kilometers. Zoologists who conducted the examination, came to the conclusion that the pelicans and sea lions were killed several days ago.

Google Translate.​

What are you think about it?

 

[Galaxia2002]

Re: Does anyone has an idea?

Hi Amarock you can found answers in this thread

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,21220.0.html