Photo Credit: Walter Siegmund (Own work)

It was the right mix of things happening in a perfect time sequence.” Karen Rowe, the bird conservation program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

On New Years Eve around 11pm thousands of red winged blackbirds, like the one pictured above, began falling out of the sky in Beebe, Arkansas, located about 35 miles northeast of Little Rock. The small city is a congregating spot for birds.

So now the question is why? Well, we don’t know. After preliminary lab tests at the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission of 65 birds evidence of “acute physical trauma” was found in samples of the dead birds.

The prevailing theory is that New Year’s fireworks startled the birds, then they dispersed causing them to fly low near trees and chimneys. Pyrotechnics are used for bird control but only during the day since the birds have poor vision.

Also Rowe stated,

the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail.” She also doubted they were poisoned.

Does that sound like a sufficient enough explanation to you? Cause it doesn’t to me.

Other theories include violent thunderstorms might have disoriented the flock or just one bird could have led the group in a fatal plunge to the ground.

Initially about 1,000 birds fell. Days later now the current death count is at 5,000.

A few days before, 100 miles from Beebe, 85,000 fish turned up dead over a 20 mile spread. State scientist are almost certain the two incidences are not related and the fish likely were diseased.

On Monday outside New Roads, La about 500 dead birds, including not just blackbirds, but starlings and grackle, were found. Those birds are said to not show any signs of trauma.

Src: nytimes.com

telegraph.co.uk