What the hell is going on?

[skooldem1]

Dead birds, dead fish. Is there a connection? In reading about the recent developements in Arkansas I read that this has happened before in other cities. Is there a simple explanation or is there more to this story than we are being told?

[gary_james]

Yeah, sounds like a deadly leak of something to me.

[soulster]

If it kills the birds, think of what it's doing to humans. All those thousands of birds at once? Someone put something toxic in the air.

[Doug-Morgan]

Sounds like an Ogden Edsl song.

I wonder if the birds had something to do with the storms that went through the area the other day.

[skooldem1]

It could be a natural leak of some kind.

[olamaebarto]

A new Miley Sirus CD?

[jobeterob]

I heard it could also have been hail or lightning and sometimes these are natural phenomenoms.

[pshark]

I don't know how true this is. But this vid is very shocking

[destruction]

[nomis]

here in New zealand they spray the forests with a toxin called "1080"..its designed to kill possums but in reality it kills everything in the forest..no bird call just silence- the shame and disgrace of new zealand government..reminds me of Marvin singing Mercy Mercy me...

[jobeterob]

CNN
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Share this on:Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg delicious reddit MySpace StumbleUpon LinkedIn Falling birds likely died from massive traumaBy the CNN Wire StaffJanuary 3, 2011 9:17 p.m. EST

It's raining birdsSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
Preliminary report suggests no sign of any chronic or infectious disease
The birds show evidence of trauma in the breast tissue and internal bleeding
Up to 5,000 birds fell from the sky New Year's Eve in Beebe, Arkansas
500 birds found dead in southern Louisiana in seemingly separate incident
[[CNN) -- 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.

The birds, most of which were dead when they were found, were red-winged blackbirds and starlings. They were found within a one-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, between 4,000 and 5,000 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. Officials also speculated that fireworks shot by New Year's revelers in the area might have caused severe stress in the birds.

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.

"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.

In a seemingly separate incident, some 500 red-winged blackbirds, starlings and grackles were found dead in southern Louisiana in Labarre.

The birds showed no evident trauma, according to Jim LaCour, a veterinarian with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Samples have been sent to Wisconsin and Georgia for testing, he said.