Birds are falling from the sky!

The Birds are falling out of the sky

January 09, 2011
Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds dropped out of the sky over Beebe, Ark., on New Year's Eve —— the same week several hundred of the blackbirds as well as grackles, robins and starlings were found dead in Murray, Ky., and about 450 birds of similar varieties were found dead in Louisiana over the holiday weekend.

Now everyone from scientists to some religious leaders and end of days believers are speculating about the cause of the bird deaths.

Some officials attributed the incident to fireworks, while others believe high-elevation hail was to blame. Some folks claim the mysterious deaths presage an inevitable 2012 apocalypse or one recently forecast for this May.

On Wednesday morning, local naturalist Jerry Supernant discussed possible causes with Capen Hill Nature Sanctuary Director Barbara Frederick and a few visitors to the wildlife sanctuary.

"We were guessing that the birds might have ingested contaminated water, as there were reports of thousands of fish dying in a river nearby," Frederick said. "Perhaps the fish and birds came into contact with the same contaminated water."


Doomsday believers got more signs of the apocalypse on Wednesday, as reports of mass animal deaths continued to emerge around the world.
Hundreds of dead birds were found on the streets in Murray, Kentucky, officials announced Wednesday, marking the second time this week that the state has made such a discovery. Earlier in the week, several dozen dead birds were found in Gilbertsville Kentucky, according to local station WPSD.
The animal deaths in the western part of the state seem to have occurred last week, according to state officials, who told The Associated Press they discovered the dead grackles, red wing blackbirds, robins and starlings after someone called police with a tip.
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources spokesman Mark Marraccini said the birds were not found to have diseases and did not appear to have ingested poisons, based on test results. He cited weather or natural events as possible explanations, according to the AP.
Sweden also reported discovering 50 dead jackdaw birds on a street in Stockholm, while 40,000 dead crabs washed up on beaches in England, according to European media reports.
These reports come on the heels of a string of mass animal death stories from Arkansas, Maryland, Brazil and New Zealand, which have caused many to joke or speculate that the world is on the verge of the apocalypse.
So far, however, each incident has been accompanied by a seemingly scientific explanation.
The birds in Kentucky may have died as a result of fireworks in the area, officials told the AP, while environmental experts say cold water likely led to the demise of the crabs in the U.K.
Cold water was also labeled the culprit in the deaths of millions of fish in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay this week.
That may be the result of climate change -- this winter marked the chilliest December to hit Britain in 120 years, according to the Daily Mail.
The panic began when roughly 5,000 dead blackbirds dropped from the sky on New Years Day in Beebe, Ark, causing some residents to call 911.
"They are like bleeding out of the mouth and some of them are not dead. I think they have been poisoned," said one caller, in a 911 call released this week.
Despite the unusual timing of the events, officials say the explanation is probably nothing out of the ordinary.
As wildlife expert Tony Child told the Star, "It's just part of the circle of life."
More animal deaths to ponder: Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of birds in Italy fell dead from the sky on Wednesday, the Italian GeaPress news agency reports. Countless turtle doves were found in the town of Faenza with a mysterious blue stain on their beaks. The Italian news agency suggests the stains could be the result of poisoning or possibly hypoxia; test results are expected in about a week. But the birds join a number of strange animal mysteries popping up in the new year: Thousands of birds were found dead in Arkansas, most likely due to fireworks, and thousands more were reported dead in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Sweden. Two million dead fish washed ashore in Brazil, New Zealand, and Arkansas, along with 40,000 crabs in England.
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In surely the creepiest of the first news stories in 2011 is the Arkansas dead bird phenomenon. On New Year's Eve Day, more than 3,000 dead birds, mostly red-winged blackbirds, were found scattering streets, yards, and rooftops in Beebe, Arkansas, and no one knows why.
Officials are guessing it's weather related, like lightning or high atmosphere hail, but what if it's something worse? Like the all-new bird flu or some awful man-made environmental mess?
Or, and I won't claim to be any sort of Bible expert, what if this is beginning of the end of the world?
Here are few well-known mentions about birds, in reference to the end of the world, from the Bible:
Ezekiel 38:20
The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground.
Hosea 4
Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away ..."
Zephaniah 1:3
"I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
Revelation 19:17
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God" ...
Revelation 19:21
But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh ...
Gulp! I mean, some of these are said to take place in Israel but Gulp!
So far we have the 100,000 dead fish, 3,000 dead birds, and the earth trembling in Indiana of all places. Should we be worried? I mean, those who have faith are not worried, but what about everyone else?
Maybe we should pray because it's probably out of our hands. But in the meantime, shouldn't everyone be locked inside their home until it's confirmed it's safe outside? Has anyone confirmed it's safe outside? End of the world or not, what if we're dealing with a toxic nightmare -- and we have those poor workers out nonchalantly picking up thousands of poisoned bird carcasses? With everything we do to our planet and put into our air and all the nightmares and slow destruction we have seen, shouldn't we be a little more worried and cautious about this situation? Cause we haven't treated this planet very nicely, and now thousands of BIRDS HAVE FALLEN DEAD OUT OF THE SKY.
I'm a big birdwatcher, and I was just out photographing red-winged blackbirds this weekend. They're beautiful birds, the way they cluster and swirl across the sky. However, if they started dropping out of midair before my eyes, I'd immediately detour toward the closest gas mask, and once I had it firmly over my nose and mouth, you can bet I would then and only then begin to pray.
Do you think it might be the end of the world, a huge sign from our ailing environment, or some weather-produced fluke?