Thanks to a special freepamailer for these links:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/22/2007-12-22_flock_of_birds_mysteriously_die_in_si.html
“Flock of birds mysteriously die in S.I.”
BY JOE GOULD AND RICH SCHAPIRO
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Saturday, December 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “More than 50 birds plummeted to the pavement in Bay Terrace about 3 p.m., causing frightened residents to scramble indoors.
“It was like Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds,’” said Donna Toti, 50. “Birds were just falling out of the sky. They would land, lie on the ground, flap and die.”
The birds - all believed to be Purple Martins - landed within the Port Regalle development near the intersection of Wiman Ave. and Tennyson Drive. Some appeared to die in the air; others expired in the moments after they hit the pavement, authorities said.
“When we pulled in, most of the birds were on the ground, floundering and foaming at the mouth,” said FDNY Battalion Chief John Giacella.”
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http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1198308620191180.xml&coll=1
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“45 birds fall to earth and die
Ammonia-laced compost eyed as Health Department begins tests, Great Kills residents worry”
Saturday, December 22, 2007
By KIAWANA RICH
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. —
ARTICLE SNIPPE: “Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who visited the area around 5 p.m., said he, too, had heard that ammonia-laced mulch or compost might be to blame. By the time he arrived, he said, the birds had been taken away to be tested; he praised the city’s handling of the situation.
But an official with the Health Department, which is conducting the tests, said, “Most often, this is the result of pesticide poisoning.”
The DEP performed air-quality tests at the site last night and declared it safe.”
http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/12/whos_new_spin_on_human_to_huma.php#more
Referenced in commentary:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=6077
“So China considers H5N1 a state secret...”
“Alas, this stonewalling can kill as the H5N1 acquires more lethal genes - like Ebola genes.
Although it has never been officially seen outside Africa, the intrepid Boxun.com reported last April an Ebola outbreak in Shenzen, next to Hong Kong, which the authorities denied. Now, Boxun sources tell them that the Sichuan outbreak is the rapidly evolving Ebola SZ-77 strain which can infect birds, so it may be tied to bird flu at Qinghai.”