Posted on 01/10/2007 10:56:23 AM PST by Fawn
The mysterious catastrophe has taken place over a period of three weeks in Esperance, about 450 miles southeast of Perth. The area was declared a disaster zone by government officials.
So far, authorities are clueless as to the cause. Autopsies on the birds have shed no light.
The main casualties, according to Australian news sources, are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters. Some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found.
Some birds were seen convulsing when they died.
Wildlife officers are baffled by what they characterize as a "catastrophic" event. It does not appear to be weather-related.
District nature conservation coordinator Mike Fitzgerald said: "It's very substantial. We estimate several thousand birds are dead, although we don't have a clear number because of the large areas of bushland."
Birds Australia, the nation's main bird conservation group, said it had not heard of a similar occurrence. "Not on that scale, and all at the same time, and also the fact that it's several different species," chief executive Graeme Hamilton said. "You'd have to call that a most unusual event and one that we'd all have to be concerned about."
Just yesterday, some 60 birds fell out of the sky in Austin, Texas, without explanation.
The incident prompted street closings for several hours.
Officials said they had tested the air for dangerous substances but found nothing, and they declared the area safe.
The dead birds – grackles, sparrows and pigeons – were being checked for avian flu, but officials said they saw no symptoms of the illness and believed it more likely they had been poisoned, possibly deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather.
They call a form of insect a "fly" for a reason, and they don't have protective metal shells, either.
Besides, species would refer to a specific type of bird, so there are thousands of species of birds, nearly all of which fly.
CATASTROPHE?
I'm thinking the cats sorta like the idea of thousands of MREs falling from the sky...
or solar flares. LOL!
No worries, FRiend!
>> The dead birds ... more likely they had been poisoned, possibly deliberately, or affected by near-freezing weather. <<
That's what *I* call a cold front!
Avian version of Capt. Tripps? Was the first dead bird's name Campion?
Birds falling out of the sky I can handle. But when it comes to frogs...
Republican-created global warming and Rosie O'Donnell emissions did 'em in.
Those precious birds are God's little creatures, IMHO.
Except for bats...but that's beside the point.
I read a thread recently that the same odor was smelled in North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas.
Really?
Methyl mercaptan (the chemical added to natural gas to give it it's smell) is a natural substance released from decaying matter. In high concentrations methyl mercaptan can cause coma and death, acting as a chemical asphyxiant similar to hydrogen sulfide.
I read a thread recently that the same odor was smelled in North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas.
Really?
Methyl mercaptan (the chemical added to natural gas to give it it's smell) is a natural substance released from decaying matter. In high concentrations methyl mercaptan can cause coma and death, acting as a chemical asphyxiant similar to hydrogen sulfide.
Any reports from Bodega Bay?
Would a belch of methane be able to do something like killing a flock of airborne birds?
Interesting, but catastrophe???? Not so much.
When something new happens out of the blue, it's a cause for concern. Birds don't fall dead off the Empire State Building every cold winter...no reports of birds freezing to death in Buffalo NY. Why now, and why is clusters?
We should check the latest parrothead concert arena ....
A carbon dioxide bubble from some nearby body of water would explain a large kill-off of diverse species.
I wonder, if they looked, whether they'd find the flying insects are dead, too. Good point.
"Is Austin on the same latitude as Esperance?"
It's Esperance, Australia.
Hank
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