1 Topic by morningsun76 (edited by morningsun76 2007-01-11 02:32:02)

  • morningsun76
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Topic: Bird deaths

From Texas, USA:

Were dead birds in Austin, Texas, poisoned?

January 08, 2007

Were dead birds that closed downtown Austin, Texas, poisoned by building owners for pooping on their buildings?

A wire story just filed by Associated Press writer Jim Vertuno, states that police shut down 10 blocks of businesses in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas, early today "after dozens of birds were found dead in the streets." Officials said preliminary tests showed no dangerous chemicals in the air.

The story said "as many as 60 dead pigeons, sparrows and grackles were found overnight along Congress Avenue, a main route through downtown." No human injuries or illnesses were reported.

Interestingly, all three birds are typical of those types of urban birds that perch in large flocks on rooftops, gutters and sidewalks around buildings and make enormous messes that building owners have to clean up.

Grackles are crow-size birds, black with iridescent heads, backs and bellies that normally inhabit urban areas in the Midwest and Eastern parts of the United States. We’re all familiar with pigeons and sparrows. All three of the bird species eat just about anything they find on city streets, especially seeds.

And seeds are what angry building owners sometimes use to poison these birds so they don’t poop on their buildings. It has happened in other cities in the past. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they discover after just about every medical testing facility in Austin, and quite a few that aren’t, finishes testing the bodies of the dead birds.

Source: http://blogs.contracostatimes.com/gary_ … _clos.html

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Re: Bird deaths

From Western Australia:

Birds fall from sky over town
January 10, 2007 01:00am

By Amanda O'Brien

THOUSANDS of birds have fallen from the skies over Esperance and no one knows why.

Is it an illness, toxins or a natural phenomenon? A string of autopsies in Perth have shed no light on the mystery.

All the residents of flood-devastated Esperance know is that their "dawn chorus" of singing birds is missing.

The main casualties are wattle birds, yellow-throated miners, new holland honeyeaters and singing honeyeaters, although some dead crows, hawks and pigeons have also been found.

Wildlife officers are baffled by the "catastrophic" event, which the Department of Environment and Conservation said began well before last week's freak storm.

On Monday, Esperance, 725km southeast of Perth, was declared a natural disaster zone.

District nature conservation co-ordinator Mike Fitzgerald said the first reports of birds dropping dead in people's yards came in three weeks ago. More than 500 deaths had since been notified. But the calls stopped suddenly last week, reportedly because no birds were left.

"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," Mr Fitzgerald said.

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."

He expected birds would return to the area once the problem - natural or man-made phenomenon - was fixed but said it was vital the cause was identified.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, which conducted the autopsies, has almost ruled out an infectious process.

Acting chief veterinary officer Fiona Sunderman said toxins were the most likely cause but the deaths could be due to anything from toxic algae to chemicals and pesticides.

Dr Sunderman said there were no leads yet on which of potentially hundreds of toxins might be responsible. Some birds were seen convulsing as they died.

Michelle Crisp was one of the first to contact the DEC after finding dozens of dead birds on her property one morning.

She told The Australian she normally had hundreds of birds in her yard, but that she and a neighbour counted 80 dead birds in one day.

"It went to the point where we had nothing, not a bird," she said.

"It was like a moonscape, just horrible. But the frightening thing for us, we didn't find any more birds after that. We literally didn't have any birds left to die."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C10117% … ublic_rss#

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Re: Bird deaths

From the Netherlands:

10 January 2007

AMSTERDAM – The yellow-green substance that has washed ashore in recent days on the beaches of Den Helder, Zijpe and Texel is a mix of irritating chemicals.

The Den Helder City Council made the announcement on Tuesday night after tests were conducted by the national institute for decontamination and waste water (RIZA).

A spokesman said the substance consisted of sulfur mixed with metal and organic components, indicating it was an industrial-strength cleaning agent. But the exact type of the substance is not known.

The spokesman said some chemicals are known to irritate the skin or worse. It is not known how dangerous this chemical is. More tests are being carried out.

Dozens of dead seabirds had washed up along the beaches between Den Helder and Petten in the province of Noord-Holland in the past few days.

They were smeared with the yellowy-green substance which had dissolves their beaks and claws.

It is assumed the poison was dumped at sea, but water management authorities have not found any pollution slick. The toxin may have sunk to the sea bottom.

Source: http://www.expatica.com/actual/article. … y_id=35451

  • Registered: 2005-06-26

Re: Bird deaths

Ellie Crystal received emails this week in regard to the bird deaths as well as gas and/or odor issues happening all at once. As I read the blurb on her site (below), I thought of this thread: http://crystalinks.com/elliesworld.html

Crystalinks wrote:

On Monday, Jan 8, 2007 there were reports of what appeared to be a monstrous gas leak in New York City and nearby Jersey City. No gas leak was ever found. Rochester, NY reported 4 broken water mains during this same time frame. Marine tankers report their alarms for methane going off, but no leaks found. About a dozen people were taken to hospitals complaining of breathing problems. Then the reports from around the world started pouring in, all seeming to be happening simultaneously. Italy evacuated people from Genova and Bologna due to gas leaks, an explosion killing one. London closed their tube lines due to suspected gas leaks, smells. Australia had water main breaks in Adelaide, and gas smells evacuated a mall in Perth where several were hospitalized as a result. No gas leak was ever located. Here in the US reports came in from Ohio smells, and a factory explosion, cause unknown. Nashville, TN, gas line leak. Mobile, AL gas leak. Blue Springs, MO gas leak with explosion and evacuation. Dallas, TX smells and in Houston a factory fume leak, cause unknown, and in Austin dead birds, cause unknown. Iowa, a pond bubbling. Albuquerque, MN city evacuated due to gas smells. Half Moon Bay, CA evacuated due to smells, Santa Barbara marine tanker alarms due to methane, no leak found, and Oxnard freeway closed due to gas main break. So what is causing this sudden release of methane, along with obvious gas and water main breaks and factory explosions. Also, is this methane from the Earth making people sick, and killing birds?

"The most important decision you have to make is whether you live in a hostile or friendly universe."
~ Albert Einstein

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ~Marcel Proust

The evolution of humanity is an evolution of the heart. The path is through the heart.

5 Reply by manyeagles (edited by manyeagles 2007-01-13 06:43:50)

  • Registered: 2004-04-10

Re: Bird deaths

neutral    Hmmmmm......

Noticed a decrease of seed consumption in the bird feeder lately.  It's usually empty the next day (1-2 cups seed/day).  Down to filling it twice a week or so.

The methane thing concerns me, as well as the water main breaks.  The past year or so there's been so many water main breaks/incidents, I've lost count.  Perhaps it may be due to many microquakes very deep?  I've also noticed the "pullings" (energy tugs) have been a lot stronger this past year as well.

If there is no time
      Then you have time for everything.
   You're never in a hurry.
That's true freedom.
  • Registered: 2006-02-06

Re: Bird deaths

Where I live here in Virginia is on a migratory route for birds. I keep an eye out for different bird species that arent normally indigenious to this area, and usually I see quite a few at my feeders this time of year. But Ive noticed there are far fewer than normal. With the unusual warmth I would have suspected there would definately be an increase in flocks of birds. The only increase Ive seen is crows and buzzards. In fact Ive heard that buzzards are now wintering in western NY, which is highly unusual. I guess we will be seeing more and more things that we are not accustomed to. hmm

In man's analysis and understanding of himself, it is as well to know from whence he came as whither he is going.   Edgar Cayce

Beliefs are tools for social conditioning, rather than expressions of inner realization or inner truth.   unknown
Ad Verecundiam

7 Reply by Pamelajean (edited by Pamelajean 2007-01-13 09:53:57)

  • From: relocating to Noble Dreams
  • Registered: 2006-01-29

Re: Bird deaths

Something I have wondered about all of my life is "where do all of the dead bird bodies go"?  I have never in my life seen an animal eating an already dead bird.  The ground should be littered with birdie bodies, but nada.  Once in a blue moon I'll see a dead bird on the street where it was smashed by a car, but where are all of the ones that die naturally or from other sources?  AND if something eats them, then where are all of the feathers...we're talking billions of feathers here.

When I first moved to this area (ten years ago) there were birdies everywhere. There were sparrows, blue birds, robins and oodles of others.  A couple of years or so later, they were suddenly ALL gone, replaced by giant ravens.  The ravens were here for a couple of years then they were ALL gone.  Now there are only a few birds.  I'm very aware of the decline because they loved my yard and used to spend a great deal of time here.  I could look out the any window at any given time there would be twenty or so out there.  I hung out bird feeders, but the seed just ended up blown to the ground. The other day (when the weather was hot) I saw 3 or 4 pairs of some kind of bird looking for places to nest, and then they were gone.  Right back to no birds. I can't even recall the last time I saw a flock (is flock the right word?).

There are also no insects, rats or small animals left.  Haven't seen so much as a snail, moth, pincher bug or ant in ages.  There was one little millipede and one little white spider, but we're talking months here.  AND I live in a foothill area of desert that used to be home to every type of insect, and I mean EVERY type and oodles of them.  I can't even find a black widow and there have always been thousands living in the yard.  Every time I planned to touch something outside, I would check for the widows first. I don't kill them or anything else that chooses to live here so I was keenly aware of respecting them in order not to be bitten.

The only varmints left seem to be the moles (or gofers) and, of course, the termites.

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Re: Bird deaths

Found at Rense.com today:

Pigeons, Other Wild Birds Dying From H5N1 In Thailand
From Patricia Doyle, PhD
1-17-7

By Christian Nordqvist
MedicalNewsToday


Laboratory tests have confirmed that 4 pigeons died after becoming infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus strain, the most virulent one. The 4 birds were part of a group of wild birds [species?!] that suddenly died one month ago in the Suphan Buri province, Thailand. [For Suphan Buri, see Central Thailand, Western Region, in the interactive map at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Thailand>. - Mod.AS]

"We have asked all related officials to closely monitor the death of poultry and birds. Any people that have flu-like symptoms with a history of contacting poultry will be quarantined," said the director general of disease control, Thawat Suntrajarn.

Wild ducks have died of bird flu infection in the north of the country, say authorities. Poultry exports are an important part of the Thai economy; it is the 4th largest exporter of poultry in the world. Millions of people depend on poultry for their livelihood and sustenance.

_____


On 15 Jan 2007, a newswire entitled "Thailand has 1st bird flu outbreak in 6 months" was published in ProMED-mail posting 20070115.0193 (item 2). The said outbreak was officially notified by Thailand to the OIE on 15 Jan 2007, specifying the location in the province Phitsanulok (District Muang, subdistrict PlaiChumPol). According to the notification, the affected birds were layer Khaki Campbell ducks about 5 months old. They were free ranged for feeding in nearby rice fields during the day and housed by night. There is also the important activity of wild birds that feed together with the domestic flocks. The notification, including a map, is available at


http://oie.int/downld/AVIAN%20INFLUENZA … 1_2007.pdf

Thailand is reported to be conducting, from 3 Jan to 3 Feb 2007, its 1st intensive surveillance this year. This outbreak is the 1st finding in 2007. The current item suggests that the virus was circulating in December 2006 in central Thailand. - Mod.AS


Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
Univ of West Indies

Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message board at:
http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
Also my new website:
http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
Go with God and in Good Health

  • Registered: 2004-04-21

Re: Bird deaths

Update on the Austin bird deaths:

AUSTIN -- Three aviary pathologists at Texas A&M University have independently concluded that parasites and a 10-degree drop in temperature were to blame for the deaths last week of 63 birds in Austin that briefly sparked fears of a public health threat, a scientist said Thursday.

"We eliminated our biggest concern: that there was a toxin or something that might be transmitted to humans," said Dr. Lelve G. Gayle, the executive director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. "These birds were sick and stressed from parasites and then there was this sudden drop in temperature and that's what pushed them over the cliff."

The night the birds died, temperatures dropped from about 50 degrees to 40 degrees in six hours. The birds, which were mostly grackles, had parasites in their muscles, tissues and brains. None had food in their crops or gizzards, indicating they hadn't eaten in the previous 24 to 36 hours, Gayle said.

"We found no evidence that anyone should be concerned about a public health issue," Gayle said.

Police shut down a 10-block stretch of Congress Avenue in the heart of downtown Austin for several hours Jan. 8. The closure -- on the eve of the state's 80th legislative session -- came after the birds were found overnight along Congress between Sixth and Eighth streets. There were no reports of humans harmed.

http://tinyurl.com/2mtu6n

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Re: Bird deaths

From California:

Massive duck die-off
Tiffany Revelle
Record-Bee Staff
Record Bee
Article Last Updated:01/23/2007 07:06:19 AM PST

NORTH SHORE -- Another duck die-off hit the waters of Clear Lake this weekend, claiming 1,145 waterfowl as of 4 p.m. Experts are tentatively saying avian cholera is the culprit this time, pending lab confirmation.

Avian cholera affects birds so quickly that they have been known to sometimes literally drop out of the sky or die while swimming, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. Approximately 40 percent of the affected birds die; those who don't become carriers.

According to Record-Bee outdoor columnist Terry Knight, although all waterfowl are susceptible, the ruddy duck is Clear Lake's most common carrier. Approximately 3,000 ruddy ducks winter on Clear Lake, he added, which can easily turn into more than 10,000 in a matter of days.

Almost 230 dead ducks were picked up this weekend by the Department of Fish & Game, with some help from local residents. The birds, all ruddy ducks, washed up on the shoreline stretching along Highway 20 between Nice and Lucerne.

Crews on two air boats and a lead biologist from the North Central Region of the Department of Fish & Game arrived Monday afternoon to find about 350 more between Nice and Lucerne and 600 in Paradise Cove. Officials said most of them were ruddy ducks; a few mallards and gulls were also found dead.

Lake County Fish & Game Warden Lynette Shimek said she and the crews expect to work "however long it takes to get the birds cleaned up," possibly stretching into days.

Shimek added Monday night that anyone who finds dead waterfowl along the shoreline should not touch them or attempt to pick them up, but call DFG. Shimek can be reached at 275-8862.

"The birds have not been tested yet," said Shimek Monday morning. "So although this looks like cholera, we can't be guaranteed that that's what it is until they are tested."

So far five samples are ready to go to DFG's Wildlife Investigations Lab in Rancho Cordova, according to Associate Wildlife Biologist Paul Hofmann of the North Central Region of the Department of Fish & Game. There, they will undergo necropsy (the equivalent of a human autopsy for animals) and tested for a variety of diseases.

According to a Jan. 11 DFG press release about an avian cholera outbreak in Butte Sink less than 100 miles east of Lake County avian cholera die-offs usually happen during the winter months in California, especially during cold spells and fog.

Hofmann said outbreaks are usually ending about this time of year, and termed this outbreak "unusual." If avian cholera is to blame for the die-off, he said, it may have been aggravated by the recent cold snap.

"Stress and crowding is bad for people and birds," said Hofmann. "It's the same as with humans ... your resistance is low under stress."

As with any bird disease, said Hofmann, avian cholera is spread when birds concentrate in one area. He added that they tend to fly less and congregate more under stressful conditions.

The virus spreads through mucus when the birds are in close proximity to each other by sneezing, shaking their heads, grooming and pecking each other, and even through a spray emitted through their nostrils when they take off for flight, said Knight.

"You don't stop this," said Knight. "It runs its course, and then the birds leave," he said.

Hofmann noted that recent sunny skies and wavy conditions on the lake from high winds tend to break up mucus on the water surface, making for bad conditions for the spread of avian cholera. He further noted that the ruddy ducks will be heading north again in a couple of weeks.

Lake County saw close to 8,000 waterfowl die during an outbreak of avian cholera in January of 2004.

Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.

Source: http://www.record-bee.com/portlet/artic … siteId=255

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Re: Bird deaths

Soloflecks wrote:

AUSTIN -- Three aviary pathologists at Texas A&M University have independently concluded that parasites and a 10-degree drop in temperature were to blame for the deaths last week of 63 birds ...

"Say, Jed, shall we tell those morons that the birds died because of parasites, or because of cold weather?"

"I dunno, how about both COMBINED?  They'll eat that up, and they believe anything we tell 'em, anyhow."

12 Reply by Lakme (edited by Lakme 2007-01-28 18:01:20)

  • Registered: 2004-08-27

Re: Bird deaths

Hmmm...looks like the drum beat is going to get louder and louder in the mainstream and even in some of the so-called alternative media, for, I don't know, maybe the coming MANUFACTURED bird flu pandemic?   

They certainly would have to plant the seeds far and wide that REAL birds are dying off MYSTERIOUSLY all over the world from SOME UNDETERMINED SOMETHING OR OTHER now wouldn't they?...

And/or they can even throw in that it was/maybe is/ an industrial chemical, or was/ is or maybe was, THE DREADED so-called "avian flu" virus...Confusion will reign and "experts" will weigh in, but the real point in the end is to imprint on the public's mind that BIRDS are dying left and right. Then, hopefully fear and confusion will set in, and then?  Well, we can all guess that one.  No surprise there. 

"Did you read/have you heard that dead birds are turning up EVERYWHERE?" 

The seeds are planted.

Isn't it interesting that there's no widespread mention and hoopla in their news stories about let's say squirrels, or rabbits or ladybugs, "mysteriously" dying off.     No, just birds.  It's all about the birds. hmm.

Does SARS ring a bell?...

  • Registered: 2004-04-21

Re: Bird deaths

Ha ha, I felt that way, morningsun!  No matter what they say I'm going to be doubtful.  And still no word on any other other bird die-offs that were in the new around the same time. 

What about something like DU, Lakme.  I feel there's something missing from these scientific investigations.