tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583590687956540859.post2400149630899781721..comments2024-01-18T00:18:10.209-08:00Comments on Xenophilia (True Strange Stuff): More than 1,000 blackbirds fall out of Arkansas skyXenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04080841307174630996noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6583590687956540859.post-71861410591783473092011-01-04T13:28:55.000-08:002011-01-04T13:28:55.000-08:00This was reported on January 3rd. Although this re...This was reported on January 3rd. Although this report says 1,000 birds were found dead, other reports say the number was around 3,000.<br><br>Two days earlier, January 1st, this was reported:<br> <br>"Massive fish kill blankets Arkansas River" (CNN) - near the town of Ozark 125 miles west of the massive bird kill of Beebe. <br><br>Then, one day later, January 4th:<br><br>"Another large bird kill reported, this time in Louisiana" (Brett Michael Dykes, Yahoo.com) - 500 red-wing blackbirds and starlings were found dead. <br><br>But, hey, don't worry, because this same (Jan. 4th) article says all these critters died of "natural causes":<br><br>"Officials in Arkansas say that the thousands of dead birds and fish discovered there over the weekend died of natural causes." <br><br>And, if you dare suspect anything else ... well, you're labeled, as implied in the last sentence of the article: <br><br>"As you might expect, others are insinuating that something more sinister is going on."<br> <br>Yahoo.com, the source of the Jan. 4th article, also has, coincidentally, an article from NY Daily News entitled: <br><br>"Natural causes blamed in deaths of thousands of birds, fish in Arkansas" (by Michael Sheridan and Lukas I. Alpert, Jan. 4th)<br><br>This article describes the "natural" causes as (Capitalizations are mine for emphasis):<br><br>" ...[about the bird deaths]....it MAY BE that nothing more nefarious than severe weather that night was the cause." <br><br>And<br><br>"Other explanations COULD BE New Year's fireworks causing birds to lose their way, OR poisoning." <br> <br>Although ... <br><br>"Many of the birds APPEARED TO HAVE injuries consistent with hitting the ground, ... IT IS NOT CLEAR if they were already dead when they landed, officials said."<br><br>As for the fish...<br><br>"IT APPEARS that IT COULD BE a disease, because it just affected one species ... WE DON'T BELIEVE it's environmental, because it would have killed a lot of other fish, ... " <br><br>The phrases "may be," "it could be," "it appears" etc., doesn't seem to indicate anyone is really sure what killed the birds or fish. <br><br>But, HEY! don't worry, the critters were killed by "natural causes," even though no one is really sure! <br><br> -- -- - - <br><br>One may note, however, because of its place in the food chain and unlike other fish species, the fish in the massive kill in the town of Ozark was the freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens)and it is susceptible to lipophilic pollutants such as PCBs and Benzene. So, one shouldn't necessarily rule out environmental causes for the kill.Annnoreply@blogger.com