Weird weather - It's raining birds!

[Big Sarge]

BEEBE, Ark.-- Friday night, ringing in the New Year took on a whole different meaning for the citizens of Beebe. Around 11:30 p.m., enforcement officers with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began getting reports of dead black birds falling from the sky in the city limits of Beebe.

 

Officers estimated that over 1,000 birds had fallen out of the sky over the city before midnight. Most of the birds were dead, but some were still alive when officers arrived. The blackbirds fell over a one-mile area in the city. AGFC wildlife officer Robby King responded to the reports and found hundreds of birds. "Shortly after I arrived there were still birds falling from the sky," King said. King collected about 65 dead birds that will be sent to the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission lab and the National Wildlife Health Center lab in Madison, Wis.

 

The AGFC has flown over the area to gauge the scope of the event. There were no other birds found outside of the initial area.

 

AGFC ornithologist Karen Rowe said that strange events similar to this one have occurred a number of times across the globe. "Test results usually were inconclusive, but the birds showed physical trauma and that the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail," Rowe said.

 

Another scenario may have been that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area may have startled the birds from their roost. The birds may have died from stress.

 

Rowe said that it didn't appear as though the birds died of any poisoning or other event. "Since it only involved a flock of blackbirds and only involved them falling out of the sky it is unlikely they were poisoned, but a necropsy is the only way to determine if the birds died from trauma or toxin," she said. Testing will begin on Monday.

 

The City of Beebe has hired U.S. Environmental Services to begin the cleanup and dispose of the dead birds. The environmental firm will go door-to-door to pick up the birds that are still in yards and on roof tops.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Wow... how weird...!

 

Mebbe it's like the thing with the Hawaiian birds...

 

Hawaii Bird Crashes

[Complicated Lady]

Driving through the Arizona desert one summer a very eerie rain storm came up.

Next thing we knew it was raining frogs... yep thousands of little FROGS.

Wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't in the middle of it but since then I have read about more such strange storms.

[Apache Hawk 60642]

Well, at least it ain't rainin' cats & dogs !!!!

 

 

 

Oh man, dat wood be bad....yeah!!!

[Barterin Bill]

Another scenario may have been that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area may have startled the birds from their roost. The birds may have died from stress.

Looks like we don't need shotguns to bird hunt anymore. All we need is some fireworks to stress them out of the sky.

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

They were redwing black birds. Too bad, they's considered song birds around here........Buck

[Smoken D]

Not too far North from where this happened around the same time dead fish floated up in the water. There was also a small earthquak.

[Deja Vous]

So cats and dogs is possible??????

[Cash Duckett]

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are now saying that the birds were asleep and got woke up abruptly and all took off flying in the dark. Probably fireworks, it was new years eve. They can't see in the dark so they flew into stuff and hit the ground. Some got up and flew some more but hit other things and died. Several eye witnesses saw what was going on and some even got video of the event.

Cash