BREAKING: Hundreds more dead birds reported in Texas

The Examiner ^ | January 6, 2011 | Howard Portnoy

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

A TV station in the East Texas town of Tyler reports that hundreds more dead birds have been discovered along the sides of a highway bridge. This news adds fresh fuel to a growing conundrum over the cause of hundreds of thousands of avian deaths in localities thousands of miles apart.

The station, KLTV, acknowledges that around 200 birds were found dead this morning on state highway 155. The birds, identified as American coots or mud-hens, are the first of this species to be cited in the recent spate of deaths. As with previous cases, the cause of death is not immediately apparent.

The Army Corps of Engineers office at Lake O' the Pines, the community where the birds were found, suggests that the birds may have been struck and killed by motor vehicles as the birds walked, roosted, or flew on and around the bridge. A spokesperson from that office claims to have witnessed similar phenomena on roadways and bridges in other parts of Texas and insists the incident is likely unrelated to the Arkansas situation.

Charlie Muller, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Administration, notes that bird deaths, while not uncommon, seldom occur in numbers this large. As to the likely cause of death, Muller speculates:

The birds could have been spooked by a boat coming through that area, [or by] a bird of prey such as a bald eagle.

These explanations, while reasonable, would do more to quell rampant concerns over the deaths if the occurrences were isolated. However, they are not. Texas now becomes the fourth state—after Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kentucky—to experience mass bird deaths, which have now also been reported on another continent, Europe.

[Anima Mundi]

...And TYLER too! A murder of crows?

[Dallas59]

BUSH!

[TribalPrincess2U]

No No, not my little coots. We feed them and the ducks at the park lake everyday. Maybe they’ll be safe if they stay there.

[Bernard Marx]

Tyson’s report MILLIONS of dead chickens!

So does KFC!

[ArmyTeach]

Any possible correlation with the New Madrid fault line?

[GOPJ]

You’re right - it is getting weird.

[JoeProBono]

[TribalPrincess2U]

No No, not my little coots. We feed them and the ducks at the park lake everyday. Maybe they’ll be safe if they stay there.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Smithsonian bird curator says its no big deal.

But is he a democRAT? They lie, you know.

[central_va]

I would love to see hundreds of dead cackles in my back yard!

You talking about those mean black birds all over Texas that make that bizarre sound?

[TribalPrincess2U]

Is that a gull?

OMG, the birds are not waiting for the french fries to fall on the ground. LOL

Kudos for the person who got that on video!

[Mr. Jazzy]

Concierge:Who d'ya want? Leo Bloom: I beg your pardon? Concierge: Who d'ya want? Nobody gets in the building unless I know who they want. I'm the "concierge". My husband used to be the "concierge", but he's dead. Now I'M the "concierge". Max Bialystock: We are seeking Franz Liebkind. Concierge: Oh... the Kraut! He's on the top floor, apartment 23. Max Bialystock: Thank you... Concierge: ...But you won't find him there... he's up on the roof with his boids. He keeps boids. Dirty... disgusting... filthy... lice-ridden boids. You used to be able to sit out on the stoop like a person. Not anymore! No, sir! Boids!... You get my drift? Leo Bloom: We... uh... get your "drift". Thank you, madam. Concierge: I'm not a "madam"! I'm a "concierge"!

I will be the Concierge did it!

[TribalPrincess2U]

Loud SOBs

[bareford101]

you got it! anywhere, any restaurant/grocery store that smells of food attract them... and they are SO noisy!!! sitting in trees and making that sound!

Austin especially has them....

[cripplecreek]

And I happen to know he’s telling the truth from my own experience and observation. On the farm, we called them fertilizer and plowed them under.

[OrangeHoof]

No lack of birds sitting on phone lines and power lines around here.

[foundedonpurpose]

Less Nessman, newscaster extraordinaire strikes again!

or- it’s that darned debt ceiling again!

[JouleZ]

Most of the past cases of this have been some sort of bird flu.

***

Fish don’t die of the bird flu and lots of fish are also dead. Those birds in Arkansas had mortal wounds. Unusual, to say the least.

[Snykerz]

We all need an answer from the govenment and we need it NOW! This is BS about fireworks etc. And why has this not been on the news? Please contact your local news station and demand they put it on! It’s time to take a stand!

[Free Vulcan]

Did someone say dead birds?