I don’t know about birds, but Asians see the oarfish as a herald of earthquakes (basically a giant herring).
I collected some articles about that as a joke for my niece who lives in LA. I “warned” her that LA is due for something in Dec 2011:
The first is an article about the “omen”, 1 year in advance of the big Japan quake (where nuclear reactor scrammed).
Second is about a volcano in Scandanavia
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/24/news/la-trb-ash-cloud-airline-waivers-20110524
Preceded one year by (yes, an oarfish washup)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,694654,00.html
and finally, an oarfish washes up in LA, Dec 2010.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/12/oarfish-malibu-deep-ocean-rare.html
So, if true, LA is due for something soon.
My husbands Aunt lives near San Francisco. She has always had a standard poodle for a pet. Back when the World Series quake happened, her doggie started nipping/pulling at her slacks....attempting to pull her out of the house. She took him out and within moments she saw whitecaps on her pool. During other quakes that dog also has helped and alerted her. When he crossed the Rainbow Bridge she adopted another Standard. She lives alone and truly believes that her dogs “know.”
After the Va quake this August, she texted us...and asked if our dogs “acted” up. Ours didnt...but our big boy is t the brightest. She was also the one who first mentioned Jim Berkland and his research to me