Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bird Deaths in Arkansas Misreported and blamed on Fireworks

Fireworks Not the Cause of Massive Bird Deaths in Arkansas
Three independent laboratory test results on redwing blackbirds that died in Beebe, Arkansas neighborhood show the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The testing was conducted by Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Arkansas Live Stock and Poultry Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center. The test reports revealed hemorrhaging consistent with blunt trauma and ruled out other factors.
The investigation also showed that these birds were part of a massive flock of redwing blackbirds near the neighborhood that totaled over 1.6 million birds. The flock of redwing blackbirds was so large that Sidney Gauthreaux from Clemson University could track the roost movements in radar display images.
According to the radar display images the birds started flying at roof top level around 10:30 p.m. A second flight was reported around 11:30 p.m. It is estimated that the birds fell before midnight on December 31st.
Blackbirds have poor night vision and typically do not fly at night. It is not typical behavior to have the roost flying at 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
The number of birds dying in this roost is not unusual. Traumatic die-offs are common in animals that congregate or travel in large groups. In the Beebe, Arkansas instance the number of birds dying at this particular event was less than ½ of 1%.
Records kept by the U.S. Geological Survey lists at least 16 events over the past 30 years which 1,000 or more blackbirds or starlings died en masse. History is replete with large en masse die-offs of animals in large groups. According to the USGS, mortality events like this in wildlife are normal and a "fact of life". These birds did not fall out of the sky as dead carcasses they flew from the sky and hit something causing their death.
In most instances, such traumatic injuries in wild birds are due to flying into stationary objects. It is rather expected and there is nothing mysterious about these types of events occurring in the wild. The most remarkable aspect of this event in Beebe, Arkansas was the size of the roost initially. What caused the birds to fly around at night has not been determined and cannot be determined. Reports of loud noises before the birds started flying are unsubstantiated. Generally firework activities around New Years are concentrated at around midnight which would have been approximately an hour and a half which was long after the flock was moving.
It is absolutely irresponsible to insinuate that fireworks had any important or significant impact in the cause of these deaths. It is pure speculation that the deaths of these starlings are related in any way to fireworks.