Tag Archives: arkansas

Worldwide Wildlife Mortality Events tracker & Rusty Blackbirds

The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) Wildlife Health Centertracks worldwide wildlife mortality events and makes the information they gather available to the public in an easily accessible format. I was relieved to see news sources finally turning to them for a broader perspective on the recent cluster of bird mortality events.

Unfortunately, while events such as the Blackbird deaths in Beebe, Arkansas draw a lot of hysterical speculation, species whose populations are dwindling toward extinction don’t often get a lot of splashy media attention. You may not be able to help ornithologists in Arkansas, but there’s something you can do to help the Rusty Blackbird, whose population has declined between 88 and 93% over the last four decades.

The National Zoo’s Migratory Birds Center’s Spotlight on Birds explains how you can help:

From January 29 through February 13, 2011, you can help scientists learn more about rusty blackbirds and where they spend their winters by participating in the Rusty Blackbird Blitz. Volunteers are asked to search for rusty blackbirds in any potentially suitable habitats and submit their observations via e-Bird.

Go read the whole Spotlight piece and read up on the Rusty Blackbird. Those little guys need your help!

“Illegal Fireworks Likely Cause of Massive Arkansas Blackbird Deaths”

[edited after issue resolved]

While I’m here, I ought to give you the latest on the Beebe, Arkansas bird deaths.Audubon Magazine is reporting that the recent incidents of large-scale bird deaths have very benign explanations. In the case of the New Year’s bird deaths in Arkansas, fireworks seem to be the most likely suspects.

Beebe residents aren’t likely to see a repeat of the freak event on the Fourth of July, the only other day the city allows fireworks. Blackbirds will be spread out on their individual nests then, instead of congregating in their winter roost.

It appears that similarly mysterious bird deaths in Louisiana around the same time are unrelated. “Initial findings indicate that these are isolated incidents that were probably caused by disturbance and disorientation,” says Greg Butcher, Audubon’s director of bird conservation.

The birds—red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, brown-headed cowbirds and European starlings—are abundant species that flock together in large nighttime roosts during the winter months. Roosts can contain from tens of thousands to 20 million individuals or more.

More as these stories evolve, because they’re interesting. Just not the end of the world. Probably.

Rain of birds?

Thousands of dead birds rained down from the sky in Arkansas and Louisiana recently. TBD’s John Metcalfe sat down with zoologist Gary Graves from the bird division of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to discuss some of the theories careening around the internet. UFOs? Violent weather events? Firework-induced panic and injuries? Graves weighed in on these theories and more.

A Bloomberg report explains that the most likely culprit in the Arkansas case were fireworks that were shot up minutes before the birds died.

Although speculation has run high that the recent fish deaths in Arkansas are somehow related to the bird deaths, this seems unlikely.

The birds were the second mass wildlife death in Arkansas in recent days. Last week, about 83,000 dead and dying drum fish washed up along a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River, about 100 miles west of Beebe. Wildlife officials say the fish deaths are not related to the dead birds, and that because mainly one species of fish was affected, it is likely they were stricken by an illness. Full test results could take up to a month.

As for a connection between the deaths of birds in two states on two different days, a bird conservation expert for the Audubon Society weighed in for ABC news:

While the deaths seem startling, a bird expert said these types of birds tend to roost at night in huge numbers, and a disturbance can easily cause some to be disoriented and collide with buildings or trees.
“It’s not surprising if it’s one or two events like this,” said Melanie Driscoll, director of bird conservation, Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Flyway, National Audubon Society. “These things happen.”

Ornithologists have been busy reminding the public that blackbirds roost together in massive numbers. According to the Cornell University Ornithologists, the birds can roost in flocks that number in the millions. A few thousand birds out of a flock that size is less apocalyptic sounding than early news reports made the event seem.

That’s not to say that the case is closed. Scientists continue to study the incidents and nothing has been ruled out yet (except probably the UFO stuff), so we’ll have follow-up on the story as it evolves.

In the meantime, can learn more about red-winged blackbirds at the world-renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s terrific All About Birds website.