Birds fall from the sky and fish wash up on shores. Although in small quantities these natural occurrences are not unusual, the sheer volume of events is worrisome.
Growing Number of Dead Birds and Fish
At this time, there is growing concern that the numbers of dead birds and fish may point to environmental factors that may soon affect other species. Currently there are about 500 dead birds in Louisiana, 5,000 birds in Arkansas as well as reports of numerous dead birds in Kentucky.
Roughly 100,000 dead fish are littering the shores of the Arkansas River and the dying marine life in Chesapeake Bay is measured in the tens of thousands. While overly cold water and perhaps diseases are being blamed for the fish deaths, loud noises from fireworks are thought to be the culprits for the bird deaths.
Theories suggest that the birds got startled by the loud sounds, flew off their roosts in the dark, collided with objects and died from blunt force trauma.
Remember the Mysterious California Brown Pelican Deaths?
The dead birds and fish give rise to numerous theories and not everyone believes that the high number of dead birds can be explained with just a few fireworks. Even so, sudden mysterious die-offs are not as rare as the public might believe. Cases in point were the adult California brown pelicans that began littering the state's coastline in 2009.
It is normal for approximately 80 percent of chicks to starve, but adults are not usually subject to mass die-offs. Disoriented and weakened, the birds ceased to fish and lost significant amounts of weight. Theories at the time supported a possible poison ingested from affected marine life.
Dead Fish Affected by Natural Toxins
Pfiesteria piscicida is a well-known toxin that claims the lives of large quantities of marine life during algal blooms. Specifically in the estuaries of the southeastern United States there is concern that previously unexplained fish kills actually were caused by the presence of this organism. Interestingly, it only becomes active when the normal secretions of marine life exceed baseline levels. Absent this trigger event, the organism remains in a semi-dormant state.
Low Oxygen is another Culprit
Dead fish have also been blamed on verifiable hypoxic events that (in 2006) affected the Oregon coast. Influencing the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, persistent winds adversely affected the normal balancing of the water's chemical makeup. As a result, the coastal areas experienced about four months of low-oxygen waters that resulted in mass killings of sea stars, fish, crabs and other marine life.
As the investigation continues to determine what is causing the latest bout of dead birds and fish, residents of Arkansas keep their eyes open for more birds to fall from the sky.
