News: What killed the birds, the fish and the crabs?

Anyone aware of the birds above your head? I always do, because I know what will fall down if I walk below them -- whitish yellow, yellowish white, sticky and yucky. And my observation tells me that they poop not when they are flying, but when they are just about to fly or resting.

Anyway, who knows, it might be good for you and your skin?

But what falls from the sky these days, are not the droppings, but the birds. I have posted two articles from The New York Times below so you can read up a little if you have no idea what is happening to the skies of USA and Europe. But as usual, if you come to my blog, you will always find shortcuts to get to learn something. Here's a video summary, great production by kayak1969p.

If you have read my articles on Sherlock Holmes and House M.D., you know I like logics. So, the current evidence is, according to The New York Times articles, these birds didn't die of "viral or bacterial diseases, toxins or poisons"^[1]. Only trauma showed on the birds, but as to what led to the trauma, what level of trauma, was the trauma serious enough to kill the birds? There were no answers.

From the limited evidence we have, we can only think from what we know by common sense, but first, let's look through the claims again.

• Can the birds be killed by viruses or bacterias?

The answer should be no, because viruses and bacterias cannot kill all birds at the same time, same moment, there has to be some time delay in between each death. (But what if the birds did actually die at the same time?)

• Can the birds be killed by toxins or poisons?

Maybe closer for the time of death, but still can't kill all at the same time. So, unlikely. (But what if the birds did NOT die at the same time?)

• How about fireworks as mentioned in the newspaper?

Fireworks could explain their death at the same time, but there has to be either burn marks, traces of gun-powder, or traces of physical trauma on each and every bird. For instance, if the birds collided with each other and died, then there should be different DNAs on each bird; if the birds collided with walls, windows and buildings, then the walls and buildings should have blood or feather DNAs, and there should be walls, windows and buildings nearby in the first place. And because it looks more like "raining birds" and not all the birds dying at the same location, that is right next to the wall. So, unlikely.

How about the possibilities suggested by the National Post of Canada?

• Struck by Lightning?

Possible, but if so, then there should be records from the observatories of the towns in the US and Sweden, and lightning is rather easy to be recorded in fact. So, if it was lightning, I guess the news reports will say that it was due to lightning. And burn marks would be obvious if this is the case. So, unlikely.

• Sucked up in convection current? Hit by hail?

This is harder to prove, because weather observatories usually monitor wind of large scale, small scale winds are much harder to detect. Still, if the birds are frozen by the cold current or hit by hail, then eyes of the birds should show differences. If the birds were really frozen, their eyes should appear dryer than usual, as compared with trauma deaths.

• Could it be a human factor?

Also possible, for example, a mad John Doe hates birds and went catching birds with huge nets. After catching them, murdering them, then use some means to distribute the dead birds from the sky.

Listen to what Arkansa State Veterinarian has to say:

Looks like we still need to wait for more info.

Vocabulary:
trauma --  (n) [C or U]

specialized (a) severe injury, usually caused by a violent attack or an accident

trace -- (n) [C] a very slight amount

Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzjLlqIuVhI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8n6EU0bSB4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3CSaD_QuO0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qzv1jqIA4w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSvTskKanBY&feature=related

For Arkansas Blackbirds, the New Year Never Came @ The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/us/04beebe.html

[1] Mass Animal Deaths: An Environmental Whodunit @ The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/weekinreview/09gorman.html

Books & Movie & Drama: Sherlock Holmes VS House M.D. @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-movie-drama-sherlock-holmes-vs.html

Loud noises may have caused Arkansas bird deaths @ National Post of Canada
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/01/03/mass-bird-deaths-puzzle-arkansas-town/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/trauma_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/trace_4