SHOCK: Wildlife experts are baffled as to why nearly 2,000 reg-winged blackbirds fell from the skies over Beebe, Arkansas New Year's Eve. According to media reports, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens said the birds fell in an area about a mile long and a half-mile wide. An aerial survey has indicated that no other birds were found outside that narrow area. An examination of some of the carcasses will be carried out in laboratories in Arkansas, Georgia and Wisconsin. Results could come as early as next week.Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail." The commission also speculated that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress. SourceNo matter how you view this situation, it is a sad one and certainly not normal. Something caused these birds to die in this area. If the birds were hit by hail, wouldn't that be visible on their bodies? What is equally baffling is why thousands of dead fish were found in a stretch of the Arkansas River. Fireworks is highly unlikely in the deaths of the fish. It should be noted that only one type of fish died. Stay tuned. More to follow.
