Did you know, an estimated 1.5 million Lapland Longspurs (pictured) died together in Minnesota and Iowa? It was back in March 1904. A great storm brewed and reports say the weather is what killed all those birds in a mass death scenario.
That's a small consolation to anyone who still feels grief over all the red wing blackbirds (and starlings) that are reported to have died here recently down in Louisiana and Arkansas. Nobody knows the cause.
This report, tells a more horrific tale of how frequently massive bird deaths happen. (Not at all common).
I'm really glad my friend Arawn shared the above article with me. I still think some of things that are recorded in that piece are RIDICULOUSLY STUPID. Beyond the 1904 scenario, these recent events look like one of the largest migrating bird kills on record (and they did NOT happen due to some horrific natural storm).
I hope nobody takes Paul Slota's statement (he's a spokesperson for the USGS National Wildlife Health Centers) and becomes complacent or supposes we might not have ANY kind of responsibility for killing so many animals. Paul said: "I think people should be aware that mortality events in wildlife are normal. They are a fact of life."
It makes me want to ask Paul Slota if I shoved a fire cracker up his ass -- would he still consider it a "fact of life?" (The article seems to insist that fireworks on New Year's Eve is what killed the birds.)
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