Animal and Bird Watch - Post Your Observations and Anomalies Here

[Dera]

When I went out this afternoon they were "chemming" us! They must have let half of the poison pilot dudes have the day off for the Super Bowl. It was only moderately heavy today, and we still had some lovely blue sky that they missed.

They just ain't got no respect, no way, no how for nuthin'!

[Judee]

2011-02-19
State/Prov.: State of Ohio,
Location: Lake Erie and the Maumee River,
City: Toledo

Wildlife officials say they have no idea what is killing thousands of ducks and geese along Lake Erie and the Maumee River. When they first discovered the trend a few weeks ago, only a few birds were infected. As of Friday, around 200 birds have been linked to the mystery illness. Infected birds simply throw their heads back and lose their motor skills before they die. No one knows how far it could spread. "This may be something that's not at all going to affect people, but it may be, and we need to figure it out to know what's going on," said Nature's Nursery's Laura Zitzelberger. So far, labs tests confirm that the birds did not die of the avian flu. State wildlife officials say they may never know what is causing the deaths, but that it could be a natural occurrence.

[Judee]

Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast
February 23, 2011


A woman walks the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in 2010. Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Some 17 baby dolphin corpses have been found along the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi in the past two weeks, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said.

"The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17, and February isn't even over yet," said Moby Solangi, director of the Gulfport, Mississippi-based institute.

"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born."

Solangi is awaiting results from a necropsy performed on two of the dolphins Monday to determine a cause of death.

But he called the high numbers an anomaly and said the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which unleashed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over three months, likely played a role.

Adult dolphin deaths tripled last year to 89 from a norm of about 30.

"We shouldn't really jump to any conclusions until we get some results," Solangi said. "But this is more than just a coincidence."

Dolphins breed in the spring -- around the time of the April 20 explosion that brought down the BP-leased drilling rig -- and carry their young for 11 to 12 months.

Birthing season goes into full swing in March and April.

The oil from the spill spread through the water column in massive underwater plumes and also worked its way into the bays and shallow waters where dolphins breed and give birth.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-...aked-gulf.html

[maryals]

Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast
February 23, 2011


A woman walks the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in 2010. Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Some 17 baby dolphin corpses have been found along the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi in the past two weeks, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said.

"The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17, and February isn't even over yet," said Moby Solangi, director of the Gulfport, Mississippi-based institute.

"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born."

Solangi is awaiting results from a necropsy performed on two of the dolphins Monday to determine a cause of death.

But he called the high numbers an anomaly and said the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which unleashed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over three months, likely played a role.

Adult dolphin deaths tripled last year to 89 from a norm of about 30.

"We shouldn't really jump to any conclusions until we get some results," Solangi said. "But this is more than just a coincidence."

Dolphins breed in the spring -- around the time of the April 20 explosion that brought down the BP-leased drilling rig -- and carry their young for 11 to 12 months.

Birthing season goes into full swing in March and April.

The oil from the spill spread through the water column in massive underwater plumes and also worked its way into the bays and shallow waters where dolphins breed and give birth.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-...aked-gulf.html

This is more than heartbreaking

Mary and Baby

[Mest Lover]

I have often thought that birds get high from telephone lines.

They always hang out on them in huge numbers like going to a bar.

I figure the magnetic flux passing through the wires tweeks the possible magnetic compasses in their brains.

[Judee]

Droves of bald eagles dropping from skies in Canada
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Bald eagles in the Comox Valley of British Columbia, Can., are having a difficult time finding food these days. A recent report in The Province explains that the birds are literally starving and falling from the sky, adding to the string of strange animal events that has occurred in numerous places around the world in the past few months (http://www.naturalnews.com/031041_a...).

"This is the most we have ever had," said Maj Birch, manager of the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, concerning the excessive number of starving and dying eagles the group has seen in recent days. "Many of them are downed before they are brought in. They are on the ground and they're too weak to fly away. Some of them are actually falling out of the sky."

According to reports, the center has taken in roughly 20 bald eagles since the beginning of the year, many of them severely malnourished, lacking body fat, laden with parasites, and generally in poor health. And while a certain number of them normally end up in the center every year, the rate thus far in 2011 is abnormal.

Bald eagles in the region typically feed on chum salmon because the fish are rich in necessary oils and fats that help keep the birds sustained throughout the winter. But experts believe that poor stocks of chum salmon last year have left the birds without enough food this year, which has driven many of them to local landfills to scavenge through the trash.

"If they can't find the carrion (meat), they go to the dump, and the problem with the dump ... is you get a lot of poisoning," said Robin Campbell from the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington, to The Province.

Experts say the lack of chum salmon is likely due to pollution and overfishing, as well as recent heavy rains that allegedly washed many of the dead salmon out to sea. But the precise reason for the salmon shortage and the rise in eagle starvation rates is not specifically clear.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Sta...
http://www.naturalnews.com/031559_ba...tarvation.html

[Judee]

Millions of dead fish at King Harbor in Redondo Beach [Updated]
March 8, 2011 | 10:11 am



Dead fish float inside King Harbor.

Authorities in Redondo Beach are investigating what killed millions of fish over the last day at King Harbor Marina.

Fish, including anchovies, sardines and mackerel were floating lifeless in Basins 1 and 2 of the north side of King Harbor Marina.

Dead Fish Mystery

"There’s basically fish everywhere you go in the harbor," said the harbor's assistant manager, Jason McMullin, who added that there were reports that a red tide may have driven the fish into the harbor in massive numbers where they died because of limited oxygen.

Redondo Beach public works officials were dispatched to the harbor to investigate further but did not have immediate comment.
fsnb.jpg

The fish were attracting huge flocks of seagulls and other birds.

[Updated at 12:15 p.m.: Redondo Beach officials said initial assessments suggest oxygen depletion in the King Harbor basins caused the massive fish die-off.

City Manager Bill Workman said city officials with the help of marine experts would help determine if there was any environmental issue involved. Tests are now being performed on the water as officials begin removing the dead fish, which city officials estimated to be in the millions.

“There are no visible signs of any toxins that might have caused [the die-off] and our early assessment is that this was oxygen depletion,” Workman said. “This is similar to what we experienced five years ago but that was distinctly a red tide event but there’s no discoloration of the water, no associated foaming in the waves, Workman said. “There are no oil slicks or leaking of substances into the water.”

Workman noted that the harbor had been teeming in recent weeks with bait fish that even after their deaths “had no signs of degradation.”]

The pictures are Amazing. Link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...ng-harbor.html

[Judee]

Whales stranded on Bruny [New Zealand]
March 17, 2011

WILDLIFE staff will attempt to refloat 10 surviving pilot whales among a pod which are stranded on a South Bruny Island beach.

The whales are among about 30 which were beached late this afternoon.

Department of Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said scientists were confident the whales would survive the night in cool conditions and an attempt to save them would happen when there was enough light, probably some time between 7-7:30pm.

Spokeswoman Liz Wren said about 12 of the whales were still alive when Parks and Wildlife arrived to help the stranded mammals.

It is understood workers from salmon farm company Tassal were also on the beach helping.

The whales are stranded on Butlers Beach on the northern tip of Larbillardiere Peninsula adjacent to Partridge Island.

http://www.themercury.com.au/article...ania-news.html

[Judee]

Were these whales reacting to electromagnetic changes from the huge Japan quake?

Saturday, March 19th 2011 -
Falklands reports grounding of a pod of 400 pilot whales

A record grounding of an estimated 400 pilot whales was reported this week in the Falkland Islands.

Hundreds of dead pilot whales along the shores of Speedwell Island and thousands of petrels enjoying the unexpected feast (Photo Chris May) Hundreds of dead pilot whales along the shores of Speedwell Island and thousands of petrels enjoying the unexpected feast (Photo Chris May)

A baby pilot whale (Photo Chris May) A baby pilot whale (Photo Chris May)

The pod of whales apparently died after becoming stranded on the uninhabited Speedwell island to the south west of East Falkland and were discovered by Christopher May a local sheep farmer.

Chris May told Mercopress he discovered the stranded whales around 12 March when he visited his sheep farm on Speedwell Island to the south of East Falklands.

He estimated that they had been dead for around 10 days, when he discovered the unaccountable incident which scientists have long attempted to diagnose.

He twice counted the whales and reached 400 each time.

Chris May said that unusually many of them were 'floating' dead in the water.

The larges of the whales were between 20-25 feet and the smallest around 5 feet in length.

There are now thousands of giant petrels enjoying the unexpected feast and it will provide food for them for several months.

Chris May also said that as the whales are beginning to decompose the smell is becoming unbearable.

A team from Falklands Conservation was scheduled to visit the island to gather information and make a report on the situation.

Speedwell Island has an area of 51.1 square kilometres and is about 17.5 kilometres long from north to south and 5 km wide at its central part.

It is generally low lying and has been used as a sheep farm for more than a hundred years. It is separated from Lafonia (East Falklands) by the Eagle Passage, which takes its name from Speedwell Island's old name.

The island is the largest of the Speedwell Island group, which includes George Island, Barren Island and Annie Island.

http://en.mercopress.com/2011/03/19/...0-pilot-whales

[Judee]

2011-06-24

Event: Biological Hazard
Location: Uruguay Departmento de Rocha La Paloma

More than 600 dead Magellan penguins have washed up on Uruguayan beaches in recent weeks, along with an unusually high number of turtle, dolphin and albatross carcasses. Some have blamed chemical contamination for the deaths. But the director of Uruguay’s National Aquatic Resources Administration said that since most of the dead penguins were juveniles, he believes the fatalities were due to natural causes. Daniel Gilardoni told reporters that “if it had been intoxication, the dead penguins should have been of all ages and sex, but that is not the case.” Gilardoni also said that almost a million penguins migrate along the country’s Atlantic coast each year, including more than 500,000 juveniles. Other experts say it is common for dead penguins to appear in the area at this time of year, but the extent of the die-off this season appears to be unusual.

[maryals]

"Natural causes"? Huh? Perhaps it was something that effected only the juveniles but how can it be "Natural"? A genetic defect isn't natural, for example, if that's what it was.
If the animals were confused by a fluctuating magnetic field, I guess that could be called "natural". No, I'm having a real hard time wrapping my brain around the "Natural Causes" explanation.

MaryAlice and Baby

[Judee]

"Natural causes"? Huh? Perhaps it was something that effected only the juveniles but how can it be "Natural"? A genetic defect isn't natural, for example, if that's what it was.
If the animals were confused by a fluctuating magnetic field, I guess that could be called "natural". No, I'm having a real hard time wrapping my brain around the "Natural Causes" explanation.

MaryAlice and Baby

I know how you feel Mary. My uneducated guess would be starvation due to the massive disruptions taking place in the world's oceans these days. The food chain has been broken.

[Judee]

2011-07-06
Continent: Middle-East
Country: Israel
State/Prov.: Haifa,
Location: Hadera Power Plant (?),


Description:
A swarm of jellyfish is threatening a power plant in Israel. The facility in Hadera uses sea water for cooling off purposes but huge numbers of jellyfish have been sucked into the cooling system. Israel's Electric Corp, which runs the plant, has warned entire cities could be left without power if the problem persists. Nachum Plaumbaum, a worker at the plant, explained how the jellyfish could stop the power plant from functioning.