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Originally posted by esteay812
reply to post by Cherry0
I am not certain if they were starlings. I am having a hard time thinking of what other birds flock in such large numbers.
I have the impression that there were several species, because I saw some cardinals, blue jays, and black birds as I scanned the trees in attempt to identify the general source of the noise.
I don't know whether they joined the flock or not, but it is probably unlikely multiple species would flock together. I am not certain of this, just a hunch.... birds of a feather, etc
Originally posted by StrangeOldBrew
Most, if not all, of the mass bird die offs are a result of the USDA's program to poison them. It is called "Bye Bye Blackbird", was disclosed on their website, and at one point they even had an estimated count of birds they have poisoned. The program is meant to reduce or eliminate the population of "pest" birds that are a (minor) threat to American crops, especially corn and wheat.
Regarding the "strange behavior", I'm not really sure that its that strange. Large flocks of birds are not that unusual, and there are a number of things that could attract them to a building or specific area, like a food source or a heat source.
Take a look at the trees in your area; are they fruit bearing trees? And I don't mean apples or oranges; I mean berry type fruits. This time of winter, food can sometimes be hard to come by for many animals, and food sources will often attract large numbers.
Black Ice
1.thin ice on roads: a thin, almost invisible, layer of ice formed when rain falls on a surface that is below freezing
Originally posted by Rezlooper
Originally posted by StrangeOldBrew
Most, if not all, of the mass bird die offs are a result of the USDA's program to poison them. It is called "Bye Bye Blackbird", was disclosed on their website, and at one point they even had an estimated count of birds they have poisoned. The program is meant to reduce or eliminate the population of "pest" birds that are a (minor) threat to American crops, especially corn and wheat.
Regarding the "strange behavior", I'm not really sure that its that strange. Large flocks of birds are not that unusual, and there are a number of things that could attract them to a building or specific area, like a food source or a heat source.
Take a look at the trees in your area; are they fruit bearing trees? And I don't mean apples or oranges; I mean berry type fruits. This time of winter, food can sometimes be hard to come by for many animals, and food sources will often attract large numbers.
planetsave.com...
Where's your link, please? You claim this was on their website, can you provide a link? If this is no secret, then why do they come up with so many excuses about the die-offs rather than just tell us they poisoned them?
We got tens of thousands of views last year on a few posts about mass bird deaths (mostly in Arkansas) and what possibly caused the deaths of these birds. There were many possible explanations. I read countless articles on the matter, and many more comments. While many ideas were put forward, none were definitive.
If only someone had asked the USDA….
Apparently, under the radar (so to speak), the information as to what was killing the birds was available for anyone to see. The birds were killed by the USDA. Here’s a screenshot of a USDA page documenting the agency’s work, showing
Why does the USDA kill these birds and other animals?
Take a guess!
Well, you know what USDA stands for, right? U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is killing off millions, or even hundreds of millions of animals to keep them away from farmers’ crops or the food their animals eat.
More from Earth-issues:
“A Nebraska farmer was apparently complaining that the starlings were defecating in his feed meal. The answer to this conundrum apparently isn’t to cover your feed meal but rather call the USDA and ask them to poison thousands of birds.
“The USDA complied, apparently agreeing this was a brilliant idea. So they put out a poison called DRC-1339 and allowed thousands of birds to feed on that poison.”
Read more at planetsave.com...
Planetsave (s.tt...)
Originally posted by Cherry0
So, I found this article about mass die-off for both birds and fish: Birds Dying
I know it doesn't answer the question about the strange activity. It has some interesting points but raises a lot of questions for me still. It's quite a mystery! At least for now.
Avicide Being Used in ND for Control of Blackbirds
September 1998
USDA's Wildlife Services had begun a project to bait blackbirds in 20 North Dakota counties using the avicide "DRC 1339." The necessary environmental assessment documentation was completed on August 27, thus allowing the agency to begin the baiting work under a special Section 24 state label.
Nine counties in South Dakota also have been selected for baiting. However, a Section 18 label is required for South Dakota before work can begin, and EPA had not issued a ruling as of the date this issue of The Sunflower went to press.
Baiting can be carried out only by trained Wildlife Service personnel. The process consists of knocking down a site (one-fourth to one-half acre) within a sunflower field. The bait - placed on rice kernels - is spread on the ground via an ATV-mounted applicator. A blackbird that consumes one seed will die in about 28 hours.