News -> INDReporter FRI, JAN 7 11:53AM by Walter Pierce

Sorry, wackadoos, mass die-offs are common

Pouring a little cold water on the conspiratorial fire recently doused with the fuel of a few thousand dead birds and fish, the Associated Press is reporting today that mass die-offs of animals occur with regularity and, although some elude ready scientific understanding, are virtually always unrelated and attributable to disease or pollution. The sun will not turn black as sackcloth nor the moon red as blood.

Indeed, several thousand blackbirds fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve, a few hundred died near Baton Rouge on the heels of that and, most recently, mass bird deaths were reported from Kentucky and Sweden. And let’s not forget the 2 million fish recently found bobbing in Chesapeake Bay, the 40,000 belly-up crabs in Britain or the 150 tons of dead red tilapia in Vietnam.

As the media glom onto these events and conspiracy theorists connect the dots — and it’s 2012 no less, the year the Maya, who couldn’t outlive their own calendar, predicted the world would end — talk of chemtrails, secret military operations, UFOs and even an angry God is amplified.

But, scientists say, it’s just nature — bacteria, viruses and other ailments easily transmitted among organisms that live in both close quarter and large numbers — or man-made pollution squeezing the ghosts from these delicate creatures:

In the past eight months, the [United States Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin] has logged 95 mass wildlife die-offs in North America and that’s probably a dramatic undercount... The list includes some 900 turkey vultures that seemed to drown and starve in the Florida Keys, 4,300 ducks killed by parasites in Minnesota, 1,500 salamanders done in by a virus in Idaho, 2,000 bats that died of rabies in Texas, and the still mysterious death of 2,750 sea birds in California.

On average, 163 such events are reported to the federal government each year, according to USGS records. And there have been much larger die-offs than the 3,000 blackbirds in Arkansas. Twice in the summer of 1996, more than 100,000 ducks died of botulism in Canada.

The more likely explanation for the perceived rash of die-offs is simple — an application of Occam’s Razor, if you will: electronic media, especially the Internet and TV, raise awareness of these events. Recall the summer of 2001 and the terrifying rash of sharks attacking swimmers. The story dominated the news for weeks. Then, on Sept. 11, terrorists attacked America and the shark attacks abruptly ended.

Read the full AP story here.


Walter Pierce
About the author:


Comments (32)add
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written by popopants , January 07, 2011 - 05:01 pm
wow the art of lieing..make me feel like im doin my job
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 05:13 pm
Occam's Razor would suggest that birds don't fly in a horizontal line and run into power lines. Occam's Razor would suggest that millions of birds across the US would die on the 4th of july. Occam's Razor would suggest that these events would happen very often because the internet didn't just come out this year..... you see where im going with this? Occam's Razor would suggest you are a sheeple that believes whatever is told.
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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 05:33 pm
Actually, PB B, I'm a sheeple who trusts science.
And shouldn't that be sherson?
Did you actually read the story? These events do happen very often -- 163 on average each year in the U.S. alone. That's one every 2.2 days.
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 06:23 pm
Well at least you admit youre a sheeple. That's the first step.

Next, you need to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
I should have explained when I said "events" but what I wrote after that would also imply what i'm about to explain. The "event" would be the internet media buzz that's going on. Internets been around for years and years, yet only now we have something this big enveloping the internet. Does that help?

Sorry buddy, but science does not explain everything that's going on. I could reel off 100's of science mistakes and contractions. Have you heard of the magnetic poles shifting towards russia? Tampa airport shutting down flights to change #'s on runways? Chile expericed earthquakes and then fish and birds died, same thing happened in Arkansas.

Explain the overlapping correlations in a way that makes sense and I'll believe you. Connect the dots and you'll be famous, but I guarantee you won't be able to and the mainstream media and the "authorities" won't either. Just look deeper into things instead of propagating propaganda.
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written by Honestly curious , January 07, 2011 - 06:48 pm
I think it's worth pointing out that the Arkansas die-off and today's report of turtle doves in Italy involve simultaneous death of these large numbers of animals. Most of the examples that you cited in your article are obviously not simultaneous. Starvation, infections, and illness all take time.

That being said, bear in mind that not everyone who is alarmed by this thinks it's the end of the world.
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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 07:18 pm
PB B,
You're not coming to your own conclusions; you're coming to the conclusions of conspiracy theorists.
Why not a natural cause for these phenomena? Why must it be black helicopters, supernatural agents or whatever you ascribe them to?
You haven't, by the way, delineated what you believe is behind the die-offs. You've only resorted to the threadbare tactic of freepers: open your eyes, connect the dots, the mainstream media are bad, the government is out to get me, etc etc.
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 08:13 pm
WALTER PIERCE!!!!!!

The poles shift towards russia and the tampa airport is not conspiracy! just google it, National geographic has an article on it.... I hope those scientist are credible enough for someone who only believes scientist.. google Tampa airport! Fox news had "experts" on air talking about it.

The difference between people like me and you is I do thorough research and never come to complete conclusions without thorough evidence. You, at a drop of a dime believe everything youre told! If you did any small amount of research you'd of known about the pole moving. But you obviously haven't... and that's mainstream scientist(the kind you only believe in).
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 08:21 pm
Here, because i'm a nice guy. Recent news articles of Tampa airport and NG articles on pole shifting due to core flux.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/1975752/ magnetic_pole_shift_forces_runway_closure_at_florida_ai
rport/

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/07/magnetic-north-pole-shift-affects-tampa-airport/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1215_051215_north_pole.html

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ends-of-the-earth-pole-shift-2
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written by Steve Smith , January 07, 2011 - 08:33 pm
I am convinced that in the near future scientist and geologist will soon agree. There is a fault that runs right through the Arkansas, Louisiana area all the way through Canada and Greenland. Being even slightly active could most certainly cause a methane or some other gaseous disruption. Most assuredly could cause an epidemic just like what is happening. Gases in the water would assuredly have an effect on aquatic life. Gases releasing in the sky could affect migrating or even local birds. Especially birds that congregate together as these red wing blackbirds do. Faults have caused epidemics in the past. Lakes turning red and so forth. This is simply my opinion and I have no proof, Just an opinion.

Do you remember asteroids hitting Jupiter a few months ago and scientist are wondering what force is disturbing all of our planets. Conspiracy theorists are predicting that planet x is approaching and pulling the earth’s gravity, which will soon equate to a pole shift in 2012. Hence the earth’s crust moving, causing earth quakes and releasing gases that are killing birds and fish everywhere.

They might be crazy, but if I see a new sun (The planet the scientist have been looking for since 1983 http://www.morningliberty.com/...lanetx.jpg
) in May this year, I’m heading to the mountains.

If you really want to get lost for awhile checkout www.dec21.org

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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 08:36 pm
PB B,
This is an excerpt from the NG article you were kind enough to provide a link to:

The shift is likely a normal oscillation of the Earth's magnetic field, Stoner said, and not the beginning of a flip-flop of the north and south magnetic poles, a phenomenon that last occurred 780,000 years ago.

Such reversals have taken place 400 times in the last 330 million years, according to magnetic clues sealed in rocks around the world. Each reversal takes a thousand years or more to complete.

"People like to think something special is happening in their lifetimes, but despite the dramatic changes, I don't see any evidence of it," Stoner said. "It's probably just a normal wandering of the pole."
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 08:36 pm
Sorry you wanted my theory.. My best guess if I had to say one right now is either the pole shift thing which is logical or my own theory.

My theory is a massive cooling. The air and sea are both body's, just one is denser than the other. The historical patterns these currents make in air and sea are much cooler than usual. The birds fly into them or occasionally it dips down to their level and simply freezes them. Same with the fish. Oh, but how does that fit in with the fish in a river in Arkansas? I'm not sure, my only guess would be the same super cooled water is also subterranean, below ground, which that river gets its water from(but that's just a guess based on my theory which has absolutely no scientific backing). It would also explain the suggested possible death by hypoxia in Sweden.

I know enough not to just believe everything im told and I draw the best conclusions I can given the lack of information were being givin.

Occam's Razor would suggest it's not fireworks killing everything.
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written by Walter , January 07, 2011 - 08:39 pm
Murder is common. Should we not worry about it? Just because it is common is not an indicator not to worry, in fact it may be just the opposite. I lose far less sleep over random occurences. It is the common ones that keep me up at night.
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 08:44 pm
Walter...
I know what that article says I sent you the link. The point is, this would explain more than fireworks... I never said anything about the earth turning upside down ;)
This type of thing can cause massive wildlife disruptions(like we're experiencing, and enough for the airport to change it's runways)


Steve Smith...
To the best of my recollection, the New Madrid fault lies through Arkansa and is what has caused the recent quakes there.
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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 08:52 pm
PB B,
Thanks for sharing your theory. You've clearly mischaracterized me: I don't believe everything I'm told. In fact, I'm downright skeptical.
But I do trust my auto mechanic to understand my car, my dentist to be a specialist in teeth and so on.
And I trust mainstream, degreed, reputable climatologists, biologists, geologists, physicists, etc., to have the best understanding of the natural world around us. I don't have expertise in those fields. They do.
And when Joe Stoner, the paleomagnetist at Oregon State University quoted in the NG article, says the pole shift is likely "just a normal wandering of the pole," I'm inclined to believe him.
And when the scientists quoted in the AP article that this blog was originally about say mass die-offs of animals are common, I'll go with that.
What is the source material you used to arrive at your "massive cooling" theory?
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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 08:56 pm
I'm having trouble keeping up here, PB B. This is in response to your most recent comment above:
I get where you're coming from, but if the mass die-offs of animals occur with regularity and have been for a long time, the phenomena would overlap periods when the earth's magnetic poles are stable and where they should be.
Maybe the pole shifts have an effect, maybe not.
The whole point of the blog was to challenge claims that the end times are upon us.
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 09:32 pm
I don't have any scientific and didn't read anything that helped me come to my theory, as stated above. I just think it makes a lot more sense than fireworks.

My assumptions come from limited knowledge on what ecologist study and keep track of. For example, I don't believe they keep track of the temperature from ocean floor water and don't keep track of the air temperature from all heights. Therefore they could easily miss this cooling. It's a pure guess but like I said makes more sense than fireworks and it can account for most if not all of the happenings I believe. The idead just came to me because it was rational. It fits everything. I could just as easily be dead wrong.

I hear you about the end times thing. I don't necessarily think it means the end is near, but I do believe it could be a sign of things to come. The way I see it, whether you believe in the end times or not, people inherently create the reality they believe. Therefore, if the majority of people believe in an end times, they'll create it. I'm a skeptic to everything because my thoughts are controlled by logic and rationale. But the things I have been researching lately defy what I once thought due to rational and logical conclusions. That's scary for someone who has always prided himself on Occam's Razor. Just keep a watch out Walter, there's more to come.
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written by LookSomeThings , January 07, 2011 - 09:47 pm
Walter: Yeah, dude, you should have done your own research for this. There were thousands of birds; surely you could have gotten your hands on ONE and run a couple standard tests in the IndLab. Such irresponsible journalism. lol, who ever heard of turning to sources?

PB B's got the right idea. Trust your gut. And arbitrarily mention "fireworks" a few times.
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written by CommonCents , January 07, 2011 - 11:08 pm
Thank you Walter Pierce for providing this little article. People are very gullible and I'm glad some of us have the courage to challenge mass hysteria and superstitious cretins in this world. However, the thread here just demonstrates something I've known for quite some time; arguing with Conspiracy Nuts/Truthers/Zeitgeistists is equivalent to arguing with Neo-conservatives like Bill O'Reilly. In the end, names are called, logic is buried in the crawl space of ignorance, and said arguees resort to irrational rhetoric, confusing "interrelations," and never concede that their opinion is about as valid as Sarah Palin's take on things. It's a wonder that in the Information Age truly CREDIBLE source work/data has entered such a moribund state. Wikilinks is a prime example of how Americans perceive undistorted facts/data these days. An end at the hands of the Gaia Theory, religious zealots prohpecies, or cosmic shift may be welcome compared to the alternative of suffering the slow degeneration of our planet and apparently our brains as well!
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written by PB B , January 07, 2011 - 11:22 pm
CommonCents.........

Mass hysteria? People who are smart are critical of the government for obvious reasons. You apparently don't know anything. I'll give you an example, which is fact, so I hope you don't confuse fact with whatever it is you believe.

Look up "Dugway sheep incident." If you sheeple would actually educate yourself a bit you wouldn't sound so much like a 14 yr old learning new/big words and using them incorrectly. While i'm glad there will be people like you who will line up as soon as the government says so it's still my responsibility to try to help you see the big picture. While these incidences may be nothing, only a fool would not look further into it.
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written by Walter Pierce , January 07, 2011 - 11:35 pm
You walked right into that one, CommonCents.
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written by LookSomeThings , January 07, 2011 - 11:58 pm
I'll bet anyone in this thread $50 that PB B has snopes.com bookmarked.
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 08, 2011 - 04:53 am
I say it's Boudreaux's Law, If the sides are separated and if the sides want some they'll have to come in. Now you Koo-Koo's listen...the more compressed fluids are removed from the earths subsurface the more the earths plates will shift, well Hilda over at the Mermentau Lounge had a very interesting theory, (this is for all the Koo-Koo's who have a hard time putting all the pieces together or connecting, the dots,) Hilda said "If it don't fit, don't foce it . Now, you take Boudreaux's Theory, " If the sides want some they'll come in, then you combine his theory and Hilda's Theory, If it don't fit don't foce it. Now this is really heavy, ponder fodder. I spent much time studying theorys, and although I really much rather prefer to trust my senses, " Today, I saw a Teal Duck and A Mallard Duck, they were mating while in flight, it appeared and seemed to be an optical illusion, the Teal Duck seemed to be flying south and the Mallard Duck appeared to be flying north, Explain that to me PB B ?


*GA Walter, PB B actually referred to you as "gullible, methinks PB B and Lafayette Native are one and the same, their thinking and theorys are very much one and the same mensa processing.
But, as we always say " Who gives a big rats ass !

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written by Disgusted , January 08, 2011 - 03:28 pm
What's your definition of "natural"? Something that has always occurred AS FAR AS YOU KNOW AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IS? So then deaths by murder are "natural" as well because they have always occured.

I just saw no less than 25 of OUR (U.S) planes flying over Florida this morning and now (for the past 6 hours or so) releasing who knows what in to the air and it is NOT condensation because other planes flying at the same time had NO heavy white smoke coming from them (that now look like "natural occurring clouds". So don't be surprised when "natural" occurring instances of death continue to occur. Remember bees?? Why when you see them now is it when they are just about to die? Oh that must NOW be considered "natural" as well.

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written by Disgusted , January 08, 2011 - 03:31 pm
Then murders are natural causes of death as well - since they have ALWAYS occurred and we have reports by EXPERTS saying so.
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written by dawgman , January 09, 2011 - 01:19 am
you all need to get a life
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 09, 2011 - 05:01 am
I have e-mailed friends throughout the U.S. who have suspicions which are not unlike mine. "The high flying Jets are releasing a gas with a low dewpoint which turns into a cloud resembling a cummulus cloud, with the oddest formations. Mean-while here on earth, birds are dying all over our heads, while in other parts of the globe fish are going belly up. these high flying jets ecological scale is being tampered with, and the resultant effects will prove to be harmful to all mankind, death rates will increase and birth defects in children will soar.
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written by Disgusted , January 09, 2011 - 01:43 pm
dawgman - I hope WE can keep our lives.
I live in Florida on the Gulf Coast and for the past two days I have seen no less than 50 – 60 aircraft and whatever else they use spewing over our county and the Gulf of Mexico if not the entire state for two full days now. It’s sickening to see and you feel so helpless to do anything. It’s purely disgusting – “Hazy Clouds” are NOT THAT – it is all chemical fumes. To talk about it in “theory” is one thing but to literally see it first hand over your own house is really eye opening to the horror and the extent of power OUR government has to do this. I am really amazed how “in denial” people are but wish I could be naive again as well. But I cannot after witnessing it first hand yesterday and also today.
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written by Chicken Little , January 09, 2011 - 07:08 pm
It's cow farts. The cows fart, it floats up, and the birds die.
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written by Existentialist Homme , January 10, 2011 - 05:53 am
Some will be instantly affected and others will show an immunity, and the only avenue for expose` is being stifled, and possibly never leaked . Corexit sound familiar, does this sound familiar, one if by water, and two if by air.
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 10, 2011 - 05:59 am
Oh, and PB B turn your set on they are "WATCHING YOU
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , January 11, 2011 - 01:39 pm
The naivity of some, Aye, catch this out of the air. You better learn ARABIC & Hindu, or you won't be able to order a six-pack at your friendly corner Circle K store, or get a room at your local Friendly Inn, when the " International Order Of Muslim-Militia, holds their convention in your city.
This is a fact, Jack !
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written by religionisbad , February 03, 2011 - 07:48 pm
It is funny that people keep saying that this is completely natural and that it happens all the time, yet they keep referencing the same mass kills, such as the ducks killed by parasites, 1,500 salamanders done in by a virus, 2,000 bats that died of rabies in Texas...but what makes this not natural is that there have been at least 40 mass kills within a week of the arkansas situation worldwide, and ALL are blamed on weather, because they all tested negative for viruses, parasites, and toxins, therefore the actual cause of death in UNKNOWN. So, you are wrong, this is NOT natural. If these had all died of viruses, or something, then it would be natural, but they did not. The magnetic polarities are changing, which is what birds navigate by, THIS IS NOT a religious, or biblical event, NOR is it just business as usual. There IS cause for alarm, but it is scientific in nature, not religious. It also doesn't help that we are using machines like HAARP to manipulate the ionasphere, which is also messing with our magnetic field, not to mention that we now have a second HAARP facility, and now China has their own as well, so we have THREE machines trying to manipulate our magnetic field...all in the name of research? This is not a conspiracy theory, this is FACT.

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