Thousands of dead birds fall from the sky in Arkansas

[Eve]

Mystery surrounds the deaths of thousands of black birds which fell from the sky in Arkansas, America.

What would be the most likely cause of something like this?

http://news.sky.com/s...In_Beebe%2C_Arkansas_

[Gromit]

This kind of thing happens all the time.

A nearby lake holding tons of trapped methane in its sediments will have been disturbed by a landslide or storm. The poisonous gas bubbles to the surface and and is release i to the atmosphere, downing birds and killing rodents.

Then Sky News hears about it.

[oscarina]

Bit like Hitchcock's movie The Birds terrifying wouldn't like to have experienced that. Apparently it may have been caused by fireworks either frightening them or injuring them, scientists investigating.

[Gromit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...001/killerlakes.shtml

[Gromit]

Just looked on Google Earth, to the right of the town there are large ponds from quarrying or mining. Possible that any one of those ponds could have released poisonous gases.

[Eve]

Thanks Gromit, that would make a lot of sense, very interesting!

[jno]

if it's followed by plagues of locusts, or the appearance of four spectral horsemen, I'd check my Bible rather than relying on scientific explanations.

[Oneeyedvic]

Just me thinking of Flash Forward then....

[seadogg]

By tat time it will be a bit late, hang on, how many spectral horsemen was that again?

[jno]

white, red, black and pale horses - which ones have you seen so far?

[Whickerman]

is it the Rapture? Maybe I should rethink the whole biblical thing...

[Chaffinch]

Illegal use of pesticide, perhaps

[Eve]

100,000 fish found dead as well now!

http://news.sky.com/s...irds_Die_In_Arkansas_

[rov1100]

http://www.theanswerb...e/Question975499.html

[jno]

oh, that's useful, a link to another question that links back to this one. Jump back and forth often enough and you'll create a vortex that sucks in millions of dead fish.