Things That Make You Go Hmmm....Dead Birds and Fish

There are some things in the news that really catch my attention. The following headline “Thousands of dead birds and fish in Arkansas leave many scratching their heads” , did just that.

On roads, on roofs, on lawns, up to 5,000 blackbirds fell within a one-mile area. Most of them were dead.

The report stated that approximately 5,000 red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky over a mile of land near Beebe, a small town in northwest Arkansas, and observers spotted the fish kill near the town of Ozark. The recent wildlife deaths in Arkansas that happened around New Year’s Day is definitely a mysterious incident.

No one seems to know what caused the deaths, but there are many theories and various conclusions from local authorities:

• "Test results usually were inconclusive, but the birds showed physical trauma and that the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."

• Because it happened New Year's Eve, some officials suggest that revelers shooting fireworks may have spooked the birds, to the point that they died en masse from stress-induced cardiac arrest.

• "It is unlikely they were poisoned but a necropsy is the only way to determine if the birds died from trauma or toxin." Tests were to begin Monday.

• A state veterinarian states that preliminary necropsy results show that the birds died of multiple blunt trauma to their vital organs.

This is not a rural gravel road. It's a Louisiana waterway, its surface completely covered with dead sea life -- a mishmash of species of fish, crabs, stingray and eel. This incident took place in a stretch of coastal Louisiana that was hit hard this summer by oil from BP's busted Gulf well.

This massive fish kill occurred 125 miles west of the site, wildlife officials say that the estimated 100,000 drum fish discovered by a tugboat captain over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River appears to be a natural occurrence that isn't tied to the bird kill in any way.

According to news reports fish kills are fairly common along the Gulf Coast, particularly during the summer in the area near the mouth of the Mississippi, the site of this kill. The area is rife with dead zones -- stretches where sudden oxygen depletion can cause widespread death. But those kills tend to be limited to a single species of fish, rather than the broad sort of die-off involved in this kill.

• And therein lies the concern of Gulf residents, who suspect this may be yet another side effect of the catastrophic BP oil spill.

• Various species of single-celled plantlike organisms flourish in waters enriched with chemical nutrients -- organisms that go on to vastly deplete the oxygen in the water they inhabit.

• The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries investigated the fish kill and determined that it was the result of low oxygen levels caused by low tides and high temperatures.

So there you have it - more than 5,000 dead birds and more than 100,000 dead fish, crabs, stingray and eel. All died during New Year's Night without any immediate explanation.

(Information compiled from various news reports)

It certainly gives me plenty to ponder about.

What do you think? What is your theory?

Definitely comes under the heading of "Things that make you go hmmm!"

peacesojourner

Buffalo Harbor Cruise on 'Miss Buffalo II' - Part II

Buffalo Harbor Cruise on 'Miss Buffalo' - Part II

As we travelled along the water the tour guide pointed out many of the birds that were nestled along the water's edge

A mother duck with her chicks

We actually sighted kingfishers and great blue herons, white egrets, osprey and other beautiful birds that were nesting along the water's edge. Their colors blended into the rock formations and it was difficult to take photos of them. They can be sighted between April and August when they fly southward.

There is a nesting colony on nearby Motor and Strawberry Islands.

Photographer of this bird unknown

To those who live in Buffalo have you ever wondered what this building is? It is the Emerald Channel Water Intake Building - with the Peace Bridge in the background

The 1907 building takes in 125 million gallons of drinking water for Buffalo every day. Because the intake operates by gravity, the building is rarely visited.

Water rushes into the round brick and concrete building through grates and collects in a circular pool. The water drops 60 feet to a 12-foot diameter, mile-long concrete tunnel burrowed under the river bed. It ends up at the Col. Ward Pumping Station at the foot of Porter Avenue, where it is treated at the filtration plant and sent throughout the city.

Atop the red roof is a guard light for passing ships. Around the exterior wall is a balcony embroidered by curving wrought iron.

1856 Horseshoe Reef Light

with over 1,000 cormorant nests settled on every part of the reef

Between Buffalo and Fort Erie, the International Railroad Bridge was completed in 1873; that bridge was replaced by the present one in 1900.

The Black Rock Rail Yard handled both passenger service and commercial transport of goods into and out of Canada. The railroad bridge remains in heavy usage and is one of the most important rail crossings between the United States and Canada.

The Black Rock Lock located in Buffalo is 650 feet (200 m) in length and 70 feet (21 m) in wide. There is only one chamber and the total weight of the gate is 480 tons.

The lock has been a part of Black Rock since the state of New York built the

Erie Canal in 1833.

Today Black Rock is home to Rich's Research Center and Rich Products, one of Buffalo' largest private employers

Ferry Street Lift Bridge

Because of its strategic position across the Niagara River from Canada, Black Rock was an important crossing place for African-Americans escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad. This heritage is celebrated with an annual Underground Railroad Re-Enactment at Broderick Park on Squaw Island at Niagara and Ferry Streets, the site of a ferry crossing prior to the construction of passenger bridges.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse was built more recently in 2008

As we travelled past the boathouses we could see the graffiti that was created by the West Side Rowing Club high schoolers - it seems it is the tradition that each year's winner of the rowing events record their victory on the side walls of the river.

On most days river boating, fishing, and the picturesque recreational activities of the West Side Rowing Club still continue.

Sunday morning outing

We travelled under the Peace Bridge which is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario in Canada.

There are five arched spans over the Niagara The total length is 5,800 feet (1,768 m). On June 1, 1927 the bridge was opened to the public.

The Peace Bridge was named to commemorate 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.

The bridge remains one of North America's important commercial ports - four thousand trucks cross it daily and it is still possible to walk to Canada over the bridge. However, more recently it is important to have your passport with you due to the increased security screening.

*****

It was raining during the three hour boat ride and you will notice that most of the photos have a grey aura to them.

While on the boat I learned that port side means left and and starboard means right and that

New York offers free fishing on June 26 -27th when one can fish without a licence.

If you find yourself in Buffalo I encourage you to take a cruise around the harbor. The boat's narrator has a good knowledge of the area's flora and fauna and so many snippets of interesting information - I have recorded just a small portion of the journey here.

peacesojourner

photos by peacesojourner

Psychedelic - A New Fish Species

Welcome 'Psychedelic'

A recently discovered fish named 'psychedelic' is shown in the waters off Ambon Island, Indonesia.

The frog-like fish - which has a swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes that extend from its aqua eyes to its tail - has been classified by scientists as a new species.

Look closely at the photo above - it is amazing don't you think?

Our Mother Nature never fails to leave me in wonder - her art is perfection!

 I also wonder how long this 'recently discovered' fish has been in existence.