MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - Deaths Of Bald Eagles In Delaware, Maryland Baffle Investigators?!

This eagle is one of 13 found dead on a farm in Maryland in mid-February, raising big questions. Photo: Maryland Natural Resources Police

March 28, 2016 - MARYLAND, UNITED STATES - A single bald eagle found dead in southern Delaware last Saturday didn’t raise red flags for state wildlife officials.

But then a few hours later and a mile away, a startling scene unfolded: Eight bald eagles — distressed and disoriented — were discovered on the ground, barely moving on a fallow farm field.

“Seeing one in a field wouldn’t be irregular, but then so many of them — and they weren’t sitting up,” said Sgt. John McDerby of Delaware’s Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police. “It was a devastating sight.”

Three of the eagles died, two were rescued and the rest flew away, officials said. The following day, another dead bird was found during a sweep.

The cluster of deaths comes just a month after 13 bald eagles died about 35 miles away on the Eastern Shore of Maryland — the largest single die-off of bald eagles in the state in three decades.

This mystery surrounding the bird species that has soared back from the brink of extinction has investigators and wildlife advocates asking: Is someone poisoning or intentionally harming these national symbols?

At this point, investigators can’t say, but they aren’t ruling out a criminal act.

In Maryland, necropsies indicated the birds did not die from natural causes, meaning diseases such as avian influenza can be ruled out. But they did not pinpoint a cause of death.

Poison is a popular theory since landowners use it to kill rats, foxes and other nuisances that tear up crops. Eagles, in turn, can eat the poisoned carrion.

But Bob Edgell, who owns the Maryland farm where the eagles were found, told NBC News on Friday that he doesn’t use poison on his property and isn’t sure if anyone else in the area does.

“Our investigation is now focused on human causes,” Catherine Hibbard, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Agency, said in an earlier statement.

McDerby said test results of the eagle carcasses in Delaware could be made available early this week. In the meantime, he added, there is no evidence of a serial eagle killer on the prowl or any direct connection between the Delaware and Maryland cases.

The two birds rescued by the nonprofit Tri-State Bird Rescue of Newark, Delaware, are still under the group’s care. Staff declined to provide information about their recovery because the investigation is ongoing, but said that if the creatures fully recuperate, they’ll be released into the wild.

Edgell said he’s not sure what took down the eagles on his land in Maryland. He found no evidence of tracks, after first thinking someone may have dumped the recognizable white-headed birds of prey on purpose.

He also saw no indications they had been shot or had other signs of trauma.

“I was dumbfounded, shocked and everything else,” Edgell said. “I had never seen that many at one time, especially on my property.”

Spelling his female mate, a male Bald Eagle lands on his nest containing two eggs at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC on March 11, 2016.
Photo: Linda Davidson/The Washington Post/Getty

Anyone convicted of causing the death of the federally protected bald eagle could be fined as much as $100,000 and sentenced to up to a year in prison.

Wildlife groups have banded together with the government to offer a reward for information leading to anyone who contributed to the birds’ deaths.

The Virginia-based American Bird Conservancy added another $5,000 to the pot last week, boosting the total to $30,000.

Mike Parr, vice president and chief conservation officer for the group, said he’s “completely baffled” as to what happened.

“I can’t see any possible explanation of any sort why anyone would deliberately do something like that. It’s outrageous,” Parr said.

The deaths come as bald eagles have made an impressive resurgence in the past five decades. They were nearly killed off after losing habitat and being threatened by the pesticide DDT. Federal protection status as an endangered species in 1967, however, helped to ensure their survival.

Even into the 1970s, bald eagles were shot fairly regularly, said Kevin McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.

“The decrease in shooting was part of the reason the eagles have recovered so spectacularly (but just one part),” McGowan said in an email. “Populations are probably at a 100-year high. Growth of the eastern population over the last 20 years alone has been impressive.”

Nationwide, the birds went from fewer than 500 breeding pairs in the Lower 48 in 1963 to over 11,000 pairs in 2007, when they were taken off the endangered species list, federal figures show.

Now, bald eagles — beloved as a national symbol of the United States — are celebrated. A pair of babies born at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., took the Internet by storm this month thanks to a live cam.

But the sudden loss of so many under strange circumstances should serve as a warning that the magnificent birds still need protection, experts say.

“This is a significantly bad and unusual event,” McGowan said. - MSNBC.

 

MASS BIRD DIE-OFF: Disaster Precursors - Several Hundred Dead Crows Found Along Michigan Railroad!

Mary Lutzke stopped to see for herself after hearing reports of dead crows in Springfield© Trace Christenson/The Enquirer

March 15, 2016 - MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES - Officials were trying to determine why several hundred crows are dead along a section of railroad tracks.

The crows were reported Tuesday near Helmer Road in Springfield.

Most were on the east side of the roadway, stretching at least 200 yards. Some people estimated as many as 300 of the birds were dead.

Mary Lutzke and her daughter, Kristin Jordan, stopped to see the dead birds and had questions about how and why they all died.

"I love crows," Lutzke said. "Their sound brings me back to my childhood. They are smart and intelligent."

Springfield City Manager Nathan Henne also stopped along the tracks after receiving calls about the bird kill. Henne said he would contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the birds. - Battle Creek Enquirer.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - 26 Dead Gannets Found At Ormond Beach, Florida?!

One of many dead gannets washed ashore on Ormond Beach on Feb. 19. © J. Walker Fischer

February 23, 2016 - FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - Twenty-six dead Northern Gannets have been brought in to the center since Valentine's Day.

While Ormond Beach resident Walker Fischer was taking a stroll on the beach this past Friday, he counted four dead Northern Gannets and a pelican within a mile's walk.

The Volusia County Beach Patrol said the increase was not uncommon for this time of year.

Due to migration patterns, there is an increase in the amount birds in the area, and they find a few dead birds every day. They believe the recent death are mostly like of natural causes.

However, the Marine Science Center reported a significant number of dead Northern Gannets this past week. Since Feb. 14, they've received 26 gannets and a few other types of sea birds.

"At the present time, we do not have a definitive answer on the cause of these numbers," said Michael Brothers of the science center. "We are getting additional information and hope to have a more complete picture soon." - Ormond Beach Observer.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - 13 Bald Eagles Die In Baltimore, Maryland; Federal Officials Investigating?!

  This eagle is one of 13 found dead on a farm in Maryland Saturday, raising big questions. Photograph by Maryland Natural Resources Police

February 23, 2016 - MARYLAND, UNITED STATES - It's a whodunit for the animal kingdom: State and federal wildlife officials are trying to find out what happened to 13 bald eagles that were discovered dead on Maryland's Eastern Shore on Saturday.

The birds of prey were found on a farm in rural Caroline County, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Washington, D.C. and just west of the 3,800-acre Idylwild Natural Area. A man looking for shed deer antlers found some of the birds and phoned state officials, who then found several more.

"We don't know the cause of death yet and are asking the public for help with information," says Catherine Hibbard, a spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is investigating the case along with the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Investigators are working the scene and are sending the bird carcasses to the federal forensic ornithology lab in Ashland, Oregon, to determine cause of death. Hibbard says it's too early to speculate on how the birds died but says its highly unusual for that many eagles to be found dead in such a small area.

"Our special agent has never seen this many dead eagles in eight years on the job," says Hibbard.

In recent years, officials have found a few eagles killed on the Eastern Shore from poisons that were put out by landowners to kill foxes or other animals, she adds. Eagles that scavenge on the poisoned carcasses can take up the poisons themselves, sometimes to lethal effect.

"Never have we seen this many eagles involved," Hibbard says, stressing that the investigation is ongoing.

The national symbol of the U.S., bald eagles were nearly wiped out by hunting, pesticides, and habitat loss in the 20th century. However, they have rebounded in recent decades thanks to strict protections and banning of DDT, which caused their eggshells to be too thin. Bald eagles were officially removed from endangered and threatened status in the U.S. in 2007, although they are still enjoy protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

If people are ultimately convicted of causing the death of the eagles, they could face a fine as high as $100,000 and prison time up to one year as a result of those acts.

Anyone with information about the eagles is being asked to call the USFWS at 410-228-2476 or Maryland's investigators at 800-628-9944. A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to a conviction. - National Geographic.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - Dozens Of Dead Birds Found Along Highway In Youngstown, Ohio?!

Dead birds.

February 21, 2016 - OHIO, UNITED STATES - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is investigating the death of dozens of birds found Saturday along Interstate 680 in Youngstown.

Passers-by spotted the carcasses of large black birds along the north bound lane near Midlothian Boulevard.

ODNR Wildlife Officer Jesse Janosik told 21 News that he would take photographs of the dead birds and collect samples for testing.

Janosik says he expects it will take a couple of days before it is determined what caused the animals to die.

According to the Division of Wildlife website, ODNR actively follows up on reports of any wildlife diseases in Ohio and monitors the health of wildlife populations to ensure their long-term conservation.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife website lists several diseases affecting birds including Avian Flu, West Nile Virus and Conjunctivitis.

There is no indication if any of those diseases played a part in the death of these birds.

- WFMJ.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: "This Is An EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT,... We're ALARMED,..." - 35 Brown Pelicans Found Dead On Grand Isle, Louisiana?!

The brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird.
© Times-Picayune

February 7, 2016 - LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES - As many as 35 brown pelicans have been found dead on Grand Isle in the past two weeks, prompting an investigation by scientists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. They've dismissed suspicions that the birds were shot but have yet to determine the cause of death.

The dead pelicans were first reported to the Grand Isle Police Department, which asked state officials to investigate. "In the wintertime, we always get some calls about dead pelicans, but this seems to be an extraordinary amount," said Cheryl McCormack, secretary to Police Chief Euris DuBois. "We're alarmed about the number of them."

The brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird, was removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened species in 2009, but it is still protected under federal law. The birds had largely vanished from Louisiana's coast by the mid-1960s, after exposure to the pesticide DDT resulted in too-fragile eggshells.

More than 1,200 pelicans were imported from Florida in 1968. But the time of delisting, there were more than 12,000 breeding pairs in Texas and Louisiana.

Several dead brown pelicans collected by the Grand Isle Police Department in recent days have been turned over to wildlife officials, and others were being collected on Wednesday (Feb. 3) for testing, said Michael Seymour, a non-game ornithologist with Wildlife and Fisheries.

He said there have been several estimates of the number of dead birds, including 14 along several miles of beaches and 20 in a single mile of beach. A survey by a Wildlife and Fisheries employee found 15 or more birds over several miles.

Seymour said officials already have dismissed early reports that some of the pelicans might have been shot. A veterinarian with the department will conduct a necropsy, an animal version of an autopsy, on better-preserved carcasses, he said.

"Hopefully, we'll have an answer in the next few days, but we're not entirely sure," Seymour said. If the necropsies are unsuccessful, bird carcasses might be sent to a federal wildlife disease research center out of state for a more comprehensive review.

Seymour said it's not unusual to find dead pelicans washing up on beaches or elsewhere during cold, winter months, especially juvenile birds that starved to death before learning the best hunting skills. Some winter pelican deaths are the result of parasites, he said. Still others can die in the aftermath of winter storms, the result of being caught in cold rain, having their feathers become waterlogged then succumbing to hypothermia.

"It's not necessarily unusual to see pelicans dying in the winter," he said. "What may or may not be unusual is the number of dead birds. We don't have a baseline of what to expect each year; we don't have anybody counting dead birds every year." - NOLA.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - Hundreds Of Dead Seagulls Found On Sea Of Galilee Beach, Israel?!

A poisoned seagull being treated at the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, January 28, 2016.© Ramat Gan Safari

January 29, 2016 - ISRAEL - Hundreds of seagulls have been found dead on the Sea of Galilee's western shore, with an initial inquiry pointing to botulism poisoning.

Another 78 injured birds were given emergency first aid at the Tel Afeq National Park veterinary hospital's quarantine station in Tel Aviv, with some being tested to eliminate any suspicion that they may have contracted bird flu, the Walla website reported Thursday.

The gulls were subsequently transferred to the wild animal hospital at the Ramat Gan Safari, some of them in serious condition.

Botulism spores are commonly found in soil and water. They produce the botulinum toxin in conditions such as low oxygen and hot temperatures.

"It's not a sight that we are used to," a spokesperson for the Safari said. There had been cases of 15 animals needing treatment, but 80 in one go was "a real mass attack."

The treatment would continue for several days in the hope that the gulls could be returned to nature as quickly as possible, the Safari added.

Dr. Roni King, chief veterinarian for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said botulism poisoning was a known phenomenon. There had been cases in the US of hundreds of thousands of dead birds being found in lakes.

Less than two months ago in Israel, a smaller number of gulls sustained poisoning in the Hadera area of the Mediterranean coast.

A few years ago, 150 birds were picked up from the beach between Acre and the Krayot, north of Haifa, of which only 50 survived.

In the current case, the poison was not from the Sea of Galilee, King said. The birds probably picked it up at their feeding site, only feeling the effects when they flew back to the lake. - The Times of Israel.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Extreme Weather - Dozens Of Birds Killed By Large Hailstones In Jonesboro, Arkansas!

Hail Storm causes dozens of birds to fall from sky

December 28, 2015 - ARKANSAS, UNITED STATES - Extreme weather battered the Jonesboro area Wednesday (Dec. 23), and that weather is likely to blame for the untimely deaths of dozens of waterfowl.

Nash Thomas said he and his friends gathered up 78 feathered victims after a storm producing large hail came through the area.


WATCH: Hail kill dozens of birds.

Thomas said in all, they found 68 geese and 10 ducks.

The birds were all found within a 25-mile area Jonesboro.

Thomas said he and his friends plan to prepare the geese and ducks and give them to the needy. - 5News KFSM.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - About 200 Waterbirds Found Dead Near O'Leary's Lake, Wisconsin?!

American coot. © Connormah/Wikimedia Commons

December 18, 2015 - WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES - An estimated 200 dead American coots recently have been sighted near Dubuque's Lock and Dam No. 11 on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River.

Fishermen observed the dead birds near O'Leary's Lake, located near Eagle Point Road, off of U.S. 61/151.

Coots are dark-gray to black in color, with a bright-white bill and forehead. Duck-like in many ways, they are members of the rail family in the same avian order as cranes.

"They're not much good for anything. Some people eat them," said Carl Hanson, owner of the Eagle Point fishing barge, who saw the dead birds floating in the water.

The deaths aren't that unusual. This is the seventh time since 2002 that waterfowl die-offs have been documented on the upper Mississippi River, and each time prior, trematodes were responsible, officials said.

 A coot swims in the tailwaters of Lock & Dam No. 11 while anglers try their luck on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River this morning. © Mike Day, Telegraph Herald

Trematodes are a parasitic flatworm that spends part of its life inside snails. Waterfowl die from trematodes each year, but in years when snail populations are high, mortality rates of snail eaters -- American coots and lesser scaup -- increase. The invasive faucet snail is an intermediate host for three types of trematodes.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials are tracking the situation.

"This is very likely the result of trematodiasis, a nearly annual event caused by diving ducks (primarily coot and scaup) feeding on a snail that hosts the trematodes," said Dan Goltz, a DNR wildlife biologist in Boscobel. "My understanding is that the coots are getting sick and dying up in the pool (11). They float through the lock and dam, and the path of the current carries many of them into O'Leary's Lake. Changes in water levels can deposit them in locally heavy concentrations."

The DNR has gotten several phone calls about the birds' deaths.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it," Goltz added. - Telegraph Herald.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - Dozens Of Dead Birds Found On Mississippi Beaches?!

Dead seagull found lying on beach in Pass Christian.  © Missy Dubuisson

December 15, 2015 - MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES - It's a frightening sight along the coastline. First fish, now dozens of birds found dead on beaches in several coast cities.

"We got reports of several birds in the Gulfport area and after speaking with DEQ they got several more birds in the Biloxi area," said Missy Dubuisson with Wild at Heart Rescue.

Even in Long Beach, many species of birds have been found lifeless or clinging to life. Experts saying it all goes back to the unprecedented December red tide.

"Of course there probably has been this issue before on a smaller scale and we might have just had a bird or two that maybe came in and didn't make it, but we weren't seeing what we're seeing now," said Dubuisson.

Caretakers at Wild at Heart Rescue are currently rehabilitating a pelican who started with a hook injury, but is now battling respiratory distress due to the algal bloom.

Wild at Heart Rescue workers are currently rehabilitating this pelican believed to be affected by the algal bloom. © WLOX News

"We have been informed that we cannot release him until the algae bloom is gone," said Dubuisson. Experts say algal blooms happen throughout the coast annually, but never with this much beach affected at one time. Dubuisson says a neurotoxin causes respiratory distress in animals not only by eating, but even when they swim in the infected water.

"It's pretty much going to be fatal for most of them, but we are going to do our best to take care of those," said Dubuisson.

Dubuisson also added that the illnesses caused by the harmful algal bloom can be transmitted to humans, and can prove fatal to those with compromised immune systems.

Fish were the first organisms to wash ashore. © Missy Dubuisson

"What we need the public to do is if they see those, don't try to touch them. We need a GPS location and we need photos, if they can," said Dubuisson.

According to DMR officials, Sunday night's cool and windy weather could actually clear up the algal bloom and make the overall situation better. - MS News Now.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors - 25 Dead Peacocks And Other Birds Found In Khurda Forest, India?!

A forest staffer carries dead peacocks to the OUAT Veterinary College in Bhubaneswar from Madhupur near Khurda. © Express News Service

December 11, 2015 - INDIA - There are concerns about a possible spread of bird flu after 25 peacocks and a large number of other birds were found dead at Madhapur village forest under Khurda Forest Division on Tuesday morning.

The villagers found a large number of birds including pigeons, crows and cranes dead in the area.

The birds were found near a water body at Madhupur village forest under Khurda Forest Division. After finding the birds, the villagers immediately informed the Forest officials of Khurda and Chandaka divisions, who recovered the dead birds in the area.

Chandaka DFO Manoj Mohapatra said, "Some carcasses have been sent to OUAT for the preliminary examination.

Samples would be sent to Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) of State Veterinary Department and National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSD), Bhopal, for determining the nature of deaths".

Chandaka DFO Akshay Patnaik said that nothing can be confirmed yet test results are awaited. He also said that a team of expert will visit the site for examining the ground.

There are no immediately sing of poisoning substances on the ground and the water samples from the water body have been sent for testing.

The forest lies on the edge of ChandakaDompada Wildlife Sanctuary and close to the Chilika lagoon. - News Tonight Africa.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFFS: Plagues & Pestilences - 80 Birds Die At Hasties Swamp, Australia?!

Magpie geese

December 5, 2015 - AUSTRALIA - Authorities are investigating after about 80 birds were found dead at Hasties Swamp near Atherton.

Tully man David Clarke was showing friends around the Tablelands on Wednesday when they came across the gruesome scene.

"We could see a big flock of birds on the edge of the lagoon," he said.

"When we were driving out, we discovered a sick bird on the road.

"There was no injury to it, so we released it back into the water.

"Then we saw the dead bodies of dozens of birds and ­others in a dying state, that's when we realised something drastic was going on.

"It was distressing to see birds flapping around dying."

Mr Clarke reported the deaths and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and Biosecurity Queensland are now investigating.

A QPWS spokeswoman said rangers found about 80 dead birds, mainly magpie geese, which may have been killed by avian botulism.

The paralytic disease is caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum.

It can be present in the birds' food sources such as insect larvae.

"Bird deaths from botulism are annual events in Northern Australia at this time of year," she said.

"Samples are being taken at Hasties Swamp on Friday to determine if botulism or some other cause is responsible.

"Results should be known in about a week.

"QPWS has erected signage at the park to warn visitors." - The Cairns Post.

 

MASS ANIMAL DIE-OFFS: Disaster Precursors And Warnings From Mother Nature – The Latest Incidents Of Strange Animal Behavior, Migratory Patterns, Attacks, Deaths, And Appearance Of Rare Creatures!

March 11, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.

Thousands of dead fish wash up in new die off in Lim Chu Kang, Singapore

Thousands of fish were found washed up on shore at Lim Chu Kang jetty on Saturday in the latest in a series of mass deaths. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

Thousands of fish were found washed up on shore at Lim Chu Kang jetty on Saturday in the latest in a series of mass deaths.

Breeds big and small, including catfish and mullets, were discovered on the beach near where several fish farms are situated in the Strait of Johor.

Both sea and farm fish were affected.

Farmer Ong Kim Pit, 65, told The Sunday Times that he first saw fish jumping out of the water on Friday night, adding that his baby mullets were worst hit.

"It happened within minutes," he said. "My fish were jumping and jumping in the water. I don't know why."

Cleaners were seen removing bags of dead fish on Saturday.

It is not yet known what caused the mass deaths, but they came a week after a deadly wave of plankton bloom wiped out almost all of some Changi farmers' stocks.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said the bloom had killed an estimated 500 to 600 tonnes of fish as of last Wednesday, and affected 55 out of 63 farms in the East Johor Strait.

The AVA's preliminary findings showed elevated levels of Karlodinium veneficum in seawater samples, which has been associated with fish deaths worldwide.Meanwhile, photos of dead fish at Kranji Reservoir Park and Sungeh Buloh Wetland Reserve also surfaced online on Saturday. - Straits Times.

Dozens of dead birds found in Cincinnati, Ohio

Dead robins

Nearly a dozen dead robins could be seen Tuesday around Paul Brown Stadium. On the walkway off Central Avenue and West Pete Rose Way five lifeless birds could easily be spotted, just below the expressway.

"Carbon-monoxide poisoning, maybe the trucks and stuff coming across and it builds up," said Wild Birds Unlimited General Manager, Chris Sweigard. He said the birds most likely roost in pockets of the expressway to protect themselves from the weather and to stay warm.

Bird experts at the Cincinnati Zoo said the robins are also victims of the harsh winter, and the stress of the weather and lack of food can kill them.

"Right now there would be a lot of flocking birds because they help each other find food this time of year. They won't separate for a few weeks for nesting, but right now they are forging together staying together," said Sweigard.

Jeffrey Kennedy, who works downtown, walks the pathway routinely and said he sees the birds almost every day.

"It's disgusting," he said. Kennedy wishes the city would clean the birds up.

City officials said they do have a department to clear dead animals from roadways, but they wouldn't know about the birds unless they were called. Usually, city officials said, crews are only called for large animals on main roads. - FOX19.

Brutal winter takes toll on wildlife around New York

A screech owl that lost a lot of body weight
because of the harsh winter. © Loraine Izzo

Wildlife rehabilitators say that animals - mainly waterfowl, owls, hawks and some mammals - are under serious stress due to the cold winter.

Two months of snow cover and brutal bouts of arctic air are endangering wildlife.

Wildlife rehabilitators say that animals — mainly waterfowl, owls, hawks and some mammals — are under serious stress. Many have starved because their food sources have been covered with snow and ice and the water they need to survive has been frozen.

"It's been a really hard, long, cold, desperate and brutal winter for wildlife," said Taffy Williams, a wildlife rehabilitator from Yonkers. "A lot of raptors, hawks and owls are being found dead."

Animals have been foraging in places they usually don't — risky places such as urban streets or sun-warmed banks along parkways.
"Anything that's looking to graze, that includes deer, they're having a hard time," Williams said. "The winter's been really hard on shore birds and birds of prey and also song birds. They look on the ground for seeds and any kind of grazing material."

A screech owl injured by a car in Pleasantville was also emaciated, said Loraine Izzo, a rehabilitator from Bronxville. She recently cared for a goose and mallard duck found starving near the mostly frozen Bronx River. A redtail hawk, now on the mend, was found near the reservoir in Yonkers.

"His feet were dug into the snow and his tail was frozen into the snow," Izzo said. "It was horrible."

A turkey vulture that almost starved to death is recuperating in the back yard of Marilyn Leybra, a rehabilitator, of Pomona. She said a wide range of animals have been affected.

"The Canada geese are also catching the devil," Leybra said. "I see them day after day, just sitting ... They look like statues. They're trying to conserve every bit of energy."

'It's hard for all wildlife'

A red-tailed hawk being nursed back to
health after getting frozen into icy snow
near a reservoir in Yonkers. © Loraine Izzo

Lori Severino, a public information officer with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said field staff have seen signs that deer have been "pawing down" through the snow to find food and that turkeys are seeking food at areas with "spring seep," where groundwater keeps the area open for foraging. Ducks and geese, she said, seek out open water and keep moving if they can't find it.

"As the cold weather is prolonged and if we get heavy snow or ice cover on the snow, then things become more problematic," Severino wrote last week in an email. But, she added, "DEC has not received any reports of winter kill so far this winter and animals that have been observed seem to be healthy. Energy reserves are diminishing in the animals but nothing 'drastic' as of now."

Kevin Hynes, a wildlife biologist in the department's Delmar office, recently sent out a notice asking for carcasses of hawks and owls.

"We're getting more calls about dead hawks and owls and I wanted to confirm it was snow cover and the weather rather than some other potential disease," Hynes said.

He said hawks and owls depend on voles, a kind of small rodent, to stay alive and that the voles have been able to hide under all the snow.

As fat deposits get depleted in the hunting birds, it gets harder for them to regulate their heat.

He said the birds impacted have mostly been redtail hawks, screech owls and barn owls.

Walter Chadwick, of the Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester, said feeders and a warmed drinking water dispenser for birds at Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers have been swarmed.

"The birds flock to the feeders," Chadwick said. "It's hard for all wildlife. They can't get through that ice and there's been constant cold weather."

He said people wanting to help birds should put out black oil sunflower seeds and suet, which provide a lot of energy, and a pie pan with water.

A view of a turkey vulture, photographed March 3, 2015 and being cared for by wildlife rehabilitator Marilyn Leybra
at her home in Pomona.  © Joe Larese/The Journal News

Migrating birds 'are probably doomed'

Snow has been covering the ground since mid-January across much of the Northeast. The National Weather Service said February was the coldest on record in many places in the region.

AccuWeather meteorologist Evan Duffey said that temperatures this time of year should be in the 40s, but as of Friday, only five days had cracked 40 in 2015.

Chadwick said many resident birds have learned to adapt to the cold, but those flying up from the south this time of year could be in peril, including redwing blackbirds and snow geese.

Joanne Dreeben, a rehabilitator from Yonkers, noted the American woodcock usually shows up this time of year.

"The early arrivals are probably doomed," she said. "They eat almost exclusively earthworms."

Canada geese are seen huddling in the snow at the Willow Tree Park in Monsey. Wildlife rehabilitator Marilyn
Leybra says this brutal winter has been especially hard on wildlife.   © Joe Larese/The Journal News

Hynes said birds that come this time of year time their trip by hours of daylight.

"They have no idea what the temperature is up here," Hynes said.

Dreeben said starvation is not the only problem. Birds typically have parasites in their systems that aren't a problem when healthy.

"But when a bird gets debilitated, there's a bloom of internal parasites," Dreeben said. "It's a very difficult thing for them to survive." - IOHUD.

Yet another child mauled to death by a pack of dogs in India

Feral dogs in India

In a chilling replay of dogs attacking children in Bareilly, which has become a serious menace in the district, a 10-year-old was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs here on Sunday, police said.

The child, Mohd Kaif, was playing with his friend, 11-year-old Ayaan, in a park near his house in Gulistaan colony in Jalalabad kasba at 8am when the incident occurred. Residents said they heard the children shouting and rushed to their aid, but it was already too late. Kaif was killed on the spot while his Ayaan escaped with minor injuries.

Zeeshan Ali, a resident of the colony, said the dogs were from a nearby plywood factory. The residents of the colony protested outside the factory and blocked traffic, before police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

Speaking on the issue, Satyaveer Singh, station officer, Najibabad Kotwali police station, said, "We have investigated the incident and found that the dogs were not from the plywood factory. The family has not filed a complaint and the body has been buried."

Bareilly has seen a spate of dog attacks recently, with as many as five people being attacked in a span of 40 days earlier this year. On March 2, a pack of four dogs attacked a pregnant woman in Pareva village of Baheri on Sunday while she was working in the fields. - The Times of India.

Pit bull terrier kills man trying to help owner in East Wheeling, West Virginia

A pit bull terrier

A pit bull attacked and killed a man who was trying to help the dog's ill owner in a home in East Wheeling, W.Va., authorities said.

Wheeling police and other emergency responders were called to the home late Sunday night regarding a dog attack and had to force their way into the residence, where they found both victims.

One victim was badly injured; the other person was unconscious. Both were taken to local hospitals, where they were pronounced dead, police said. Their names have not been released.

Wheeling police Lt. Phil Redford says police believe the dog's owner suffered a heart attack and that the other man was attacked by the dog as he tried to resuscitate the owner.

Animal control officers removed the pit bull from the home and it has been quarantined.

No further information was released. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Kicked dog gets revenge on driver by attacking his car with friends, China

You don't kick this dog and get away with it.

An angry stray that was struck by a motorist decided to get revenge by damaging his most prized possession - his car.

The man kicked the dog because it was lying in his parking spot.

The dog then vanished but came back later with a few of his pack and damaged the car.

The stray dog got its revenge. © Rex

He brought a few friends. © Rex

The owner wouldn’t have been pleased with the state the car was left in. © Rex

He was pictured biting at the wheel trims and windscreen wipers outside the flats in southwest China's Chongqing.

A neighbour took pictures of the incident last week, which he later showed to the driver.

Needless to say, the dog hasn't been seen since. - Metro.

104 TONS of dead fish wash ashore along the coast of Montevideo, Uruguay

Cleanup activities culminated in the capital, while in Ciudad de la Costa will continue throughout the day.
Still he could not establish the causes of the phenomenon

The Municipality of Montevideo (IMM) completed the cleanup on the coast after the appearance of dead fish on Wednesday. In total, 104 tons rose. In Canelones, tasks continue during the day and so far collected 95 tons lead. It is the fish known as menhaden, whose scientific name is Brevoortia Pectinata.

The director of the IMM Environmental Development, Juan Canessa, told The Observer that are not programmed new cleanings, "unless more fish appear".

On the other hand, the director of the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (Dinara), Daniel Giraldoni said that they are investigating the causes and that none of the hypotheses discarded. One of the strongest is that it would discard that made fishing vessels of this species, others, however, point to contamination or a physical change in water conditions.

He said Giraldoni, striking the large volume of fish and that the phenomenon has also resulted in Argentine coast. In this sense, Dinara is in communication with the Fisheries Research Institute in the country and in the course of the week will learn a technical report.

Nauseating Beaches in Canelones

In some spas Canelones as Shangrilá, there are still mountains of dead fish that generated a foul smell on the beaches. From the Administration of Canelones is expected that the cleanup, which began the weekend next to the Emergency Committee was completed on Monday.

Worked 70 workers, seven backhoes, ten trucks and four tractors to clear 60 kilometers of coastline, told The Observer director of Environmental Management Canaria Commune, Leonardo Herou. When lifted carried over 95 tonnes, being disposed at the site of final disposal of the commune.

"The most complicated area, which gave us more work was El Pinar, by characteristics. The mouth of the stream Carrasco was left for last because the beach is there disqualified bathroom and put emphasis on the rest of the coast if it is. Today we're reviewing and re-pick, because in some areas the tide made out again, "he said.

Discard fishing

The director explained that discarding Dinara is a common practice since this species have no great commercial value. "It is an operative that is prohibited, so fishing from the point of view is fine," he said.

"It's an important issue that all countries want to correct. The European Union last year began to gradually implement a regulation to reduce discards, but has a big opposition from many countries because it directly affects the profitability of enterprises and employment. In Uruguay is discussing the issue with employers and workers, there is consensus among all which is a theme solve ".

Lacha

Uruguay exports about 1700 tons of these fish per year, according to the Dinara, but as it is a species that is in abundance, has little commercial value and is rapidly deteriorating, if you are fishing in the early days of work at sea, Boats prefer discard. - El Observador. [Translated]

250,000 birds killed due to avian flu in Monywa, Myanmar

Mon State farmers are trying to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Photo: Staff

Poultry farmers in Mon State were called to an urgent meeting on March 6 to discuss measures to prevent the spread of the deadly H5N1 bird flu to the state. The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department called the distributors in after an avian flu outbreak in Monywa, Sagaing Region, led to the death of hundreds of thousands of diseased birds.

About 15 people, representing the four big poultry distributors in Mawlamyine, attended the meeting. Each owner has more than 10,000 chickens.

Dr Chit Thein, Mawlamyine township chief officer, said after the meeting, “The best way to prevent infection is get all the distributors from this area together and provide guidelines to prevent further infection in Mon State.” Outbreaks of H5N1 also occurred in 2006 and 2011.

He said the authorities had advised poultry dealers to go to the markets with municipal experts to inspect the birds on sale, and to apply pesticide on their farms.

U Hla Than, owner of the U Noe Din family farm, told The Myanmar Times that some chickens had died in his area, but only because of high temperatures. “The flu is not here yet, so we are trying to prevent infection by requiring that chickens bought from outside Mon State be accompanied by a letter guaranteeing its good health. And we also isolate the runs of any culled chickens for 20 days for cleansing,” he said.

Farm owner Arkar Min confirmed that any chickens bought out-of-state would have to be guaranteed healthy by the local Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department. “That is the only way we can prevent infection from unhealthy chickens being imported to Mawlamyine,” he said.

The Ministry of Livestock. Fisheries and Rural Development has confirmed the deaths of chickens and quail in Monywa because of bird flu. As of March 1, about 250,000 birds had been destroyed there.The chief officer of Mawlamyine Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, Dr Ni Ni Maw, told the meeting that everyone shared a responsibility to prevent infection because the flu was dangerous not only to birds, but also to humans, who had not yet been infected in an H5N1 outbreak in Myanmar. - MM Times.

19 dead turtles found on Pulau Tiga Island in Malaysia

Mystery surrounds the discovery of 19 dead turtles on an island within the proposed Tun Mustapha Marine Park in Kudat.

Acting on public information, officers from the State Wildlife department together with rangers from Sabah Parks, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Marine police recovered the carcasses on Pulau Tiga on March 5.

Post mortem will be carried out by the State wildlife department here to determine how the endangered Green turtles ended up dead on the island which is located about three hours by speed boat from Kudat town.

West Coast wildlife Officer, Roland Nuin said the discovery indicate that there could be a huge market for parts from the turtle species.

“I highly suspect that they are meant to be smuggled out alive to foreign countries but failed because of the heavy presence of MMEA and Marine police vessels patrolling the sea,” he added.

Roland said the case looked similar to discovery of 50 turtle carcasses last year on the same island which is believed to be used as a transit point for smugglers because of its proximity to the border.The area where the turtle carcasses were found is within the proposed park which measures almost one million hectares. - NST.

100+ cattle have died 'due to suspected grass poisoning' in Gujarat, India

Representational photo (Photo: Pixabay)

Over 100 cattle have died due to suspected grass poisoning here in the last three days, causing concern among live-stock authorities and cow protection activists.

While 41 cattle died in Drjipura area on Friday, another 61 deaths were reported in the city on Sunday, Joint Commissioner of Police D J Patel said.

The deaths were suspected to have been caused by poisoning of grass sourced from outside areas to feed the animals but exact cause will be known after analysis of the liver samples of the dead animals, he said.

Samples have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory in Surat for detailed analysis after conducting post-mortem on the carcasses.

"Veterinarians and live-stock officials are awaiting the report from the laboratory. Only then we will be able to say the exact cause of the death of these cattle," the police official said.

Meanwhile, Viha Bharwad, an activist of Gauraksha Samiti, demanded an inquiry into the death of the cattle and wanted the authorities to take urgent preventive steps to save the remaining animals kept in the shelters here.Rajiv Shah, an official of an animal shelter at Panjrapol area, said it had been decided to feed the cattle with hay fodder for the time being as contaminated grass was suspected to be the cause of the death. - Deccan Chronicle.

550 dead animals (mainly deer) found, 'due to snow and cold' in Leon, Spain

Remains of a dead deer and mutilated near Riano, in the province of León. / ILEON.COM

More than 500 animals have been found dead around Riano, in Leon slope of the Cantabrian mountain range, following heavy snowfall and extreme cold this winter. The guards of the reserve, guarding him, have already started their transportation to areas where the bodies within the reach of scavengers that may feed on them, especially the vultures and bears soon leave the perido hibernation, according to the newspaper ileon.com.

The Regional Hunting Reserves are spaces that aim to preserve and promote certain species and achieved adequate levels of density, rationally use the rich hunting "for maximum social and recreational satisfaction, trying to head the regions affected a strong cash flow that will improve their economic and social conditions. " He explains the Board holds these lands, specifically, manages the Department of Development and Environment.

The province of León has three of the ten community reserves and Riano, with 78,995 hectares, more than double the sum of the other two: Ancares Leoneses (36,342 hectares) and Mampodre (31,400 hectares). Most of its surface, which borders Palencia, Asturias and Cantabria, is included in the Regional Park Picos de Europa. To meet the Reserve directed by Juan Carlos Peral, the Ministry has, on the ground, with a group of 13 environmental zealots, the front of which is, as you save more, Felipe Campo.

The wide and varied catalog of work of these professionals is marked by nature activities brand for different seasons and also for the unexpected. In fire season conducted surveillance are also fishing authority but in that forest officials focus. It is also responsible for developing the censuses of different species that inhabit the reserve, as chamois, roe deer, wild boar, bears and (most listed) montess goats.

Surveillance hunting

Hunting accounts for much of the time they spend working, shortly pending a schedule that exceeds every day and whose excesses only resists a resounding vocation. They are in charge of accompanying hunters in the beatings and tell them what animals can kill. Also placed jobs in collective hunts and are responsible, for example, to monitor the bear habitats for the shots are not made in places that may disturb the plantígrados. When the animal is killed -pelos collect samples, blood or part of the jaw that are sent to the Regional Agricultural Laboratory Villaquilambre. They also collaborate with the University of Barcelona and the Atapuerca Foundation.

Monitor and review the Reserve damage caused by animals in farms and herds is another of its missions. The wolf attacks on cattle, sheep or horses and boars hozaduras in individual enclosures also takes them many hours, says Felipe Campo. Furthermore, as a good knowledge of the area, are required by the Civil Guard when a person disappears and even in some mountain rescue. For all these works have a fleet of vehicles that would like to renovate and a kit also capable of being improved or expanded given the intense wear and tear that make it.

"Almost none of which we meet a specific schedule. It is impossible, you all day," he says, but adds that his team does not skimp on dedication, what is especially proud. Pedro Martinez, one of the guards, recognizes that in his previous post worked a lot less time but says he does not miss. The partnership between the group, he stresses, is the best reward. That does not stop mourn, with some bitterness, some criticism they receive.

Severe winter

"It's hard to get people to give everything in their power without saying that not touch him do that, or has not rested and here it happens, we are a bit like a family, everyone wanting and pulling the boat forward. What is hard is that when you take too long without rest and all pending day and doing things, above say we do things wrong. That will crush ... with what we are doing and we are shaking up, "laments Field .

Refers to complaints arising in some villages in the area following the snowfall that lived for weeks in the mountainous areas of the province and resulted in the death of hundreds of animals. The guards dehorned corpses with the intent to prevent poaching who denied the headman of the area, even questioning the fate of them. The more saved notes that the controversy is already settled and explains that the horns are sent to Leon and can be claimed by the neighborhood councils.

To date, over 550 have been found dead animals and many others are expected to become available. The bodies move, if deemed advisable, to areas where they can be fed to vultures, "which once fed up of eating need space to fly" or where they are to be bears, to come out of hibernation , very fond of the carrion. "In a month will skins and bones," says Field.

Mortal stretch

Death, mainly deer still frequently appear at the roadside in a route between Builth Wells and Harbour Pandetrave, cold and weakness is due accumulated during weeks of snow. "The deer eat much, heavy and easily digs into the snow. When the snow is too tight fail to walk through it," sums.

The snowfall, this exceptional year, has given much work and still "have some work because you have to work with snowshoes or skis, there are a lot of ground and you have to enter more than once because still overnight you find animals, still dying bugs and it is important to know the casualties we have. "

With an average of five feet thick at heights between 800 and 1000 meters and more from there, many animals were trapped and were and continue to suffer from cold and lack of food. The guards continue to carry grass some points that are close but for some specimens survival is excluded. They also assist those who are 'locked' by walls of snow on the road formed in the wake of the machines.

Peter and Philip coindicen that what happened can not be considered more than a tough selection of nature itself. We discussed while, binoculars or telescope in hand, locate a skill that causes admiration some deer, chamois and ibex grazing or resting on a sunny day in mountains released in fall of snow but still inaccessible valleys near the end a particularly harsh winter.  - Asturias 24. [Translated]

Massive die off of prawns, 'cause unknown' in Aroor, India

Prawn farmers in Aroor constituency have landed in trouble after prawns in their fields were found dead in large numbers this week. However, the exact reason for the death of prawns has not been determined. The prawns were found dead in fields at Pallithode, Valiyathadam, Kochuvavakad and western parts of Thuravoor. Udayabhanu, a farmer from Pattanakkad panchayat, said that he had suffered a loss of more than Rs 10 lakh. He had deposited 1.75 lakh seedlings in his 12 acre paddy field.

Satheesan, another prawn farmer said, the prawns afflicted with the unknown disease are 70 -days- old.

“We were about to conduct the harvesting of the prawns. But, we are in trouble now as majority of our prawns have started to die out in large numbers. Though news about the prawn’s mass death has come out, no authorities concerned have come forward and tried to understand our situation,’’ he said.

The chemical waste dumping from the various industrial units are believed to be the main reason for the sudden death of prawns.

According to Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies Vice-Chancellor B Madhusoodana Kurup, when the industrial waste reaches the fields through canals, the level of oxygen will come down drastically resulting in the death of prawns.In a rough estimate of loss prepared by the farmers in the Kari land in Thuravoor, Ezhupunna and other panchayats in the Cherthala taluk shows that more than Rs 50 lakh loss was incurred due to the death of prawns. - New Indian Express.

10,000+ cattle dead due to flooding of the river Ebro in Spain

It is not yet known how long the Ebro to return to normal, low water slowly and then rise to the surface problems. Remove mud, recover the supply of drinking water and, most painfully, recover the bodies of all the dead cattle lying in the fields: over 10,000 cattle to be removed. Already have withdrawn more than 4,000 days and even take on the rest. - Cuatro. [Translated]

Weasel attacks heron in Kent, UK

'Excuse me sir, please let go of my beak’  © SWNS/Jonathan Forgham

Warning: This article contains content animals lovers may find upsetting

The world went crazy for a weasel riding a woodpecker last week, but it seems not all weasel/bird relationships are as harmonious as that one.

One weasel received a much colder reception when he tried to jump on and attack the beak of a heron, which ended up eating the furry little rodent for dinner.

First the understandably annoyed heron grabbed the angry weasel in it's beak before dunking him in the water several times, drowning him.

After making sure his nemesis was dead the bird swallowed him in one mouthful.

Bird watcher Jonathan Forgham captured the horrifying moment in the Elmley Mature Reserve in Kent.

‘OK. Now I’m getting angry.’  © SWNS/Jonathan Forgham

© SWNS/Jonathan Forgham

He said: 'The heron wasn't trying to eat it, it was just trying to get rid of it. But the weasel attacked its beak again and the heron picked it up and flew off to the pond.

'I drove the car round there in time to see the heron try to drown the weasel. It lifted it out of the water and then dunked it again to make sure it was dead.

'When the weasel was quite motionless the heron swallowed it. Afterwards it didn't do much, it just stood there looking quite smug.'

Jonathan admitted that the weasel was fighting a losing battle from the outset, but said they are 'aggressive, never give up and fight to the death'.

Clearly.

We think it's about time ambassadors from the both the weasel and avian kingdoms meet to try and rebuild the peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship the two species once had.

Of course in reality the weasel was trying to kill the woodpecker.  © Martin LeMay

Of course in reality the weasel was trying to kill the woodpecker

But hey, even if weasels and birds don't get along most of the time, that one precious moment when they did has now been immortalised in the most British way possible - with a sign.

The amazing photo has brought such a massive amount of attention to the Hornchurch Country Park in Essex where it was taken that someone has decided to remind all visitors to that park that they walk upon sacred ground.

Never forget. © Julia Kenny

Of course, the sign wasn't put up by the council, and is thought to have been placed by a prankster who wants to park to become listed as a 'historical site' due to the picture. - Metro.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFF: Birds Dropping From The Sky By The Dozens In Maury County, Tennessee - Officials On The Scene Say They Have Never Seen Anything Like This Before?!

March 2, 2015 - TENNESSEE, UNITED STATES - Dozens of birds drop dead out of the sky in Maury County at the same time.

A local pizza delivery driver says he has something to do with the fifty or so birds that turned up dead off North Field Lane Saturday.

Russell Thomas contacted FOX17 after our story first aired.

Thomas says the birds were flying low and swooped in and bombed his brand new white KIA.

He said there is minor damage to his car.

Police turned the case over to the TWRA. Police and wildlife officials are on scene are working to get answers as to how and why this happened.

They are monitoring the area, bagging birds and taking samples for testing.

WATCH: Birds drop dead in Maury County.

One witness says the birds were split open from the fall.

Officials on scene say they have never seen anything like this. It is unknown what type of birds these are, but they all seem to be the same kind. - FOX17.

DISASTER PRECURSORS: Omen – The Latest Incidents Of Strange Animal Behavior, Mass Animal Die-Offs, Appearance Of Rare Creatures And Warnings From Mother Nature!

February 26, 2015 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.

Masses of dead fish found floating in Guanabara Bay, Brazil

Flagrant of dead fish in the Guanabara Bay (Photo: Ricardo Moraes / Reuters)

A day after the governor of Rio, Luiz Fernando Bigfoot, say that the clean-up program of Guanabara Bay for the 2016 Olympics reached 49%, images showed hundreds of dead fish in the region on Tuesday (24).

In press on Monday (23), Bigfoot also said it will rely on the understanding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who is in town this week for meetings with municipal and state governments, if the target of 80% of the pollution is not attained.

Guanabara Bay dawned with dead fish (Photo: Ricardo Moraes / Reuters)

Dead fish in Guanabara Bay (Photo: Ricardo Moraes / Reuters)

According Bigfoot, the question of Guanabara Bay, which will receive the sailing events of the Olympic Games should not shake the list of authorities with the IOC.

According to the State of the Environment (INEA), technicians found the presence of dead yellowtail in Fundão Canal. Water samples were collected and the results should be out in seven days. - Globo. [Translated]

Deadly winter takes toll on waterfowl in Michigan

Ducks sit on a shelf of ice Monday along the St. Clair River in Port Huron. © Andrew Jowett / Times Herald

Harsh weather is taking a toll on the waterfowl concentrated in the St. Clair River.

Terry McFadden, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said waterfowl across the state are dying because of the extreme cold and growing ice cover.

Below-zero temperatures have caused rapid ice formation, blocking ducks from food sources in the water and sometimes trapping the birds in the ice.

"Most likely it's going to be similar to last year, we lost quite a few last year," McFadden said. "We don't have a really good estimate, but it was in the thousands."

McFadden said waterfowl, including long-tailed and canvasback ducks, are concentrated in the St. Clair River, where some of the region's only remaining open water is located.

That large concentration of birds depletes available resources as the ice forms.



WATCH: Deadly winter takes toll on waterfowl in Michigan.

"I don't know if we're going to lose as many (ducks) this year, but it's hard to say, we got hammered with these conditions fast," McFadden said.

While it is tough to see, he said people need to leave the ducks alone. The ice is unstable, and even if a duck is freed, he said its fate may already be sealed.

"It's a terrible way for any wild animal or any animal out there to go. It's unfortunate," McFadden said. "There's not much you can do at this point."

But John and Chelsea Borkovich of Fort Gratiot couldn't stand to watch the birds die Monday.

The Fort Gratiot father and daughter had originally ventured down to the river in Port Huron to see some of the migratory diver ducks that fly in from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northern Michigan.

With camera and binoculars, the two discovered something unexpected along the icy shoreline of the river near where the Coast Guard cutter Hollydock docks.

"We found probably seven dead ducks, all different types," Chelsea said. "We found three that were still alive. We came back and saved a couple others stuck in the ice."

John Borkovich, who worked as a Michigan conservation officer for 27 years, said he knows it can be all too common in Michigan waters.

"Last year we lost thousands of ducks in the state," he said. "It's important to save anything that can't fend for itself."

The two began freeing the ducks by pulling the still-attached feathers out of the ice. They also used a 20-foot aluminum pole to test and later break up the ice that surrounded the ducks.

Afterward, they brought the ducks up the bank to their van to warm up. The ended up freeing five ducks.

The female redhead was one of the last they brought up to get warm.

"Probably within 10 minutes, she would have been dead," Chelsea said. "She was sideways and her eyes were closed."

Minutes after being released back into the St. Clair River, the bird could be seen diving down for food once more.

"Some people would say, 'It's just a duck,'" John said. "But that's not fair. It's still a living creature." - The Times Herald.

Thousands of dead fish wash up along Runmaro Island, 'never seen this before' in Sweden

Per Åkerlund took a photo of the dead fish.

Last Thursday Per Åkerlund on the island Runmarö in the Stockholm archipelago to watch the in-laws' house.

During a walk along the eastern part of the island, he began to see how it was dead fish along the shore.

But the dead fish was just the beginning.

- I went on a mountain and looked smaller collections of fish everywhere. I walked along the water and came to a bay where it had blown into drifts of fish, he says.

The thousands of dead herrings as Per Åkerlund captured image was washed up from the sea and was only a few feet from the shore.

Never seen anything like it

He has some experience of the archipelago and fish, but it is the first time he sees something similar.

- It looks a little nine-spined stickleback sometimes, but I've never seen this kind of fish, he says.

With the dead fish came a certain odor, he says:

- It did not smell so good. I took the picture and held my nose and walked away.

Afterward, he alerted the provincial government about the incident that has said they will return if they get some clarity in what herring death depends.

Sture Hansson, Professor of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, says that it occasionally wash ashore large amounts of dead fish, and that there may be a number of explanations as to why.

- It is very difficult to say what caused it. One can only speculate and it gets the imagination to grow.

If the event on Runmarö not repeat itself, it's nothing to worry about over a larger perspective, says Sture Hansson.

Freezing water

He mentions several possible explanations why the fishermen's death.

- It could be such a trivial thing as a fishing boat that had been out since not received the entire beam. Or that it has become a hole in the beam, he says.

During the winter, the water can be supercooled and so cold that the fish are unable to survive in it. Under normal circumstances keep the fishes to warmer water, but if a stressor occurs, it may cause them to go astray, says Sture Hansson.

- We have a lot of seals in the archipelago now. If a herring shoals chased by a seal, they can behave foolishly and end up in very cold water that they can not do, he says. - Expressen. [Translated]

Battling Bald eagles crash down onto tree in Tuckerton, New Jersey

Two bald eagles interlocked, injured and hanging from a tree in Tuckerton, NJ.  © Ben Wurst

On Tuesday, February 17, 2015 we got a call about a couple injured bald eagles from our colleagues with the Endangered and Nongame Species Program. They were reported hanging from a pine tree off a road in Tuckerton, NJ by some local residents. We didn't know how long they were there, but we knew that we needed to respond quickly if a bird had a chance to survive. We arrived at the scene to find two adults that were indeed, hanging from a tree. Luckily the local residents on the scene knew someone who worked for AC Electric (he also lived on the same road the birds were off of) and had a truck with a cherry picker on it. After the cherry picker arrived I went up to free the two birds.


WATCH: Bald eagle rescue.

One eagle was alive and one had unfortunately died. The two were likely engaged in a territorial dispute and fell to where they hung on that skinny tree branch. Eagles are extremely territorial to their nest sites and even fight over food when it is scarce. Eagles also often lock feet while performing courtship displays, but this was certainly NOT a courtship display. Each had a foot that was totally locked with the other. The dead eagle had its "death grip" on the surviving eagle and if no one saw these birds then both would have died.

After assessing the situation, I realized I needed some kind of a pole or hand saw to cut a branch to slide the dead birds leg off the branch, which would free both birds. I called down to the local residents who gathered below and asked if any had a saw. One did, so I went back down, grabbed the saw and proceeded back up to cut the branch and free the hanging eagles.

After bringing the birds down to the ground, watch as it took three grown men to pry their feet apart.

The survivor was banded (although the federal band was missing) with a green auxiliary band, C/58, and she was ID'd as a female that was produced at a nest near Merrill Creek Reservoir in 2008.

I had no idea how I would carry the surviving bird home. She was wrapped in a blanket to keep her calm. I was considering driving her to my house (10 min away) on my lap or on the floor of my truck (wrapped up). Luckily neither was needed! Another local resident had a large dog crate in his truck so we put the bird in the crate. After talking over options for care of the bird with Kathy Clark, ENSP Zoologist, we decided to transport her to the Mercer County Wildlife Center last night. I met Diane Nickerson, Director of MCWC, who stayed late to help give this bird the urgent care that it most desperately needed. It was alert and feisty, which were both good signs. It was given fluids, medications, and was placed in an incubator to stay warm for the night. We're anxious to hear how the bird is doing today.  - The Gloucester City News.

World’s Largest Falcon Species, Arctic Gyrfalcon, Spotted In Chicago Area

A gyrfalcon lands on a man’s hand. (Credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images)

Chicago's hosting an extremely rare visitor which is good for bird watchers but tough on other birds, reports WBBM's John Cody.

Wildlife biologist Chris Anchor with Cook County Forest Preserve District says the same conditions that brought snowy owls to Chicago have also brought Chicago the biggest falcon in the world.

The Gyrfalcon has a wing span up to 4 and 1/2 feet and weighs three or four pounds. Anchor says they can kill other birds as large as ducks and geese.

He says the Gyrfalcon, spotted at Navy Pier and also in Barrington northwest of Chicago, has a maximum air speed of 120 miles an hour.

Anchor says this is only the fourth one he's seen in his 30-year career as a wildlife biologist. - CBS Chicago.

Rhino attacks car at West Midland Safari Park, UK

A mum has demanded tighter safety controls at West Midlands Safari Park after a charging rhino smashed into her vehicle – with her screaming toddler inside.

The two tonne beast caused £500-worth of damage to Vicky Liggins’ Mitsubishi Warrior during the heart-stopping attack at the tourist attraction in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

Vicky Liggins from Halesowen whose 4x4 vehicle was damaged after it was attacked and lifted up by a rhino

And as the Northfield bank worker fled the scene, with her sister Beth Rees and 19 month-old daughter Evelyn in the car, she says the Asian rhino gave chase.

Thankfully, a ranger came to the rescue, but the beast gave chase as Vicky drove away.

The Mitsubishi suffered a smashed back light, crumpled rear and dents to the driver’s side.

The safari park has apologised to Vicky and sent her a £250 goodwill gesture.

But Vicky, aged 26 from Halesowen wants barriers erected to prevent rhinos wandering in front of vehicles.

Rhinos at West Midlands Safari Park

“We were absolutely petrified. I dread to think what would’ve happened if we’d been in a smaller, lighter vehicle,” Vicky told the Birmingham Mail.

“As we drove past the three rhinos, I thought they were too close. These animals are two ton – they weigh more than a car, they’re dangerous animals.

“I didn’t notice the rhino behind my car until it hit the vehicle with its horn.

“We were all really frightened. It then shunted us from behind with such force, the back wheel lifted off the floor.

“We were absolutely petrified. I thought the rhino was going to pierce the back panel and smash through the rear windscreen. We couldn’t drive away because of the rhinos in front.

“My daughter was in tears and the sad thing is that she loves animals.”

“It was one very scary and expensive day,” said Vicky. “As a member of the public you don’t expect to be hit by a massive animal like that.

“I want the public to understand the dangers of safari parks. Even with so called ‘rangers’ on site, it isn’t safe.”

Vicky has criticised the way park top brass handled the attack, which happened three weeks ago. “I received no immediate apology and was referred to the ‘terms and conditions’.

In an official statement to the Birmingham Mail, the safari park has said sorry, but declined to go into detail about the incident.

A spokeswoman said: “The highlight of a visit to West Midland Safari Park is to drive amongst free roaming animals and to get the chance to feed some of them.“In addition, we also offer a guided minibus tour for a small extra charge. We welcome many, many thousands of visitors during the course of a year without mishap and, therefore, we are very sorry that wasn’t so on this particular occasion”. - Birmingham Mail.

Rogue owl terrorizing Dutch town

A European eagle owl in Portugal is shown in captivity. One of its breed has been wreaking havoc in the Dutch town of Purmerend.
Wikimedia Commons/Alvesgaspar

A European eagle owl in Portugal is shown in captivity. One of its breed has been wreaking havoc in the Dutch town of Purmerend.

The northern Dutch town of Purmerend has advised residents to arm themselves with an umbrella when going out at night after a mysterious spate of bloody rogue owl attacks.
Over the last three weeks, the European eagle owl has silently swooped on dozens of residents of the usually peaceful town, with many victims requiring hospital treatment.

The latest aerial assault on Tuesday evening saw two members of a local athletics club attacked, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey's talons.

The club has cancelled all training until further notice.

Residents and workers at Prinsenstichting home for the handicapped have been left terrified following at least 15 attacks, spokeswoman Liselotte de Bruijn told AFP.

"During the day there's no problem, but at night we now only venture outside armed with umbrellas, helmets and hats, anything really, to protect ourselves," said De Bruijn.

"The problem is that you don't hear the owl before it strikes. Its claws are razor-sharp," she said.

"We hope the city will soon catch this rogue bird."

Purmerend city council said it was trying to find a solution.

"We want to catch the owl as our city's residents are in danger," it said on its website, noting however that the European eagle owl is a protected species that requires special permission to be trapped.

"These procedures can still take some time. Meanwhile, we are advising people to stay away from the owl," the city said, telling night strollers in the area to shield themselves with umbrellas.
Gejo Wassink of the Netherlands' OWN owl foundation said the bird's behaviour was unusual.


"Either the owl was reared in captivity and released into the wild and now associates humans with food -- meaning it's not really 'attacking' people."

"Or it may have heightened hormone levels as the breeding season starts, which influences its behaviour and makes it defend its territory," Wassink told AFP, saying the bird "appears to be a female".

He pointed to the wider problem of people hand-rearing owls and then releasing them into the wild when they become too big to handle, potentially leading to an increase in attacks.

The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wing-span of up to 1.80 metres (almost six feet) and weighing up to three kilos (seven pounds).  - Discovery News.

Moose went "out of its way" to trample woman in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

A dog walker found herself on the wrong side of a bull moose last weekend when she was struck and trampled by one in Colorado.

The popular ski resort town of Steamboat Springs is well-known for its hot springs, skiing festivals, and abundant moose population. Visitors are often warned to give the area's resident moose a wide berth, but sometimes the animals have ideas of their own. According to CBS4, a dog walker was injured on Sunday when she was trampled by a spooked moose.

The victim, who has been identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) as Katharine Hash, sustained serious injuries during the encounter and was later airlifted to a Denver hospital.

Witnesses told investigators that the bull moose had struck Hash from behind, despite having ample space to run around her, and some even said that the animal deliberately crossed the road to trample the dog walker.

"At this point, our best guess is something else happened on an adjacent property and caused the moose to run (into Storm Mountain Ranch), and for whatever reason it came across the woman and ran over her," CPW wildlife manager Jim Haskins told the Steamboat Pilot. "Whatever happened probably didn't have anything to do with the dogs."

Hash later told investigators that she did not know the bull was nearby until she turned around at the last second and was headbutted by the animal. Getting hit by a moose running at full speed is not unlike getting hit by a truck, and Hash suffered multiple facial and skull fractures. Despite the injuries, Hash has since been released from the hospital and is now recovering. Conservation officers were able to track the animal to Emerald Mountain, even picking up shed antlers that are believed to belong to the bull. CPW spokespeople say that it is the policy of the department to euthanize moose that aggressively attack humans, but also added that officers have a low probability of locating the animal.

It is not the first time the CPW has been on the trail of an unruly moose. Hash's encounter marks the fourth moose attack in the Steamboat area since 2013, and also the fourth dog walker to be confronted by one of the large animals.

"In the wake of several people being injured by moose [in 2014], Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding outdoor enthusiasts that moose can be aggressive when dogs and humans get too close. Since early spring, wildlife officers have responded to three human/moose conflicts, including two recent incidents in Grand Lake. In all three instances, dogs—both on and off-leash—reportedly spooked the moose before it charged and seriously injured the dog's owner." stated the CPW on its website. "Moose in Colorado have very few natural predators and they are not generally frightened by humans. However, state wildlife officials caution that the large ungulates see dogs as a threat due to their similarities with wolves, their primary predator. Wildlife officials caution that dogs should never be allowed to approach a moose."  - Outdoor Hub.

Aggressive eagle owl terrorizes residents in Wotton-under-Edge, UK

This eagle owl could be one of the biggest in the world Photo: N/A

An eagle owl has been terrorising residents in Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire.

It's thought the owl has been hand reared, and so is attracted to people.

The bird, which may have escaped from a private collector, is one of the biggest owls it the world - and expert Jemima Parry-Jones says that during the breeding season people do need to take care.

One woman broke her arm as she tried to run away from him.

It's not vicious. It's not nasty. But it is an accident waiting to happen. These are one of the largest owls in the word. They are large enough to kill a 5 pound rabbit. They take other birds of prey and may well be killing other owls in the area, and they have been known to kill small cats as well. They have feet almost the size of my hand, with talons over an inch long, and if it lands on someone who is frightened, and they try to brush it away, or if it lands on a child and they scream and try to run off they can get hurt.

- Jemima Parry-Jones, International Centre for Birds of Prey

- ITV.

The canary in the coal mine? Nesting wading bird population crashes by 28% in a year, Florida Everglades

Low water conditions because of the drought in Everglades Conservation area 2B west of Markham Park in Sunrise provide easy pickings for wading birds.Blue
Herons, egrets, white herons, woodstorks, black crowned night herons and cormorants are several of the species of birds that are enjoying the feast in the area
on April 28,2011.Here woodstorks gather on the dike on the south side of the conservation area. Credit Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff

It's not a canary or a coal mine in Florida, but the idea from Audubon of Florida is the same. Wading birds hold the same function as the canary, and in this case the coal mine is the Everglades. Tabitha Cale with the society says things are dire.

The 20th anniversary of the Wading Bird Report is out and there's some bad news. Everglades restoration is not going well. The report shows that in 2014 there were 34,714 wading bird nests in the Greater Everglades. That's 28 percent fewer than in 2013.

The biggest drops included little blue herons, 83 percent, tricolored herons, 42 percent, and snowy egrets, 47 percent.

Counting wading bird nests is an indicator of where water flows are improving. The report shows the area with great progress is the Kissimmee River Basin. Meanwhile, Everglades National Park still needs improvement.

There's promise on the legislative side. Last month Governor Rick Scott set aside $150 million in his budget for the Everglades. It's part of a 20-year plan to pump $5 billion into protecting and restoring the ecosystem. This week President Barack Obama proposed in his budget for another $195 million for the Everglades.

Twenty-years after the first wading bird report, things are not all bad news. Cale says, "I think we're getting there in terms of getting important projects finished, like the Central Everglades Planning Project. That's something that really will improve a lot of the conditions in the Central Everglades and allow to move water into the Southern Everglades."

Cale adds, "As we restore those water flows, not only will we protect these beautiful birds, it will also push back against sea water intrusion as well protect coastal habitats and reduce land loss."

We are halfway through the Everglades Restoration Plan set back in 2000. It's an effort to restore and protect the natural ecosystem of the Everglades. It covers 18,000 square miles over sixteen counties at a cost of more than $10 billion dollars.  - WLRN.

Two women mauled by packs of feral dogs in Bareilly, India

 The stray dog menace in Baheri tehsil has taken on a new dimension as the canines have now started targeting adults as well. Two women, aged 37 and 50, were reportedly mauled by dogs in separate incidents in the district on Tuesday.

According to reports, Reshamvati, 37, was attacked by a pack of ten dogs while she was collecting fodder in a field in Faizganj Kamthena village. She received injuries on stomach, legs and hands. Locals rushed to the spot after hearing her cries and rescued her. The villagers attacked the dogs with bamboo sticks and shooed them away. The woman has been admitted to community health centre (CHC) in Baheri where she is undergoing treatment.

In a similar incident, 50-year-old Heerakali, 50, was attacked by a pack in Nazarganj village when she had gone to the outskirts of the village for some work. However, with timely intervention of locals, the woman managed to escape with minor injuries. She is also being treated at a CHC.

The team set up by the district administration has not been able to trap these dogs, the district authorities are now claiming that it appears that a few mad dogs are also part of the pack which are attacking the locals.

Baheri sub-divisional magistrate Rameshwarnath Tiwari said, "We are sure that the dogs are stray and not wild, but it appears now that a few mad dogs are also part of the group which is mauling the locals." He added that the joint team of forest department and Nagar Palika are combing the forest to trap the dogs.

Meanwhile, members of All India Jan Sewa Committee, on Wednesday, submitted a memorandum to the divisional commissioner, demanding compensation for the families whose children were injured in stray dog attacks.

"The children who have been attacked belong to poor families and they are not in a position to bear the cost of treatment. The district administration has failed to tackle the dogs menace but at least they should provide compensation to the families for treatment on humanitarian grounds," said Nadeem Qureshi, All India Jan Sewa Committee president.

In the past 40 days, the pack of stray dogs have killed five children and injured at least 10 children. According to the district administration, the dogs are attacking locals living in nearly 20 villages situated in and around two rivers - Babul and Kicha.  - The Times of India.

Massachusetts animal shelters report large numbers of suffering wildlife due to record cold weather

A screech owl sat on a perch mending a fractured wing at the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth.  © John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The casualty list is wide ranging: possums with frostbite, a turtle frozen in a block of ice, a swan hit by a plow, a fox hit by a car.

If this month's record cold and snowfall have taken a toll on human residents in Massachusetts, they have also wreaked havoc on the animal population, particularly wildlife. Animal shelters are beyond capacity with weather-related injuries.

"This is the worst winter that we've seen in terms of straight-up starving animals coming in," said veterinarian Maureen Murray, who practices and teaches at the Tufts University Wildlife Clinic in North Grafton. "With this historic amount of snow and extremely low temperatures, animals need more energy to stay warm, but they're not able to find food sources for that energy, so it's a really big strain on them."

Although it's difficult to determine whether wildlife populations have suffered permanent damage, local experts say it's clear the animals are under extreme stress.

In response, animal shelters are working overtime. At New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth, the staff is tending to creatures they rarely see, including ocean birds blown off course by the recent storms and brought into the shelter emaciated and battered.

The Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, one of the largest in the Northeast, has more than 90 patients in care now, nearly triple the average number for this time of year, said director Deborah Millman.

At the New England Wildlife Center, Dr. Greg Mertz cared for a malnourished mallard duck that was rescued in the snow. © John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

At the New England Wildlife Center, Dr. Greg Mertz cared for a malnourished mallard duck that was rescued in the snow.

"I cannot think of a wild species that is not at risk in this weather," said Dr. Greg Mertz, chief executive and "odd pet vet" at the New England center, whose staff has been working around the clock to feed them and mend broken wings and legs. "They're part of the same environment we live in, and the things that affect us are also affecting them."

The patients at the center, the only wildlife hospital in Greater Boston, include an Eastern screech owl brought in by an Abington family who noticed that it was up to its neck in snow. "His body was frozen. We put him in ICU in an oxygen tank, and on top of a heating pad," said executive director Katrina Bergman. Treated for hypothermia, malnutrition, and a broken wing, he is doing well, she said.

Similarly, a turtle found frozen in a snowbank by a Boston family is recovering. "They don't have a car, so they rented a Zipcar and brought it in," said Bergman.

It is not easy treating wildlife under even the best of circumstances. "Domestic animals want to be taken care of, but wildlife want no part of this at all," said Mertz. "These animals are not used to being around people at all."

The MSPCA reports that two starving roosters with frostbitten combs were found abandoned in Shrewsbury, and a Pekin duck was plucked out of a snowbank by the Marblehead animal control officer. "She was probably someone's pet," said MSPCA spokesman Rob Halpin. "She had a little blue ribbon tied around her leg."

Among the most common animals being seen at the shelters are ailing sea birds. The worst of the recent storms have been nor'easters, where the wind rotates onto land from the northeast, driving ocean birds toward shore and onto ice floes or snowbanks, according to the wildlife center.

Mertz held a red-tailed hawk in a towel.  © John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

The birds include thick-billed murres, Bufflehead ducks, and horned grebes. Malnourished, too weak to fly, and hundreds of miles from their habitats, they've been treated for broken wings and legs, and fed constantly. Mertz had two black ducks in ICU that had to be tube-fed, so frail were they after being blown from their ocean lair onto land.

"These guys are almost always offshore, and people never come in contact with them," Mertz said.

Beyond the ones he has treated at his clinic, Mertz said he is also concerned about those animals he's not seeing. Take, for instance, chipmunks, groundhogs, squirrels, shrews, mice, and moles. "They're not at risk now because they're buried in hibernation, but when all this snow melts, that changes the story. You worry about the flooding that will affect the hibernating."

Many other animals normally would burrow through the snow to eat buds and seeds, but most are doubtless having trouble both digging through the deep drifts and finding anything to eat these days, he said.

Like the wildlife center, the MSPCA is concerned about those animals that can't reach either the ground or seeds. "It's at this time when backyard bird feeders are most appreciated by animals who otherwise might starve, and we'd ask for everyone who is able to do so to please keep their seed feeders filled until spring comes," said Halpin.

A Canada goose who was brought in malnourished and weak is tube fed.  © John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

A Canada goose who was brought in malnourished and weak is tube fed.

Mertz said he worries that larger animals, like deer, may be frustrated in their attempts to secure food, finding it too difficult to forage. The only animal tracks he has seen in the woodlands are from fisher cats.

"I think that's because they're light enough not to be sinking deep into the snow, but I'm not sure they're getting enough to eat."

Domestic animals are less at risk from the weather. Those who work with them report that the vast majority of pet owners are able to keep their animals safe and comfortable. It's the economy — not the weather — that most affects pet security.

Still, the shelters for domestic animals are facing their own difficulties. At Greyhound Friends Inc. in Hopkinton, two volunteers, Jon Servello and Mickayla Shepard, "ride out the storms overnight with the dogs" to make sure the 30 hounds are safe and sound. "Greyhounds have no fat, no insulation; they're short-haired," said Louise Coleman, who founded the nonprofit in 1983. "We're very careful with this kind of weather."

The fenced-in area for the dogs to roam and relieve themselves is blanked in snowdrifts. "Greyhounds don't like being anything but comfortable," Servello said. "Trying to get them outside when there's disagreeable weather is difficult."

That's where their two-legged friends come in.  - The Boston Globe.

King crab from Arctic waters found on Redcar beach, UK

King Crab on Redcar beach

Red king crab could be first on our shores, crustacean is usually found in icy waters like the Arctic

He's spent his working life beneath the sea but even oceanographer David McCreadie was baffled by a rare visitor to Redcar.

For the formidable-looking red crustacean found by David's fiancee Diane Weinoski looks for all the world like a king crab - and they hardly ever stray from considerably icier waters.

Members of the lithododid family, king crabs are large, tasty and usually found in seas MUCH colder than Redcar's.

And despite having worked and played in oceans across the world since the mid-1960s, David has never heard of one being found this far south.

Oceanographer David McCreadie

His suspicion that the six-legged visitor was a king crab species has now been confirmed by David's friend and world crab expert Dr Norman Sloan, of the remote Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Dr Sloan, who used to work in the Natural History Museum, is now contacting an expert on British crustaceans to discuss it further.

David, 66, who was brought up in Redcar but now lives in Great Ayton, said: "I have dived as an amateur and professional since 1966 and never seen one anywhere near here before.

"I have heard that king crabs have migrated under the Arctic ice cap and been found in Norway, but this is so far south."

In a lifetime devoted to marine matters, after studying oceanography and marine biology in Bangor, North Wales, in 1966, David stayed to do research before starting a successful oyster hatchery, mussel business and lobster tanks.

Since then, he's started a smokery which supplies the Royal Family, worked as a senior offshore inspection rep in Abu Dhabi and is currently senior lecturer at the TWI Techonology Centre on Riverside Park, Middlesbrough.

In other words, when it comes to life under the sea, he knows what he's talking about.

David, a former pupil of Sir William Turner's School in Redcar, said: "I know my crustaceans and when I saw this one, I knew it was special.

"I know king crabs are common in the Arctic, especially around Alaska, and they have turned up in Norway recently, but how on earth this one has got so far south, I have no idea. To my knowledge, this is the first one.

"It could only come from very cold, deep water but we don't have very cold deep water in the North Sea.

"Perhaps it was on its summer holidays!"

Sadly, the king crab's Redcar vacation didn't last long.

It was alive when Diane first came across it last Friday, but a subsequent return to the beach found it dead on the sands. - The Gazette.

Thousands of birds dead due to avian flu in Monywa, Myanmar

Bird flu sa resurfaced in Myanmar, prompting officials to turn to culling chickens
to stem the spread of the H5N1 virus. Fortunately, no human cases have
been reported. (Photo : USAID Afghanistan)

In an effort to prevent H5N1 bird flu from spreading, Myanmar has turned to culling more than a thousand chickens in Monywa.

The country's first bird flu outbreak in 2006 also happened in the same region, around 525 miles northwest of Yangon. The last outbreak in Myanmar was in 2011 in the western Rakhine State. Over 1,400 chickens as well as 10,000 quails have died since the outbreak started in Monywa earlier in the month but it has been brought under control. No infections in people have been reported but 1,500 chickens and over 20,000 quails have been culled since then.

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic bird flu virus that has led to dramatic outbreaks in the domestic poultry industries in the Middle East and some parts of Asia. The first human infection was recorded in Hong Kong in 1997, with almost 650 cases reported since 2003 across 15 countries.

Highly pathogenic means a virus has great ability to cause disease but while H5N1 is one, the virus is mostly easily caught by poultry. People may get infected from coming into contact with sick or dead poultry that have been infected with the virus but once infected people can't pass it to each other. Around 60 percent of cases in humans result into death.

In the United States, no cases of H5N1 have been reported in birds or people. In 2011 though, 62 human cases of infection were recorded, with 34 dying in Indonesia, Egypt, China, Cambodia and Bangladesh. Common symptoms of an infection in people include fever and cough, which may rapidly progress to severe viral pneumonia with hypoxia, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath.

The best way to prevent infection in people is to avoid any form of contact with infected poultry, sick or dead. This means avoiding live poultry markets while traveling as these areas may harbor the virus. At the same time, it is essential to practice good hygiene and proper food handling when preparing raw eggs or poultry. Make sure to wash hands with warm water and soap for minimum of 20 seconds and ensure all cutting boards and utensils are also properly washed. This will prevent raw poultry from contaminating other food items being prepared. Avoid eating raw eggs and make sure poultry is being cooked at an ideal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A bird flu vaccine is currently underway in Thailand. A nasal spray, the medication has started phase 1 clinical trials. - Tech Times.

Thousands of dead fish found, 'no explanation' in the port of Wolfersdorf, France

Dead fish in the Rhone-Rhine Canal

Since Monday, thousands of dead fish are found in the marina of Dannemarie-Wolfersdorf Sundgau. This pollution causes anger fishermen.

Thousands of dead fish were found in the Rhone-Rhine Canal. Water police went there to take samples because there is no foam, no traces of oil on the surface and yet it probably has a pollution.

Already carried levies on Tuesday by teams of Green Brigades of the General Council of the Upper Rhine are being analyzed at the Veterinary Laboratory to determine the cause of this carnage. It would perhaps "pesticides dumped into the canal or pollution from a battery" explained the specialist. The police opened an investigation. - France3. [Translated]

5,000 Birds killed due to avian flu in Jigawa State, Nigeria

The Jigawa State Government on Tuesday said it has recorded three cases of bird flu outbreak and has culled over 5, 000 birds in the state.

Dr Abdullahi Birniwa, the Director, Veterinary Service, State’s Ministry of Agriculture made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse.

Birniwa said the outbreaks were recorded in three different farms in Hadejia, Taura and Dutse Local Government Areas of the state.

He explained that when the symptoms were noticed in the affected farms, the ministry took a sample to the National Laboratory, Vom in Jos, where it was confirmed.

The director said that the ministry was directed to cull all birds in the affected farms.

According to him, over 5, 000 birds have been culled in the operation.

Birniwas said the affected birds included Turkeys, Ducks, Chickens and Geese.

He further explained that all the affected farms were sprayed with disinfectant to prevent further spread of the disease.

The director said that the operators of the affected farms were directed not put another birds until further notice. - Daily Post.

Snake makes a rare winter appearance in Stephenville, Maryland

Jake Claypoole of Stevenville spotted something unusual when he took his son sledding near the park and ride across from Kent Landing Shopping Center, commonly called Kmart hill, about noon Wednesday, Feb. 18. He noticed a 3-foot snake on top of the ice on the storm water management pond.

Claypoole said he thought the snake was dead at first, but then he noticed its tongue moving and it began slithering toward the snow.

He said he watched and took pictures for about 20 minutes as the snake made its way off the ice, across the snow and into some nearby brush.

He said he had never seen a snake out in the winter on snow or ice before.

WATCH: A snake in winter.

Bill Killen of the Wye Research and Education Center at the University of Maryland Extension in Queenstown identified the snake as a garter snake from the photos on Monday, Feb. 23.

While snakes may sometimes come out in the winter to sun themselves on a warm day, Killen agreed it was unusual for the snake to come out during the frigid arctic temperatures the area experienced last week.

"It's not very often that they do that," he said.

Killen speculated the snake may have been hibernating under the parking lot. Unless it was able to find its way under cover, it likely became lunch for a bird.  - The Star Democrat.