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.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Disaster Precursors - 4 Whales Wash Up Dead On The West Coast Of New Zealand, Baffling Scientists?!

June 07, 2013 - NEW ZEALAND - Scientists are baffled at what might have killed four whales which washed up over two days on a certain section of a West Coast beach.

Local resident Brittnay Beddoes sent in this image of the Sperm whale. 

All four whales were dead when they washed up at the weekend, and all belonged to different species.

The first was a 6-metre long Cuvier's beaked whale which washed up on Saturday morning at Greymouth's Cobden Beach. It is on the list of threatened species.

Later that day, a huge 15-metre long Sperm whale washed up on the beach at the end of Serpentine Rd, just 14 km south of where the Cuvier's beaked whale was discovered.

On Sunday, a 2-metre long juvenile long-finned pilot whale was discovered on Westport's North Beach, followed by a 3-metre long pigmy sperm whale in the same area.

Department of Conservation marine mammal scientist Don Neale says a quadruple dead-stranding within 48 hours is something he's never heard of before.

"It's certainly unusual and it may just be coincidence," he says. "There were some major storms at sea - that's the only likely reason I can see at the moment."

Necropsies of the whales are unlikely so the individual causes of death will probably remain unknown.

Local iwi Ngati Waiwai has removed the jawbone of the Sperm whale and the remains will be buried on the beach this week.

The jawbone of the Cuvier's beaked whale has been stolen without permission from the iwi or the Department of Conservation and an investigation is underway to find the alleged thief. - 3NEWS.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Disaster Precursor - Two Giant Whales Found Beached On Separated East Hampton Beaches In Long Island!

January 15, 2013 - UNITED STATES - Marine officials say two whales washed up on New York's Long Island just hours apart. One was dead and the other was later euthanized.

Curious onlookers inspect an emaciated 60-foot finback whale that beached itself in the Breezy Point neighborhood of the Rockaways in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. Biologist Mendy Garron says it's unclear what caused the whale to beach itself, but its chances of survival appear slim. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens).

Newsday says they were discovered Sunday on separate stretches of East Hampton beaches.

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation said they don't believe the two events are connected.

The first whale was found dead around 8 a.m. in Napeague. Officials say there were no outward signs of what may have caused the death of the 59-foot-long finback whale.

At around 2:30 p.m., officials got a report of a 5-foot-long juvenile pygmy sperm whale in nearby Amagansett. The foundation says it was euthanized because it had skin lesions and appeared "sickly."

Necropsies will be performed on both mammals on Monday. - FOX News.

MASS BIRD DIE-OFF: Piles of Crows, Possibly Hundreds, Mysteriously Dies in Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, New Mexico - Cause is Unknown!

Piles of dead crows, possibly hundreds of them, have been found at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park.

Members of the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society reported Tuesday the stack of dead birds discovered during their annual "Christmas Bird Count." The birds were found dead in the park's river and along the west side of the river.

It is unclear why the birds died but agricultural extension agent Jeff Anderson said the birds might have been killed by a slow-acting, water-soluble avicide called DRC-1339 that was applied recently in Vado and Anthony, N.M.

Birdwatcher Ken Stinnett said most of the birds found dead were American crows, although he said he also saw a Chihuahuan raven and Brewer's blackbird.

The USDA later picked up the carcasses to perform necropsies. - The Republic.