Birds Falling Out of the Sky

This year began with birds falling out of the sky. Now scientists think they have found the reasons for this. The Arkansas blackbirds were disturbed by fireworks and crashed into buildings. The Louisiana birds were startled by a cold front and flew into wires. But, the scientists also point out that this is a tempest in a teapot. Some estimate that in the fall migration 20 billion birds are flying around this country; a few thousand is an almost infinitesimal percent of this total. The American Bird Conservancy, which clearly has an agenda, claims that 2 billion birds die each year due to a combination of man's work and cats, who in the Conservancy's opinion kill 530,000,000 birds a year.

Frankly, I doubt the numbers the Conservancy puts forward. But I don't doubt the US Geological Survey's assertion that the January bird fall-out is not an "end of days" matter; it happens often. In a typical year the Survey receives 167 notices of bird fall-out.