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75 starlings die in mystery crash landing10/03/2010 15:48:43
For an unknown reason, 75 starlings appeared to fly straight into the ground. Photo credit RSPCA March 2010. Mystery surrounds the death of 75 starlings which crashed to the ground and died on a single driveway in Somerset. The birds were spotted falling from the sky and onto the driveway of a house in Coxley, Somerset, on Sunday 7 March. RSPCA animal welfare officer (AWO) Alison Sparkes was alerted to the unusual incident by the police and went to help. She discovered that most of the birds had suffered broken beaks, broken legs and wings and abdominal injuries, but were otherwise in good bodily condition. All but five of the birds were dead and, sadly, the rest had to be put to sleep by veterinary staff at the RSPCA's West Hatch Wildlife Centre, Taunton, Somerset, due to their severe injuries. Birds appear to fly into the ground "They appeared to be in good condition other than injuries that they appear to have suffered when they hit they ground. Our best guess is that this happened because the starlings were trying to escape a predator such as a sparrow hawk and ended up crash landing." There is no evidence that the birds had been poisoned or were ill before they crashed into the ground.
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Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
That is so weird and so horrible for the poor little birds. I hope the cause is discovered.
Posted by: Lucy Newnham | 01 Apr 2010 14:40:45
This seem to me to resemble beached whales. It has been speculated that beaching occurs because the animals (or at least the leader of the pod) are suffering from some illness that distorts their echo-location faculties. Starlings are noted for their spectacular formation flying. How they achieve this is not fully understood, but perhaps this is an indication that if something goes with this faculty in thier nature then it can have fatal consequences. Strange I never heard of it happening before.
Posted by: King, Liam D | 18 Mar 2010 23:43:43
To be honest this wasn't caused by planes or helicopters because someone would have realised that on the scene and yes a predator would not have managed this all would happen is the starlings would have just just flown away not commited suicide.
Something else has happened but poisoning seems unlikely so I would leave it at a mystery myself
Posted by: Grant Chivers | 16 Mar 2010 09:28:22
No bird of prey would cause birds to crash that way.Only if the prey is let loose from the claws by an inexperienced falcon (for instance form a peregrine) , could it be seen falling down that way,but certainly not 75 of them.
Chemical pollution couldn´t cause such a restricted effect on moving animals ,by the way ,by flying which means,in a considerable speed.Impossible.
Perhaps the erratic flight causing the crash was caused by a sudden down draft or wind shear .
Posted by: claudia hasse | 16 Mar 2010 00:53:16
freaky. poor little birds
Posted by: Pal Goalie Rapper | 14 Mar 2010 09:33:17
Chemtrails? Worth watching this is:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0DNtFFdSHw
ok, so vultures are dying due to Diclofenic, but a lot of the rest makes sense, frightening sense.
Posted by: Julian Wyllie | 13 Mar 2010 13:49:43
From the whooshing sound described, it could have been a Peregrine - I heard a similar sound as a peregrine pulled out of a dive in Majorca - loud enough to make me duck before I looked up and realised what it was.
Posted by: Ian | 12 Mar 2010 20:55:21
To say that this was caused by avoiding a natural predator is wrong, an aeroplane or helicopter is more likely but still doubtful, unless there at the time impossible to say
Posted by: | 12 Mar 2010 16:31:57