Chronology
Here is an article from bmiers.blogspot.com
Something very curious started happening in a coastal Australian town called Esperance, birds began falling dead from the sky in early December 2006. By January 9th Esperance residents reported five thousand dead birds. So many birds were dead that Esperance was declared a natural disaster zone. The dying didn't stop until there were no more birds left to die.
The birds were dying around water sources, where they flew to quench an insatiable thirst. Investigators found that the dead birds had empty stomachs. People witnessed birds convulsing before they finally succumbed to their death. What was causing this?
Investigators raced to find the cause. First they ruled out infectious disease and bacterial infection, and they turned their attention to toxins, and the nearby swamp. People began to speculate that perhaps the birds were deliberately poisoned , or maybe a dry winter was the cause. Most of the dead birds were insect and nectar eaters. The birds internal organs were decaying quickly after death, authorities needed freshly dead birds to autopsy. The problem was that there were no birds left. Finally a wattle-bird, in the throes of death was handed over to authorities, they would be able to freeze the remains and preserve the bird for autopsy.
Authorities believe the most likely cause is toxic poisoning. The question remains, what toxin? Pesticides? Authorities are awaiting the autopsy results.
Two hundred dead swallows were found in Narembeen, 380 kilometers from Esperance.
The birds in Narembeen were determined to be treemartins, similar to swallows. The birds actually died two weeks ago, making it difficult for authorities to determine what caused their deaths. Test results on the Esperance birds are due back early next week.
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