Archive for the ‘Trivia’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Dead turtle doves now in Italy

January 7, 2011

After all the previous reports now comes this from Italy:

http://www.geapress.org/ambiente/faenza-la-pioggia-delle-tortore-morte-si-colora-di-blu/10343

(free translation)

There are certainly many hundreds, probably thousands, of the collared dove who are dying at this moment in Faenza. They are lying in heaps in the flower beds, crushed by machinery in the streets, horribly hung from trees like Christmas balls. Many, many more,  in the fenced land for industrial use.

The WWF has collected others, not all already dead. A dozen, in fact, have been sent to the Center of Recovery The Robin of Modena, where those arriving are still alive but died shortly after.

Over all a mystery. Inside the beak, in some animals, the staining was of a strange blue.

The bluish tint, however, is also typical of potassium cyanide, a deadly poison used, for example, from poachers. Cyanide, however, also causes hypoxia, …. maybe a dove with an upset stomach dies suffocated. Another poison which appears bluish comes from some some types of rat poison.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Trivia, Wildlife | 1 Comment »

Swedish jackdaws died of external trauma

January 6, 2011
A fledgling Corvus monedula (jackdaw) on a sto...

jackdaw: Image via Wikipedia

The birds found dead in Falköping yesterday died of external trauma.

Svenska Dagbladet reports:

Jackdaws found dead in Falköping on Wednesday night died of external trauma according to the autopsies carried out by the National Veterinary Institute (SVA). According to Marianne Elvander the birds died of severe internal bleeding. None of the birds showed signs of infection or disease.

Aftonbladet reports that a professional chauffeur said he had driven over a large flock of jackdaws during Tuesday night at that location. “The man came driving late at night when he saw a lot of birds that were alive.  They were probably eating road salt ” said Bengt Ljungberg of the Falköping-Tidaholm rescue service.

The dead jackdaws were discovered shortly before midnight last night. Between 50 and one hundred birds lay dead on the road and five of them were taken to the National Veterinary Institute for autopsy. According to Marianne Elvander, it is unclear what caused the birds to die.

But why they were sitting on the road? Investigations are continuing.


Tags:, ,
Posted in Sweden, Trivia, Wildlife | Comments Off on Swedish jackdaws died of external trauma

Dead birds also reported in Louisiana and Sweden and now dead fish….

January 5, 2011

Following the thousands of red winged blackbirds falling dead out of the sky in Arkansas, there are now further reports of dead birds in Louisiana and Sweden and dead fish in N. Zealand the US and Brazil.

Examiner.com

Dead birds in Louisiana; dead fish in Maryland, Brazil and New Zealand

After reports over the weekend of thousands of dead birds falling from the sky in Arkansas and around 100,000 dead fish washing up on the shores of the Arkansas River, more mysteries abound with hundreds of birds dying in Louisiana, dead fish in Maryland, dead sardines on Brazil’s beaches, and hundreds of snapper floating in New Zealand waters.

The Advocate in Baton Rouge reports that around 500 small birds, some of them starlings, have fallen out of the sky on Louisiana Highway 1 near Pointe Coupee Parish. Spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Bo Boehringer, told the New York Daily News “We have sent bird carcasses to two individual labs to obtain toxicology reports.”

Expressen: (free translation)

Mysterious bird deaths in Falköping

About 40 dead birds covered the ground last night at an intersection.
– It was a horrible sight, “said a resident who discovered the birds on his
evening walk. The police did not know what the mass death could depend on.

Both emergency services and the county administration are investigating the case.

New Zealand Herald:

Hundreds of snapper dead on beaches

Fisheries officials are investigating the death of hundreds of snapper washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches. Beachgoers at Little Bay and Waikawau Bay found the fish – many with their eyes missing – dead on the sand yesterday.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/220958-Brazil-100-tons-of-dead-fish-wash-up-on-shore

A survey conducted by the Federation of Fishermen’s Colony of Paraná, Paranaguá on the coast of the state, indicates that at least 100 tons of fish
(sardine, croaker and catfish) have turned up dead since last Thursday off the coast of Parana.

Probably just coincidence and with ready and natural explanations, but ……….


Tags:, ,
Posted in Trivia, Wildlife | 3 Comments »

Fireworks killed the blackbirds

January 4, 2011

As a follow-up to my earlier post about the thousands of red-winged blackbirds which dropped dead out of the sky in Arkansas, the BBC reports that fireworks were most probably to blame:

US scientists believe fireworks may have caused thousands of birds to fall from the sky over an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve. Karen Rowe, of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the red-winged blackbirds probably flew low to avoid explosions and collided with objects.

Residents reported hearing loud fireworks just before the birds started raining from the sky. “They started going crazy, flying into one another,” said AGFC spokesman Keith Stephens. The birds also hit homes, cars, trees and other objects, and some could have flown hard into the ground.

“The blackbirds were flying at rooftop level instead of treetop level” to avoid explosions above, said Ms Rowe, an ornithologist. “Blackbirds have poor eyesight, and they started colliding with things.”

Poisoning has been ruled out after several cats and dogs that ate the dead birds suffered no ill effects, he added. However, another theory is that a violent thunderstorm could have disoriented a roost of blackbirds. Tornadoes swept through Arkansas and neighbouring states on 31 December, killing seven people.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Trivia, Wildlife | 1 Comment »

Sing a song of sixpence…….

January 3, 2011

Sing a song of sixpence

A pocket full of rye

Four and twenty blackbirds

Baked in a pie.

http://www.examiner.com/google-trends-in-national/dead-birds-mystery-2-000-blackbirds-fall-on-beebe-arkansas-video

Red winged blackbird: image learner.org

The death of thousands of red-winged blackbirds that fell out of the sky over the small town of Beebe, Arkansas on New Year’s Eve night is a mystery that has the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sending the dead birds off for testing in hopes of a reasonable explanation. …..

Just how many birds died seems to vary with the Associated Press reporting that the last of the 2,000 dead birds was removed about 11 a.m. Sunday in the Beebe, a town that is approximately 40 miles northeast of Little Rock.

CNN reports that there area over 5,000 birds dead, where ” the bodies of red-winged blackbirds litter a street and field.”

Poison or illness have been ruled out and speculation is that some kind of stress – perhaps due to a hail storm, or a lightning strike or New Year fireworks  – could have caused the death of these birds. Lab results are expected to take upto a week.


Tags:, ,
Posted in Trivia, Wildlife | 1 Comment »

2011

December 31, 2010

The end of the first decade of the new millenium.

With hopes for

  • more science in science
  • more solar influence in climate models
  • less politics in politics
  • less fanaticism in religion
  • less greed in growth
  • more prudence in banking
  • less alarmism in environmentalism
  • more melody in music
  • more ethics in business, and
  • more humanity in humans

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!


Tags:,
Posted in Trivia | Comments Off on 2011

A Christmas tale – but all’s well that ends well

December 27, 2010

Over 500 parishioners at Luleå Cathedral were treated to something of an improvised Christmas Day service when the pastor overslept and only made it in time for the after service- coffee.

Luleå Cathedral: image panoramio.com

http://www.thelocal.se/31088/20101227/

Those thronging the packed pews early on Saturday morning began to get restless after a while as it became apparent that something was amiss, the local Norrbottens Kuriren daily reported.
When it was confirmed that the duty pastor, Stefan Widman, had not awoken from his slumbers, the Christmas service was saved by the initiative of churchwardens Georg Johansson and Hans Brusevitz.
The pair read the Christmas gospel and the Lord’s Prayer and the organist Lena Stenlund ensured that the faithful were given a musical accompaniment to their song, the newspaper reported.
When the pastor did eventually make it to the church, after the guests had retired for coffee, he was deeply apologetic, but was met with laughter by forgiving parishioners.
“In the church hall, when I asked for forgiveness for the whole thing, I was told that it is human to oversleep. And I have rarely had such nice discussions with people,” Stefan Widman told Norrbottens Kuriren. Widman, meanwhile, expressed concern that his tardiness would lead to congregation gossip. “You become something of the ‘talk of the town,’ but that you have to take when you have been sloppy with your clock radio,” he said.

The New City of Luleå in Sweden * Engraving made sometime between 1690-1710 * Scanned from Erik Dahlberg, ''Svecia Antiqua et Hodierna'', facsimile, 1983: wikimedia.org

Tags:, ,
Posted in Festivals, Sweden, Trivia | Comments Off on A Christmas tale – but all’s well that ends well

Eco-friendly superyacht – a contradiction in terms!

December 26, 2010

Motor Yacht

Super Yacht "Exuma": image ypigroup.com

From CNN:

Every few years, a radically designed superyacht splashes into the water, grabbing the world’s attention. Right now it’s “Exuma,” a motor yacht intended to consume less fuel and produce less carbon emissions than other motor yachts of a similar size. The yacht, which won the Green Yacht of the Year award at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, pays close attention to three key principles: that it should be sustainable, efficient and robust.

Featuring an elongated, slender hull designed for maximum hydrodynamic efficiency to reduce water resistance, it scythes effortlessly through the water like a shark stalking its prey. Designed with exploration in mind, it has a range of over 6,000 miles at a speed of 12 knots — which is impressive given it has a fuel tank with a 75,000-litre capacity.

I admire the yacht and the use of technology but I find the “eco-friendly” label somewhat presumptious and not just a little vulgar.

Specifications

  • Built by: Picchiotti – Perini Navi Group
  • Length: 50 mtr (164 ft)
  • Beam: 9.5 mtr (31.2 ft)
  • Draft: 2.3 mtr (8.37 ft)
  • Year Built: 2010
  • Main Engines: DIESEL CATERPILLAR
  • Engines model: 2 x C32 Acert
  • Max speed: 17 Knots
  • Cruising speed: 14 Knots
  • Classification: ABS
  • Hull construction: Aluminium
  • Superstructure material: Aluminium
  • Guests cruising: 12 persons
  • Guests sleeping: 9 persons
  • Crew: 9 persons
  • Flag: Malta
“Eco-Friendly” rates are:
Summer charter rate: from EUR 175 000 per week
Winter charter rate: from EUR 175 000 per week

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Business, Environment, Trivia | Comments Off on Eco-friendly superyacht – a contradiction in terms!

The meaning of Christmas?

December 25, 2010

25th December 2010.

 

Taliban maraud on Afghan-Pakistan border. Hundreds of militants attack military outposts on Pakistan-Afghan border: image telegraph.co.uk

Tags:,
Posted in Trivia | Comments Off on The meaning of Christmas?

Temperature rose 10°C today but we will still have a cold white Christmas

December 24, 2010

We had -22°C last night but tonight on Christmas Eve the temperature has risen to -12°C.

But the snow is thick on the ground and the views are spectacular. A little more snow is expected on Christmas Day and temperatures will then fall back to the -22°C level leading up to the New Year.

A Merry Christmas to one and all!

Tags:
Posted in Trivia | Comments Off on Temperature rose 10°C today but we will still have a cold white Christmas

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »