Dozens of migrating birds found dead near transmission tower in Nashville

Andy Cordan
wkrn.com
Thu, 01 Oct 2015 19:20 UTC

© WKRN

Dozens of dead birds were discovered at a west Nashville church Thursday.

Dozens of dead birds were discovered all over a west Nashville church ground's property Thursday morning.

The birds scattered Highland Park Church's parking lot, sidewalks and roof.

Church members, animal lovers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services were all called to the property after the discovery was made.

"We pulled into the parking lot and all over the place there were little green things coming. The birds were on their way down from Canada. It was a sea of green on the ground and asphalt with green spots on it," church member Greg Levenduski said.

According to Tarcila Fox of the Nashville Ornithological Society, the birds were migrating south.

"I'm sad. I am very sad," Fox said. "That just shows there were a lot of birds migrating last night."

Due to the overcast conditions Wednesday night, the birds likely flew into a transmission tower near the church.

"I'm afraid it's happening more often. Not only is this happening here but it's happening all over the USA and these migrating birds are decreasing in numbers," Fox said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents said they recommend anyone that comes across dead birds to call local wildlife experts and not handle them because it is possible they have come into contact with poison that could harm humans.

© WKRN

Wildlife officials said the birds were migrating south.

Comment: A similar incident happened close to the above location in March this year: Dozens of disoriented birds fall out of the sky in Spring Hill, Tennessee

See also: Mobile phone towers in Hyderabad, India are driving migratory birds crazy:

Increasing radiation from thousands of mobile phone towers in Hyderabad is playing havoc with the natural flight paths of migratory birds, experts said on Monday. Rare species of birds are unable to find their way back home after winter, they added.

While migratory birds use the geomagnetic field as a compass to track their route from Europe to the Indian sub-continent every year, radiation emitted from these mobile phone towers (6,000 of which came up in just two years) is damaging their brain cells and sense of direction, several environmentalist groups said.