Earth ChangesS


Black Cat

US: New dead bird and dead fish events today in California and Chicago - odd twists

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© Getty Images New dead bird and dead fish reports today with odd twist

Dead birds and dead fish events are happening again today. Dead birds are found along the highway in California and thousands of dead fish are surfacing along Chicago's lakefront.

The birds were found along Highway 101 in California, according to the Huffington Post, the birds were intact with no sign of being shot. In Chicago, thousands of Gizzard Shad, a member of the herring family, are floating in Chicago's harbors.

A strange twist to the dead fish in Chicago is that the Canadian Geese and mallard ducks are feeding off these dead fish, which is not a normal part of these bird's diet.

Fish

US: Thousands of fish washed up dead in Chicago in latest bizarre mass animal deaths

dead fish
© Dale Bowman ~For the Sun-TimesOne of the thousands of young dead gizzard shad found frozen in the ice of Chicago harbors, including DuSable Harbor on Friday

A bizarre scene is evolving on the Chicago lakefront, with Canada geese and mallard ducks gulping down dead or dying gizzard shad.

A major die-off of what appears to be the 2010 class is happening in Chicago harbors. Thousands, perhaps far more than that, of dead gizzard shad in the 3- to 5-inch range are frozen in the ice of Chicago harbors or floating around in open patches of water.

"Gizzard shad are pretty sensitive,'' Lake Michigan Program biologist Dan Makauskas said. "On the toughness scale, the herrings are pretty soft.''

Gizzard shad, members of the herring family, are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than most fish. And thick ice came early to Chicago harbors in December.

The massive die-off was first documented Thursday by Carl Vizzone, a North Side fisherman who sits on the board of Perch America. What caught his eye was Canada geese and mallards eating dying shad at open water by DuSable and Diversey harbors. "This is not normal,'' he said.

He's right, agreed naturalist Joel Greenberg, author of A Natural History of the Chicago Region. Canada geese and mallards normally don't eat fish, but, Greenberg said, "They are opportunistic."

Other species of fish do not appear to be involved in the die-off.

Makauskas, who speculated that the young shad may not have built up enough reserves to survive the early onslaught of extreme cold, agreed the die-off is abnormal.

Igloo

Winter storm cripples South, heads north to deliver more misery

Snowstorm in georgia
© Cody Wellons/iReportAtlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood filled up quickly with snow Sunday night.
A winter storm that paralyzed the South churned up the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday, destined to merge with another system from the Midwest and spell more misery for the Northeast.

The Southern storm left a trail of treacherous conditions from Arkansas to the Atlantic, closing schools and government offices and contributing to the traffic deaths of at least three people.

Southern states were crippled -- covered in sheets of ice that formed on roads, pavements, cars and atop the crunchy snow.

Meanwhile, with memories still fresh of a monster Christmas weekend storm, Northern states again braced for heavy accumulations of snow and potential blizzard conditions. The National Weather Service predicted 5 to 8 inches of snow in the Philadelphia area, 4 inches or more in northern New Jersey and 2 to 6 inches in southern Delaware from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning.

Cloud Lightning

Flashback Cruise ship battered in Mediterranean storm

cruise ship storm
© Royal CarribeanThe ship, Brilliance of the Seas, is carrying more than 2,000 passengers.
A violent storm over the weekend lashed a Royal Caribbean ship trying to get to port in Alexandria, Egypt, injuring nearly 30 passengers, shattering glass and overturning furniture.

"It was a little scary on Saturday because the boat was rocking down and rocking back up, but you never knew how deep it was going to go," honeymooning passenger Justine Lovelace told CNN affiliate WTNH.

The ship, Brilliance of the Seas, was rocked by 70-knot winds early Sunday morning. The winds were nearly twice as strong as forecasted, Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

"Some guest injuries were reported, the most serious of which were two guests with fractures. The medical facility onboard is fully operational and our medical team is diligently caring for guests," the statement said. The ship is carrying more than 2,000 passengers.

Damage has forced the closure of the ship's beauty salon, video arcade and disco for the remainder of the sailing. The ship's operating systems and engines were unharmed in the storm.

The rough weather prompted the captain to bypass Alexandria and continue on to Malta, the cruise's next scheduled destination. The ship will return to Barcelona, Spain, on Friday as scheduled. The ship's next sailing will not be affected, Royal Caribbean said.

Bizarro Earth

Mass Bird Deaths in Turkey

Turkish Dead Birds
© Rambler
In Turkey, there was a case of an unexplained mass deaths of birds.

Dead starlings found residents of the county Karacabey in Bursa province. On the road were dozens of carcasses of birds. Promptly reported the incident to local authorities launched an investigation of the incident.

Experts are currently conducting the necessary tests. However, while they failed to establish the cause of death of starlings. According to ITAR-TASS news agency, according to one version, the flock of birds could crash a few heavy-duty trucks, marching one after another.

On the unexplained mass death of birds, the world's media began reporting on New Years Eve, when about 4 thousands of blackbirds fell dead near the small town Biib in Arkansas. Later, similar cases occurred in Louisiana and Kentucky. Also, incidents of mass deaths of birds have been recorded in Canada, Sweden and Italy.

On the unexplained mass death of birds, the world's media began reporting on New Years Eve, when about 4 thousands of blackbirds fell dead near the small town Beebe in Arkansas. Later, similar cases occurred in Louisiana and Kentucky. Also, incidents of mass deaths of birds have been recorded in Canada, Sweden and Italy.

Cloud Lightning

8 die, 72 missing in Australia flash floods

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© ReutersCars were tossed around by flash flooding Monday in Toowoomba, an Australian city about 65 miles west of Brisbane.
Brisbane, Australia - Rescuers raced Tuesday to reach people trapped on roofs after a flash flood hurled a tsunami-like wall of water through Australia's waterlogged east, tossing cars like toys, killing at least eight people and leaving 72 missing.

The violent surge near the town of Toowoomba after a fresh storm Monday escalated Australia's 2-week-old flood crisis in Queensland state and brought the overall death toll to 18. Until then, the flooding had unfolded slowly as swollen rivers burst their banks and inundated towns while moving downstream toward the ocean.

Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley on Monday. But thunderstorms and more driving rain hampered efforts to send helicopters to help an unknown number of other people still in danger Tuesday.

Thousands were being evacuated from flood-prone areas, and residents in some sections of Brisbane - Australia's third-largest city - were being urged to move to higher ground as water from Toowoomba's flash flooding worked its way toward the coast.

Igloo

US Southerners struggle to dig out from heavy snow

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© Chuck Burton/Associated PressA police officer examines the wreckage of a car after it slid into a power pole during a snowstorm in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Jan. 10, 2011.
Atlanta - Temperatures plummeted late Monday, turning slushy streets into sheets of ice across Southern states that are more accustomed to sunshine than snow. The wintry blast has grounded flights, cut power to thousands of homes and even forced Auburn University to cancel viewing parties for the national championship bowl game.

Snow ranging from several inches to more than a foot blanketed states from Louisiana to the Carolinas - a region where many cities have only a handful of snow plows, if any. In many areas, the snow began turning to freezing rain, making roads even more treacherous.

"If you're off the main roads, it's a skating rink," said Tim Loucks, manager of the Pilot Truck Stop in Haughton, La.

The storm shut down most cities and towns, closed many businesses, and canceled most flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest. At least nine people were killed in weather-related traffic accidents.

Black Cat

US: Sonoma County mystery: What killed 100 birds near Geyserville?

dead birds
© naAn warden with California Fish and Game inspects the area where about 100 birds were found dead Saturday.
While scientists and specialists are investigating why massive numbers of birds have dropped dead from the sky elsewhere in the country, Sonoma County now has its own bird deaths mystery to solve, reported the CHP.

More than 100 birds were found dead Saturday afternoon clustered on the ground off of Highway 101, south of Geyserville, Officer Jon Sloat reported Monday. Officers responded to Independence Lane at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and found dozens of birds dead on and around the roadway.

The California Department of Fish and Game was notified and a local warden responded. He took several of the birds away to be identified and tested by a biologist, Sloat said.

The birds all appeared to be the same type, small with feathers in brown and black, according to photos taken by officers. The birds hadn't been shot and most were intact, officers reported.

What caused the deaths wasn't clear Saturday.

Magnet

Magnetic North Has Shifted 10 Degrees, A Full Magnetic Flip Is Overdue

Following up on The Tampa Tribune's report that the Tampa, Florida airport authority had its runway landing sights repainted to reflect Magnetic North's lurch into Siberia, mainstream TV news has picked up on the story and ponders whether the planet is due a complete polar reversal.


Igloo

Winter weather slams US South with snow, icy roads

Several inches of snow and freezing rain were expected to make the Monday morning commute for those forced to venture out nearly impossible in parts of the South, including Atlanta, where countless cars were stuck on impassable highways and roads while the world's busiest airport canceled thousands of flights.

The winter blast rolled across the South on Sunday, coating bridges and roads with snow, sleet and freezing rain and causing at least one death in Louisiana. The governors of Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee declared emergencies and schools and colleges called off classes. Snow and ice had blanketed several cities, including up to 3 inches in parts of Atlanta, which rarely gets so much.

"We don't have weather events like this," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in an on-air interview with CNN. "I think the amount of snow we're getting is probably a 10-year event for the city of Atlanta."

Despite officials imploring people to stay off the roads, interstates around Atlanta were clogged with cars early Monday.