© NECN Dozens of birds are dead in Dorchester, as well as two cats, and the cause remains a mystery.
Rescuers were able to save 15 of the birds, but 32 have died. Investigators are working to determine the cause, and whether the deaths of two cats in the neighborhood could be related.
"When I arrived, birds would fly, like from a house to a tree, they would flop in the tree and they would fall to the ground," said Alan Borgal of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. "The weaker ones were just falling right out the sky."
All the birds were grackles, black songbirds that typically travel in large flocks. They were found thrashing around on Bakersfield Street and the sidewalks nearby around 2 p.m.
"They couldn't get up," said resident Linda Veale.
"We don't know what is going on," said John Meaney of the city of Boston's Inspectional Services. "So we are investigating all avenues."
City officials are looking at everything from a virus, to environmental poisoning, to something intentional. They're also studying the many feeders neighborhood residents have outside.
Comment: SOTT has been documenting unusual canine behavior for the past several years, noting that even apparently docile family pets can turn on their owners with little provocation.