Muertes de ave Misteriosas

I love a good mystery. I especially love ones that involve the natural world. (Opposed to the unnatural world we live in). Recently there was a fantastic real natural mystery regarding the deaths of 5500 birds in Arkansas and Louisiana. It’s a bizarre phenomenon wherein these birds, either flustered by a storm or fireworks all panicked and flew to their deaths on New Year’s Eve.

Such a massive roost suddenly expiring has all the queer beginnings of a Stephen King story. (If he hasn’t written it already).  It also adds fodder for the “End of the World approaching”, prognosticators and/or the Alien conspiracy nuts. It is compelling to think about. What if all those birds, normally up in the trees at night, are surprised by a giant UFO and in their fright begin flying around in a crazed tear and wound up whamming into the  hovering UFO?

I wonder if the Mayans predicted this bird death thing in their Doomsday calendar of events. I’m sure there are religious persons who feel these bird deaths are only the beginning of the end. Is this the first stage of the “end times”? If it is, then I really did pick the wrong time to quit smoking.

I suppose if 80 whales suddenly beached themselves with crudely written signs reading, “Repant Now”, I might be more willing to believe that something apocalyptic might be occurring.  When presented with this thought, my friend Joe said, “Well, that will certainly drive down the cost of Whale Lamp oil”.

But I have a hard time believing that there’s anything really crazy going on. I really think these birds became startled and simply reacted the way they have through thousands of years of evolution and tried to get away. They are not great night fliers and ended up crashing into things. It’s unfortunate and curious but it’s nothing ominous.

If you’re a little more superstitious, apparently everything birds are involved with are Death Omens. Bird at the window?  Death Omen. Bird over the chimney? Death Omen. And so on and so forth.  5500 birds suddenly cashing it in, now that’s a bad Omen.

Is it a mystery after all? Are the deaths of 5500 birds that much of a real mystery, perhaps not.   A natural explanation is the most likely, but wouldn’t it be a little fun if there were a little more meaning to it? It might be scary fun, but fun nonetheless.