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Subscribe to RSSResidents in a Cumberland County, N.J., community were left wondering what caused dozens of birds to drop dead from the sky earlier this week.
Residents along Peach Drive in Millville found at least 80 dead birds -- mostly red-winged blackbirds -- on the ground, having fallen from trees and the sky.
"Crazy -- something out of a movie," said resident Michelle Cavalieri, who saw the birds fall.
The birds caused a bloody mess on roadways in the residential neighborhood.
"They’d get up and try and fly and they were out of control so they’d crash and fall again," said resident Jim Sinclair. "It was just strange."
Animal control, public health officials and other emergency crews were on the scene Tuesday morning collecting dead birds to try and figure out exactly what caused so many of them to die.
Cumberland County Public Information Officer Troy Ferus said the birds' death likely was caused by something they ate -- a granular pesticide put down legally by nearby Ingraldi Farms.
One of dozens of birds that was found dead on the ground in Millville, N.J.
"Preliminary investigation gives us the impression that.. he had problems with birds," said Ferus. "He applied for and got a permit for a product that kills birds and that’s what it seems to have been effective at doing."
Here is the county's press release on the incident:
The Department of Health reports that Monday evening Ingraldi Farms applied a granular pesticide intended and approved to cull birds, causing an unusually high volume of dead birds in the area of Ingraldi Farms and Whitemarsh Estates in Millville.
The material used; Avitrol Double Strength Corn Chops (EPA reg. # 11649-5) is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and intended to be used for bird control for Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Cowbirds, Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbird, Starlings and Yellow-Headed Blackbirds.
In the past, Ingraldi Farms has also used Avian Control (EPA reg. # 33162-1) a ready to use liquid repellent intended to be used for bird control for Geese, Gull, Pigeon, Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Grackles and House Finches.
Ingraldi Farms is licensed through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to apply pesticides on their farms and has been working with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife to alleviate the crop damage done by large flocks of birds. Remedies include auditory shock, hunting and pesticides. Ingraldi Farms has estimated a crop loss of $15,000 so far, due to the birds eating their crops.
Bird specimens have been collected and are being sent to the NJ-Department of Environmental Protection Laboratory for testing.
No one at Ingraldi Farms would talk to NBC10's Ted Greenberg when he went there for comment.
Officials say the dead birds are not toxic, but that any member of the public that encounters a dead bird should use gloves when picking it up and wash their hands thoroughly after handling and disposing of it in the trash.
But they put out a call to residents Tuesday afternoon that urged residents to remain inside "due to an odor and the death of several birds in the area."
Recently, bird kills have happened in various locations around the world -- possibly none more famous than the New Year’s Eve death of hundreds of blackbirds in Arkansas.
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This farm has also applied chems to kill geese, gulls, etc...in the past. It sounds to me like this farm doesn't like birds and over inflates losses to justify the slaughter. No other farm in South Jersey uses this method of bird control. God only knows what they would do to trespassers.
I hope these @!$%#s go to jail for putting regulated pesticides out in unprotected Areas
they should easy to track down I been in the pesticide buisness for years alot of these things should not be avialible
for use by Idiots
Its my guess that all the crap Mayor Booker was trying to tell the people on Piers Morgan was what poisoned the Birds. It made me want to barf and I was over 3000 miles away. What a Joke he and every Obama supporter is who actually believe that traitors messaga. Hand outs Hand outs Hand outs Thats what the Birds thought and it killed them.
Too bad they couldn't limit the kill to starlings, these pests are an intrusive species, not native and cause lots of damage. Then again I feel the same about wild horses. After Mustang Annie got the ban on harvesting wild horses the deer heards in Nevada became endangered. However within 6 years after the BLM started rounding up the mustangs the heards started coming back.
Gotta love all the extremist tree-huggers here. They want to force everyone to stop eating meat because they think they know better than everyone else. They want no pesticides in farming, because it will kill a bird or a bug.
What if these birds were devastating your "organic" garden despite the time and money you invest in fake owls, propane cannons, fences, or natural predators? By the way, those fake owls? Plastic, so no "green points" for you. And those propoane cannons pollute the atmosphere during use, and during production of the gas itself.
Look, if you are so concerned about humans destroying the planet, you are free to remove yourself and lessen the burden placed on it. Go ahead. Or are you all talk?
Those birds dropping out of the sky is the result of YOUR government, that you so trust! Things have changed! The U.S. Government cannot be trusted these days! They are corrupt, just like Rome, and U.S. will collaspe very soon, Thank God, Jesus Christ is coming back very soon!
Daniel 4:17, "God "...giveth it to whomsoever he will and setteth up over it the basest of men."
Have a very good day.
its an awful thing to do this, but i am a farmer and have seen the devestation a flock of birds can do to a feild. sunflowers seem to be their favorite. when it cost $250 for one bag, to plant just 8 acres of land and see most of your crop gone from 200 acres, thats alot of money just on seed, then theres the chemical for bugs, fuel for the tractor, fertilizer for the seed...its alot of money in that one crop..you people who live their little lives in la la land and get a paycheck, have it good..we spend thousnads of dollars to feed you.. if you dont like us farmers, move to an island and try to grow something yourself and see how good you are at it!!
Of course, most people who grow sunflower seeds sell them to people who like to feed BIRDS....
hey nothing new...you're an idiot!!! And about the birds...i was a pistachio nut farmer in California and we had crow and blue jay problems the blue jays would take one nut and knock off a dozen...and the crows would just sit down on a tree by the tens of birds and eat until all was gone. the solution that worked very well for us was a product called the Zon Gun a propane operated boom cannon that went off every 3-10 minutes to scare the birds away...every now and then we would send up a load of buckshot to enforce the cannons...we lost pistachio nuts to the birds it was part of farming...but we didn't have to poisen them...this farmer should rethink his farming practices and if you can't talk about what you are doing then you shouldn't do it!!!! Vote for Mitt!!!
It's bad enough these poor birds had to die, but what are these pesticides doing to the plants they sell, possible the plants, etc., that we eat? When will this ever end..
The Cause? Snooki & the Guidos... rock on, Dirty Jersey!
Rock on!
if you kill the birds what controls the insects? poison? then if you kill the insects what will pollonize your crops next year?
Is Ingraldi Farms insane??? My god help us humans open our eyes! Who kills birds???? These creatures fly and feed us and sound amazing and look beautiful. Please people stop what you are doing and look up.
There has to be a better, sounder, wiser, more healthy choice but poisoning birds, and the crops being grown for human consumption.
It's like abortion for birds instead of baby people. They are an inconvenience so instead of finding a responsible means of curbing the issue, they just kill the helpless who simply want to live because they can. Very sad.
Birds fall from the sky in New Jersey and we're supposed to be shocked? Clearly whoever wrote this headline has never crossed the Pulaski Skyway.
I hate that the DEP would allow such a lethal kill of the birds to be caused, don't they realize that birds are already terribly endangered in our environment? the stupidity and arrogance of mankind is incredible. I would be interested to know what kind of crops this farm grows, because I would sure as hell not want to eat any of it myself.
Italians have always been fascinated with poison.....step out on maria, dont eat the pasta she whips up for ya for a while...and by all means, dont eat a freakin grape if youre a bird....
Aminopyridine is classified as a hazardous waste when it is discarded. It is on the EPA's list of "Acutely Hazardous" commercial pesticides.
Avitrol has been known to cause severe poisoning, and in some cases, death, in adult humans, because of accidental ingestion of small amounts. It is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Poisonings have been characterized by thirst, nausea, dizziness, weakness, and intense sweating, followed by impairment of normal mental functioning (toxic psychosis), lack of muscular coordination (ataxia), tremors, labored breathing, and generalized seizures.
Application of Avitrol to the skin, also referred to as percutaneous exposure, may lead to systemic intoxication, or general overall poisoning. A chemical worker who continued working for 1.5 hours in clothing contaminated with 2-Aminopyridine developed dizziness, headache, respiratory failure and died two hours later.
There is a lack of information, or 'data gap,' on the teratogenicity (Fetal Mutations) of 4-Aminopyridine dusts to two types of test animals. The EPA did not require the determination of the teratogenic potential of technical 4-AP based on the assumption that inhalation and dermal exposure will not occur if applicators are warned by the label to wear protective clothing.
So now we have birds who are full of a highly lethal poison- dying and getting squashed by cars, picked up by kids, dropping into swimming pools, rivers, backyards, washed down sewers into the water supply. Being eaten or carried around by pet cats and dogs - and it is 'OK' because it saved a farm a few bucks.
Not to worry, Americas comeuppance is just around the corner, your karma has been building ever since you landed at Plymouth Rock, thats a lot of karmic action comming your way.
Hmmmm.... do I really want to eat the food that garbage was put on?
NOPE
Interesting reading on this stuff -
it's used in humans for MS treatment - http://www.avitrol.com/pdf/Avitrol%20presentation.pdf
it also stops human stomachs from working properly - slowing the intestines (which means food stays longer which would contribute to obesity) (http://dm.postech.ac.kr/refmed/?keyword=4-Aminopyridine&display=2&show=7&sortby=2&feedback=3&page=1&mode=1)
AND it has a high absorption rate in soil and is persistent - http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/4aminopyridine-ext.html
While intended strictly for use as a bird repellent, Avitrol has been known to cause severe poisoning, and in some cases, death, in adult humans, because of accidental ingestion of small amounts....
Now I know what killed by chickens a couple of years ago - I just have to find out if the 'farmer' in the back was using it on their corn.....