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More than 50 birds have been found dead recently in a neighborhood of Richmond, California. As if that isn’t bad enough, local residents say several of the birds “exploded” in mid-air. One local resident, Sharon Anderson, has called the situation in her neighborhood “horrifying.”
“So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it’s really violent,” Richmond resident Maximillian Bolling told KGO News. “It’s very traumatic,” he added.
Footage from one Ring security camera in the area captured a loud pop sound then a dead bird is seen falling from the sky and hitting the ground.
“It sounded like a firecracker, and a black bird-a starling-just plummeted to the ground,” said local resident Mark Hoehner. “I’ve been under the birds when it happens, and I know where the sound is coming from. It’s coming from up on the pole.”
Just one problem: Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) says the dead birds aren’t being electrocuted.
“We appreciate the concern of our customers in Richmond about the recent series of bird deaths,” the company wrote in a statement. “We have asked the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to evaluate several of the bird corpses. They have shared that the birds show no evidence of electrocution, and that their deaths were caused by trauma, potentially from a pellet or BB gun or a slingshot. PG&E does not believe that there was an issue with our electrical equipment and agrees that these birds were not electrocuted. Neighbors have asked the Contra County Sheriff’s Office to look into this situation. The pole at issue is compliant with avian safe standards, as established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee.”
Local resident Heather Jones said when the birds drop from the sky it “sounds exactly like a firecracker.” However, another resident, Jan Solomon, pointed out, “I can’t fathom someone being so accurate all the time.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Health Lab, which examined two of the birds, did say “the birds did show injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot,” but “the exact cause of the trauma to all of these birds could not be determined.”
So far though, no one knows why these birds keep exploding. In the meantime, CDFW wildlife officers are still investigating.