By Tim Binnall
Residents of a California neighborhood are at their wit's end over a weird mystery wherein dozens of birds have inexplicably died after landing on one particular power line. According to a local media report, the odd case started several months ago when people living on a street in the city of Richmond began finding the unfortunate animals littering the pavement. Based on home security footage and the spot where the downed birds, which now number over 50, have been discovered, their suspicions soon fell upon a specific piece of power line that was seemingly behind the creature's demise.
A witness to one of the incidents, Mark Hoehner, recalled hearing a noise that "sounded like a firecracker" before "a starling just plummeted to the ground." Understandably concerned over the strange spate of animal deaths, residents called upon authorities to get to the bottom of the bizarre mystery. However, an investigation into the matter raised more questions than answers. While the belief in the neighborhood has long been that the animals were being electrocuted by the power line, an examination of two downed birds by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife determined that was not the case. Instead, they found that the creatures had "injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot."
That said, people in the neighborhood who have seen the animals in their final moments expressed skepticism over that explanation. "I feel like a BB gun doesn't make a firecracker noise," resident Heather Jones mused, "this sounds exactly like a firecracker." Meanwhile, many others were doubtful that an individual would have the skill to consistently pick off the birds without having their handiwork revealed. Regardless of the cause of the curious commotion, residents hope that the newfound attention surrounding the case will lead to some resolution to the mystery, as they are understandably fed up with all the dead birds on their street.