No falling birds found

Birds are no longer falling dead from the sky near Tramore in Co Waterford, according to Duchas, the heritage service

Birds are no longer falling dead from the sky near Tramore in Co Waterford, according to Duchas, the heritage service. Initial reports by local people to Duchas's conservation officer in the area, Mr Tom Ryan, said 20 birds had been seen falling from the sky.

This prompted fears that they had been poisoned - by contaminated foods on the council dump near Tramore, or deliberately poisoned by a landowner.

Instances of bird poisoning by Alpha choralos which leads to hypothermia are not unknown, particularly near airfields and the nests of birds of prey. In theory this could cause poisoned birds to drop from the sky.

Mr Ryan said no bird corpses could be found for testing, nor were any sick birds evident at the dump.

READ MORE

"It is an unusual thing, you would think that a bird would settle first if it was going to die," Mr Ryan said, adding: "We have asked people who see any more birds falling down dead to contact us at once, preferably with information as to where we can get the corpse, but we haven't heard anything since."

Mr Peter Carey, Waterford county secretary, said no reports of falling birds had been made to the council or its area office, and a council investigation had drawn a blank.