T-storm kills flying geese

[Pappy]

Goose Down! Birds Fall From Sky During Thunderstorm April 07, 2009

No one seems to know exactly what force—or combination of forces—caused dozens of Canada geese to fall from the sky during a severe thunderstorm in central Pennsylvania.



But everyone seems to have a theory.



Under the circumstances, most folks initially speculated that lightning killed an estimated 56 wild geese during a thunderstorm near State College, Pa. on Feb. 27.



Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Charles Wilt came upon the scene near the Bald Eagle exit of Interstate 99 in Blair County just moments after it occurred.



“A couple of birds appeared to have been run over by cars after they fell, but most of them didn’t show any outward damage,” Trooper Wilt told the Centre Daily Times. “I thought that maybe they had been struck by lightning.”



Trooper Wilt said all the geese he observed were dead.



However, on further examination, none of the nine geese tested the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State University showed signs of lightning strikes.



“A necropsy was performed at PSU on the geese, and they all had crushed breastbones and trachea, with no sign of electrocution,” said Terry Clevenger, dispatcher in the Southcentral Office of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

“Although they are continuing the investigation, the most likely explanation is that they were thrown to the ground by a severe downdraft during the storm.”



Game Commission veterinarian Dr. Walter Cottrell agreed with the assessment of damage, but hedged on the possible cause.



“The geese all had quite severe trauma to their undersides, including massive bruising and crushed breastbones,” Cottrell said. “It is no doubt that they died from hitting the pavement or ground, and the force involved was more than just a bad landing.”

[buck440]

somthing kinda like that happened down here under the cannonball bridge i was in my dads boat running bank poles and there were a bunch of people in there boats in one spot so we went over there and there were a crap load of catfish and carp still alive but not moving, just floating after the storm the night before...my guess is lightening