MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“You may have noticed there has been less buzzing around town lately.

The long and cold winter has had a negative effect on the already declining bee population and Okanagan residents are the ones who will have to pay the price.

Bob Chisholm, a long-time beekeeper in Kelowna and member of the B.C. Honey Producers Association, lost 150 hives this year.

The hives are estimated to have been worth $45,000.

He says the bee decline means there will be less honey production this year.

It also means you may have to pay more for apples and cherries because there are fewer bees to pollinate crops.” Read more.

“The Department of Fisheries says a strong Leeuwin Current is causing an unusual species of fish to wash up on Albany’s shores.

Dozens of oceanic sunfish have been found dead on Goode Beach and at Frenchman’s Bay.

The sunfish is native to tropical and temperate waters.

The department’s senior research scientist Dr Kim Smith says a strong current is dragging large numbers of sunfish to cooler, southern waters.

‘This time of year is associated with the Leeuwin Current flowing across the South Coast at its strongest,’ she said.”  Read more.

“(WASHINGTON D.C.) – A second wave of mysterious pelican injuries and deaths has occurred in the past several weeks at Topsail Island in North Carolina following earlier incidents about six months ago in which about 250 pelicans died as a result of still undetermined causes.

Necropsies in the fall of 2010 performed at the University of Georgia on the first group of Brown Pelicans were inconclusive as to cause of injury though there was no evidence of toxicological causes such as poisons. The newly found birds have also been sent to the university for analysis.

This recent incident involves about 30 pelicans that washed up on the shores either dead or so badly injured that they had to be euthanized. In an interview with WNCT-TV, Toni O’Neil of the Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary commented on the injuries to one bird ‘… [it] looks like a bomb has gone off in the wing. It’s that shattered and smashed so completely’.”  Read more.

By Bonnie Eslinger – “Officials have completed a necropsy on one of the dozens of leopard sharks found dead in Redwood Shores last month but aren’t any closer to pinpointing the cause of the sudden die-off.

The necropsy performed by a California Department of Fish and Game pathologist found “inflammation, bleeding, and lesions in the brain, and hemorrhaging from the skin near vents.” Bleeding was also detected around the female shark’s internal organs.

Additional tests, such as a bacterial study and microscopic tissue analysis, may provide an answer, according to a statement released by Redwood City. Results could be available by the end of the week.

‘The … pathologist is not drawing any conclusions until more examinations and all tests are performed,’ the statement said.

About 50 leopard sharks have been found dead in Redwood Shores since mid-April, according to the city.”  Read more.

“TOLEDO, Ohio — Wildlife researchers want to know what’s killing thousands of walleye in Lake Erie that have been washing up on beaches along its western shore.

It’s a big concern for anglers who come from across the Midwest and beyond to catch the lake’s most popular sport fish.

The best guess is that the die-off can be blamed on natural causes stemming from the stress of spawning and the cold, stormy spring, said Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries program manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

‘It all kind of fits that picture,’ he said.”  Read more.

By Adam D. Young – “A fish kill Saturday in a Southwest Lubbock park baffled nearby residents as state parks and wildlife officials speculated what may have caused the deaths of hundreds of fish.

Hundreds of dead, mostly bait-size silver fish lined the shore of the retention pond in Hoel Park Saturday at 91st Street and Chicago Avenue.

Adrienne Laramore, who lives on nearby 93rd Street, said she was taking her daily walk around the lake when she noticed the fish for the first time Saturday.” Read more.

By Jaymi Heimbuch – “In the last few years, there has been an unexplained spike in the number of whales washing ashore. While the National Marine Fisheries Service has declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, it’s more than just oil spills that are causing increased strandings worldwide. And experts are worried.

The numbers of beached whales have been gradually rising, peaking in 2009 with 46 whales coming ashore, and The Department of Environment and Conservation is conducting an investigation into what could be causing the rise, reports ABC news.

It could be anything from nutrition issues to sonar that drives whales off course, disorients them, or can even cause internal damage. While there has been a rash of strandings in Florida, including at least 15 pilot whales that washed ashore this week in the Florida keys, experts are quick to point out that the BP gulf oil spill is a possible cause, but not the only factor.”  Read more.