This last Monday, my mother called me unexpectedly mid-morning to ask if I was ok in the wake of the dead bird scare in downtown Austin. She heard about it on her local NPR affiliate. At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. Turns out that by not following my usual routine and watching the local news that morning, I missed out on the fact that sixty-three birds were found dead about a block and a half from the Texas Capitol Building. Most of Congress Avenue, the main thoroughfare bisecting downtown, was closed for several hours. Hazmat teams swarmed the block, and the birds were immediately tested for diseases and chemical agents. Nothing was found. So, no bird flu or anthrax outbreak in Austin. Congress Ave. was reopened around noon on Monday, and the Texas Lege started their latest session the following day. I suspect overzealous poison control from some vigilante business owner. But we may never know for sure...
I bring it up to mention a media pet peeve of mine: The dead birds were a top story in Austin for three days (until the yearly 'ice storm' hit), and one of the national leads for that Monday. Fine. In a post-9/11 America I suppose we have to get used to the fact that any anomalous occurrence will be (over)reacted to by both the authorities and the media. But when the outcome of these occurrences turns out to be anticlimactic, where is the follow-up story that brings closure and full disclosure? Where's the inquisitiveness, and, frankly, rectitude, to cover the story from cradle to grave?
Anyway, the photos of the dead birds are disturbing. Very disturbing.
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