Are the Arkansas Earthquakes Related to Birds Falling from the Sky and Dead Fish?

Over the last couple of months strange natural phenomena have been occurring just north of Little Rock, Arkansas. The recent stories about dying fish, dead birds falling from the sky, and earthquake swarms may point to an approach of a great natural upheaval, or perhaps it is all a coincidence.

Increased Earthquake Activity in Arkansas
CNN and other news outlets have been reporting a much greater incidence of earthquakes near Guy, Arkansas. The earthquake swarm occurred along a line from Conway to just north of Guy. The New Madrid Fault is located nearby, and this fault was reponsible for one of the most powerful earthquakes to ever strike the United States.

Thousands of Dead Birds in Arkansas
Shortly before the residents of Beebe, Arkansas were to ring in the New Year, thousands of birds started to fall from the sky. According to eye witness accounts chronicled on CNN and various other news outlets, the birds fell over a period of about an hour just before midnight on New Year's Eve. There were some loud noises heard in the area, but it is unclear whether the loud noises were due to fireworks or thunderstorms. The birds were reported to have died from trauma to the breast, with multiple blood clots, and only fell over a small area. This would indicate that the birds experienced some sort of stress.

Fish Die off in Arkansas River
Just a little further to the north of the dead bird zone and earthquake zone, scientists are looking for answers as to why 100,000 drum fish recently died. Drum are a type of carp, and typically live for a few years, so considerable deaths are noted along the Arkansas River each year. What is unusual about this event is the shear number of dead fish that have been noted lining a 20 mile stretch of the Arkansas River.

Unusual Animal Behavior Before Big Earthquakes
National Geographic reported that in 2008, British tourists noted that Pandas they were watching in a Chinese zoo became visibly disturbed shortly before a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck central China. This earthquake devastated the region and killed 19,000 people.

The National Geographic story also noted that there have been other cases of animals throughout history sensing an oncoming earthquake. One can only speculate as to whether the recent bird and fish deaths and earthquake swarms in Arkansas have anything to do with oncoming earthquake along the New Madrid Fault. Most odd animal behavior as a precursor to big earthquakes have only occurred shortly before the quake struck. It is unlikely the bird and fish kill on Arkansas are definitive statements that a large earthquake is on the way, since it is now several days past the three events.

Sources: cnn.com and National Geographic