50 birds die on one street in California suburb, wildlife officials suggest foul play

Indianapolis Star

15-05-2025

A neighborhood in a San Francisco suburb is demanding answers after a string of birds were found dead.
Residents of Richmond, California, told ABC affiliate KGO that they have seen over 50 birds fall dead since February from a specific stretch of power line on Bernhard Avenue in the East Bay city.
"I see the birds on the line, I hear that crack ... coming from where the bird is sitting on the line and then I look up just in time to see a bird just fall lifeless to the ground," Mark Hoehner, a resident and witness to three of the incidents, told USA TODAY in an interview May 14.
Home security footage published by KGO shows a bird falling from the powerline after a pop, leading some residents to suggest that the deaths were caused by powerlines in the area. Hoehner said that the incidents he witnessed were similar the security video, though the "crack" he heard was louder.
Residents believe that the incidents are connected to the moisture that stays on the wires in the notoriously foggy region, according to Hoehner.
However, a finding from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers another explanation: foul play.
Following the neighborhood's reports of dead birds, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Health Lab received and performed evaluations on two of the birds found in the area, according to a statement provided to USA TODAY.
The birds, a Mourning dove and European starling, were collected by the operators of the power line, PG&E, who said in a statement to KGO that the equipment at the center of the bird controversy met avian safety standards, in a statement provided to USA TODAY Tuesday.
In the wildlife official's statement, the lab said it found that the examined birds showed no sign of electrocution, but did present "injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot."
The lab further said that photos of other dead birds in the area showed injuries consistent with trauma, but the exact nature of that trauma could not be determined. Officers are now investigating the birds' deaths.
Hoehner disputes the findings and continues to point the finger toward the power line, reasoning that if a shooter was the culprit they would hunt in a larger area than the stretch of Bernhard Avenue.
"Having witnessed it, I can't really entertain the idea of a shooter when I know where the sound is coming from," Hoehner said. "Unless somebody decided while this is happening to take the opportunity to start shooting some birds."
Other residents concurred with Hoehner when they spoke with KGO.
"I feel like a BB gun doesn't make a firecracker noise," Heather Jones said. "This sounds exactly like a firecracker."
Hoehner said he believes that PG&E is "dragging their feet" and doesn't understand why they would do so.
In its statement, the utility company said, "we appreciate the concern of our customers," while pointing to the shooter theory.
Maximilian Bolling, another resident, told KGO that he wants the problem ended, no matter the cause.
"It's very traumatic," Bolling said. "We just want it solved at the end of the day."