Have they tested for Corexit? - Updated

Okay, maybe it's just because everyone never reported these events at once before but this whole mass deaths of birds and fish is starting to get really freaky. Since my earlier post, reports are now coming in from all over the world. In the last eight hours:

Dead jackdraws in Sweden. Initial estimates at 50-100 but I've seen much larger estimates somewhere since then.

In Maryland, an estimated 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay. Officials report "similar large winter fish deaths were documented in 1976 and 1980." But there's more.

ParanaOnline reports that 100 tons of sardines, croaker and catfish have washed up in Brazilian fishing towns since last Thursday. The cause of the deaths is unknown, with an imbalance in the environment, chemical pollution, or accidental release from a fishing boat all suggested by local officials.

In New Zealand, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches, many found with their eyes missing, The New Zealand Herald reports. A Department of Conservation official allegedly claims the fish were starving due to weather conditions.

And remember the initial report from Kentucky was just a couple of dozen birds in one yard, That's changed. Now, State wildlife officials say "'several hundred' dead birds were found near the Murray State University campus last week."

Also, a report that "more than 40,000 dead Velvet swimming crabs have appeared on the Thanet shoreline in England. Dead starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones were also found." Their expert says "the same thing happened two and five years ago. He suspects that the cold temperatures are to blame."

Maybe it's not unprecedented but the simultaneous timing of the deaths feels somewhat unnatural. It's tempting to blame simple climate disruption, but in reading the descriptions of the dead birds, I was struck by their similarity to Corexit poisoning. "It ruptures red blood cells, causes internal bleeding, and liver and kidney damage."

Considering time, ocean currents and weather patterns, it doesn't feel like much of a stretch to consider all those tons of dispersants dumped in the Gulf after the BP gusher as a possible cause.

Update: To put it into better perspective, this interactive map of the massive kills is striking. As I said, very freaky.

[Big thanks to Avedon for kindly linking. If you're not reading her every day -- well -- why not?]