Redwing blackbirds nest here also, in cattails. The male has the red shoulders and has a harem of nesting females in the area. They're charming birds, not to be confused with starlings and grackles that roost in huge commingled flocks at night in urban landscapes with trees.

There was a discussion with both the fish and fowl specialists in Arkansas this morning on National Public Radio. The results were not in for either species, so far, though they are leaning toward shock and injury for the birds. As I watch birds at my feeder mingle then suddenly leave when a shadow passes, I presume the part of the bird brain that responds to any threat isn't what caused their injuries - that is what bird metabolisms do. But if they banged into stuff, well, I suppose most people have some experience with birds hitting windows and dying, so in the dark, just about anything they hit would have the same effect.

The Arkansas River has a series of locks and dams, and the fish in question were contained in only one segment of the river. Behind the adjacent locks above and below there were no similar fish deaths.

SRS