The deaths of 75 starlings which appeared to fall from the sky and crash land on to a driveway in Somerset has mystified the RSPCA animal charity. The birds were spotted falling onto the entrance of a house in Coxley in Somerset on Sunday 7 March.
Animal welfare officer Alison Sparkes, who was called by police, said: "It was a remarkable sight, I've never seen anything like it." There is no evidence the birds were ill or poisoned before they hit the ground. Ms Sparkes said: "Onlookers said they heard a whooshing sound and then the birds just hit the ground. They had fallen on to the ground in quite a small area, about 12ft (3.6m) in diameter.
"They appeared to be in good condition other than injuries that they appear to have suffered when they hit they ground. Our best guess is that this happened because the starlings were trying to escape a predator such as a sparrow hawk and ended up crash landing."
She said that the birds had suffered broken beaks, broken legs and wings and abdominal injuries. Five of the birds survived the fall but had to be put down because of their severe injuries.
A dog has had a £1,000 operation to remove a rubber duck from its gut - 18 months after the bathroom toy vanished.
The owners of Spike the Patterdale terrier were astonished when they took their sick pet to the vet and discovered what had caused the problem.
Colin Smith, 52, of Thorner, near Leeds, said: "I was absolutely amazed.
"When we saw it after the operation it was the same duck he swallowed 18 months ago. We assumed he'd chewed it up and it had passed through him."
Mr Smith recalled how Spike had taken the toy from the bathroom in the summer of 2008. "He eats absolutely anything," said Mr Smith. "He must have seen the duck and thought 'they're not going to let me have this' so he just swallowed it whole."
Mr Smith said he had kept the duck as a memento. "The only difference is it's gone black after losing its yellow paint," he said.
