Since Feb 2025, more than 50 birds have been killed in the vicinity of Bernhard Avenue in Richmond, north of Berkeley, CA. Several witnesses describe hearing a loud crack before the birds plunge to the ground, and one homeowner described how the creatures "explode" on impact in "traumatic" scenes. Many of the homeowners fear a power line running across the street could be malfunctioning and electrocuting the birds. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife conducted necropsies and confirmed that the bird's injuries were consistent with trauma from a pellet gun, BB gun, or a slingshot, not electrocution from power lines. Source: Link 1

As if birds aren't already ecologically threatened by pesticides, drought, and pollution, some maniac is killing them with a BB or pellet gun. Shooting at power lines with a BB or pellet gun is not a good idea either. Note that Rachel Carson's classic will be 63 years old this year.: Link 2