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This article was published 7/8/2013 (2598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Take cover: birds were falling from the sky in Winnipeg's North End Wednesday afternoon.

That was the scene described by witnesses on King Street, as approximately 60 common grackles were found dead on a sidewalk next to the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS More than 60 dead birds were discovered on King Street between Jarvis and Dufferin avenues Wednesday. Several live birds were picked up by the Humane Society, while the dead ones were taken to the dump by a city animal-disposal contractor. About 20 of the birds were found on top on the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc. building at 445 King Street.

The bizarre situation happened at around noon, as passersby watched the birds tumble out of chokecherry trees.

"Never seen anything like this before," said Ramadan Sakoli, who works at City Bread bakery across the street from where the birds were found. "I don’t know what happened. Someone said they saw birds falling out of the tree so I came out to see.

"It’s strange. I don’t know what’s causing them to die like this."

Cameron Vonau, who works for Sherwood Forest Tree Services, a company that is contracted by the city to help with the removal of dead animals and road kill around the city, wasn’t sure how the birds were killed.

His best guess: poison.

"Sometimes people put out rat poison and the birds get into that," he said. "That would be my first guess as to what happened here."