[EBB Sightings] Toxic effect?

My neighbor, two doors down on Dohr St. in south Berkeley, told me
yesterday that a bird "fell out of the sky, dead, and landed in his
yard" days before.

Here is the photo, published on his blog site:
 
http://www.cantstopwontstop.com/blog/2007/11/death-from-above-07.cfm

As you can see, it's a Coot. 

Amazing that a bird could be that close to death, and flying. Perhaps
it fainted? Perhaps a reaction to the toxic compounds we're heard about
in bunker fuel?

  -Rusty Scalf