wow. i'd love to go there and see these for myself.

Pretty rare phenomenon unlike magma-bearing volcanoes, but is not less interesting. I visited many times similar knolls in the Crimea, Ukraine. Local people and tourists apply the mud for bathing therapy and believe that the mud has healing power, which could be true as it goes from significant depth and is rich in minerals.The gas coming out of all the volcanoes is basically methane. I went as far as to plunge my hands into craters. It was real pleasure to feel the cold and silky stuff. But it was not fun for some birds to easily stick in the mud with little hope to escape.

fascinating.
I had never heard about these before at all....thanks for the additional information - and the reminder that there is SO much out there to still discover and explore!
i do now have an image in my head of a poor trapped little bird, though......but I suppose such is the course of nature.