Hostile Grackles [birds] Attack People in Houston

My Way News ^ | May 18, 2005

[Asphalt]

HOUSTON (AP) - Like a scene from the horror movie "The Birds," large black grackles are swooping down on downtown Houston and attacking people's heads, hair and backs.

Authorities closed off a sidewalk after the aggressive birds, which can have 2-foot wingspans, flew out of magnolia trees Monday in front of the County Administration Building.

"They were just going crazy," said constable Wilbert Jue, who works at the building. "They were attacking everybody that walked by."

The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer who shooed a bird away before he tripped and injured his face, Jue said. The lawyer was treated for several cuts.

It appears that the birds are protecting their offspring. On Monday a young grackle had fallen out of its nest and adult birds attacked people who got too close, Jue said.

Another bird attacked a deputy county clerk.

"I hit him with a bottle," said Sylvia Velasquez. "The other birds came, and one attacked my blouse and on my back."

Two women came to help her after she fell to the ground, and the birds attacked them as well. The group escaped by running into the building.

"This is a very Hitchcock kind of story. Very Tippi Hedren," said downtown worker Laura Aranda Smith, referring to one of the stars of Alfred Hitchcock's move "The Birds."

[Asphalt]

Dang

[Asphalt]

deserving of a ping?

[Arrowhead1952]

Get one of these air rifles in a .22 caliber. They don't stand a chance.

[cowboyway]

They're actually Purple Grackles.

Purple Grackle

[cripplecreek]

Grackle Jihad!!!!

[MeanWestTexan]

I used a tennis racket on some grackles in Houston once.

Nasty crow-like birds. Like to hang out in parking lots and eat food scraps.

Look like crows; act like sea gulls with an attitude.

[Sax]

..And made off with my Bud Light!

[TheBigB]

The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer

So what's the problem?

[reagan_fanatic]

Works in three easy steps

Snap
Grackle
POP!

[hiredhand]

Hmmmm...let's look at this problem realistically. It's in the city, so firearms, and projectile weapons in general are probably OUT of the question.

The birds are aggressive and have no problem getting up close to humans.

So far, nobody has been seriously harmed by them.

This sounds like a job for a dozen 11 year old boys armed with tennis rackets!

Yep....that's the ticket. :-) I'll bet the kids could kill most of them in less than an hour.

My brother smacked an aggressive Blue Jay with a tennis racket when we were growing up. It was a direct, and STRONG hit. The bird lauched across the grass 40 yards away from the cloud of feathers which my brother was standing in as a result of accelerating the bird so quickly. Needless to say, Birdy Boy didn't survive. :-)

[blues_guitarist]

"Grackle Jihad!!!!"

Alright, what lie did Newsweak print invoving Grackles?

[Charles Martel]

Years ago, I saw some of those birds pounce on an unsuspecting kid's french fries at DisneyWorld. Grackles lurk around all of the outdoor dining areas, and the "Please don't feed the birds" signs are useless - the birds are quite willing to help themselves to what's on your plate.

[ArrogantBustard]

Heads up! Might want to carry your sword for next few days...

[BikerNYC]

Hostile Grackles [birds] Attack People in Houston

They probably deserved it.

[Fester Chugabrew]

The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer . . .

From one vulture to another. Smart birds.

[Graymatter]

"This is a very Hitchcock kind of story. Very Tippi Hedren," said downtown worker...

Very adverb abuse. Very 21st C. Very annoyance.

[TheBigB]

*LOL*

[Adrastus]

I can see it all now, "Lawyer sues Grackle for damages."

I did have something similar happen in my back yard. Because of the neighborhood I live in I couldn't resort to the air rifle solution. I used an old tennis racket from my store room to bring down three of the wretched things. It was a very satisfactory result and I reccommend it to anyone with a Grackle problem.(Aside from that I found that my forehand was still quite serviceable.)

[Arrowhead1952]

I have a .177 and that thing will also take care of the grackles. There have been quite a few that left my property in the garbage can.

[GSlob]

The problem is that they tried pecking the lawyer instead of dive-bomber defecation.

[BP2]

Growing up in Houston, I remember some Mockingbirds that would dive bomb and occassionally HIT cars near their nests. The birds would bounce off the cars' windshield, with the cars going 20-30 miles per hour.

Don't Mess with Texas (birds)

[ErnBatavia]

Nasty crow-like birds. Like to hang out in parking lots and eat food scraps.

Those must be the ones I call "Walmart birds"...

[OB1kNOb]

"...The grackles zeroed in on a lawyer who shooed a bird away before he tripped and injured his face, Jue said. The lawyer was treated for several cuts.

My appreciation for grackles grows !

[Charles Martel]

Those must be the ones I call "Walmart birds"...

Yep (check the species name - it all fits).

Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

[blau993]

Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

I'll bet none of these evil Mexican Grackles has a carte verde either.

[bonfire]

Got a nest of them in my eaves. Just let my cat out and they are going bananas!

[76834]

Mockingbirds are a real hoot to watch.

I have grackles, jays, mockingbirds aplenty here in centex.
Have never been attacked by them but get a lot of enjoyment watching them dive bomb neighborhood cats, dogs and squirrels.

I understand that it is a crime to harm a Mockingbird in Texas. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Cicero]

For the past several years we had a flock of grackles pass through in the spring. While they are here they won't let any other birds near the feeders. They are definitely agressive. Other kinds of birds mostly seem willing to share (except for our great horned owl, who emerges from the woods every once in a while to snatch up a mourning dove and carry it back to a stump where it removes the feathers and eats it at its leisure).

[mewzilla]

I can see the FOX special now: When Good Grackles Go Bad!!

[Charles Martel]

I'll bet none of these evil Mexican Grackles has a carte verde either.

"Green cards?! We don't need no steenking green cards!"

Look at 'em, flooding across the border:

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Get one of these air rifles in a .22 caliber. They don't stand a chance.

And now we see the mindset of the LASD when they unloaded 120 rounds into a neighborhood of homes.

Shoot first, look for innocent bystanders hit by wild gunfire later.

[Arrowhead1952]

Shoot first, look for innocent bystanders hit by wild gunfire later.

Where I shoot, there is little to no chance of hitting any other homes or bystanders.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Where I shoot, there is little to no chance of hitting any other homes or bystanders.

Okay.

The birds are in downtown Houston and you suggested using an air rifle to shoot them, didn't you?

[Arrowhead1952]

That was more of a joke than anything else. We had a hailstorm back on Mar 25 and a second on Apr 1. Those two storms killed grackles and doves by the thousands.

[Cowman]

The problem is that they tried pecking the lawyer instead of dive-bomber defecation.

I can see it now. dozens of grackles in formation flying around John Edwards house. "Grackle leader to flock -- prepare to engage laxative..."

[ErnBatavia]

Yep (check the species name - it all fits).

How do you say "pushing a stroller" in Latin...to complete the deal?

[mathluv]

I have been gone from there for over ten years. This was happening then.

[GSWarrior]

Gloabl warming causes agression in grackles.

[secret garden]

They're the state bird of Texas. Tennessee too.

[Dawgreg]

Aha! I always thought they WERE crows. Hmmmm, wonder if these are the same birds that come out every spring and completely cover your lawn.....looking for who know's what?

[Dawgreg]

LOL, that's what I thought too!

[savedbygrace]

The non-violent solution is for dozens or even hundreds of people to get together in the area, during the spring when the birds are first coming in to nest, and in the evening make a huge racket with non-lethal noisemakers of all sorts. The idea is to scare the birds off so they don't nest. After about 5 evenings, the birds will all move to another location, where the routine can be repeated.

We did this in our neighborhood a few years ago, and it worked great. The birds don't come back for several years. Maybe next spring we'll have to repeat it.

[LSAggie]

Here in Missouri, West Nile virus has decimated the blue jay and crow population. Hasn't done a thing to cull the grackles though

[dighton]

Could they be trained to attack moonbats?

[RightWhale]

Well done! Robins can be nasty, too.

[Dawgreg]

I wouldn't try it.......State Bird you know. Once a mocking bird got after our cat. The cat just sat there while the bird swooped down time after time. Then (with a Morris kinda look on his face), SLAP! No more birdy. The cat just sat there, didn't even bother to eat it.

[Blzbba]

I, for one, welcome our new Grackle Overlords...

[blau993]

See, if we put the Army on the border, just like O'Reilly wants, none of this would happen. Evil Mexican Grackles!!!

[Tall_Texan]

They have long been an issue at the University of Texas campus where they truly can take on Hitchcockian proportions. What's funny is watching the University try solutions while maintaining political correctness. They won't try poisons or guns or any loud noises. They have tried putting fake owls in the trees and probably passed a resolution denouncing when the birds relieve themselves on the statue of Martin Luther King.

The grackles are still there. They are basically harmless birds unless provoked.

[darth]

There must be a Cajun recipe for these things.