Posted on 05/18/2005 9:01:25 AM PDT by 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."
Earlier in the season, they were down on the border (and farther south) but they migrate with the weather. Seems that its warm enough in Houston for them now, but they will probably move on, (unless the article is correct about their nesting).
Rats with wings.
If Houston isn't warm enough for them, then, with all due respect, they can go to hell.
I agree, they are nasty types.
I was thinking more about the temperature in Houston. Having once spent a Summer there, I have lost all fear of Hell.
I'm rolling on the floor! BWAAHAAHAAHAAA!
Serve with crawfish sauce...
I spend winter in South Texas, summer somewhere else. but Houston is hot, buggy, and humid. (I have spent summers in Austin, but they have Aqua Fest there and lots of cold beer.)
After reading all the threads where rotten things happen to kids etc...reading about something (even a bird) who is so vehement about protecting its young...
Well, it sorta seems kinda nice.
LOL
Wouldnt dream of it.
I have a large martin house in the back yard, 4 feeders on the property, humming bird feeders, bird baths etc etc.
76834 land is a very popular place in "birddom"
Some of my best quality time is spent out on the patio with a pair of binoculars and a cold can of beer </grin
Houston PING
Look out above!
These birds must want to buy my car. They put down a deposit today.
Yep, that's the bird alright. I raised a male grackle from a nestling after a storm blew him from his nest. Very intelligent and fearless. He would explore the neighborhood and fly back to the house everyday for a meal and would alight on my hand. He was last seen by some neighbors, riding on their dog's back!
Let the record show that we downtown denizens have known about these damn birds for WEEKS, but let one lawyer slip and fall and "injure his face" and all of a sudden they're a menace.
The birds, that is.
You must have heard the expression about "eating crow". Grackles probably taste just as nasty.
I'd be more worried about the lawyers crapping on everythng!
It's gonna take a sword. These damn things are big enough to play Frisbee with my chakram.
Wow, I have lots of grackles that hang around my yard and they've never even tried to attack me but if they do they'll die because I will declare war.
You beat me to it. Hailstorms are God's solution to grackles.
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