Posted on 05/19/2005 5:20:08 AM PDT by Dog
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."
"Wonder how they knew it was a lawyer, probably by smell."
Grackles are very smart birds. Really.
Stay underground
Houston we have a problem.....
These birds must be smarter than we are.
Ugh! I hate grackles. For the last two weeks they've swooped at my medium size dog when she's in the backyard. Used to be loud noises would scare them off, but lately I think they've mutated and are no longer afraid of humans.
Send those Grackles or flying rats to Iraq as a new weapon system.
Grackles are territorial when they've fledglings. This happened to me several times over the years.
Heh, heh... I like the "bandolier" mental image. Very appropriate for dealing with these feathered "illegal migrants".
"Used to be loud noises would scare them off, but lately I think they've mutated and are no longer afraid of humans."
Shoot them with a shotgun. It's easier if they aren't afraid.
"Shoot them with a shotgun."
Yup!
After a few grackles see papa boid or auntie boid take the Shotgun Express to hell, they'll regain their proper fear of humans.
THAT'LL LEARN 'EM!
just damn
We live in fowl times..
Not enough grackles
Ship 'em to the border and sic 'em on the illegals.
A robin used to dive bomb me when I was standing up in the family above-ground pool, located under a big maple where the robin had her nest. She'd aim right for my hair.
Hey..FReepers, We're getting slow. It took 33 posts for this cliche to arrive. :D
I wouldn't want to egg anyone on!
"Well...There You Go Again"...by (One of the 2 Best Presidents of the 20th Century, the other was TR, FDR was a distant 3rd) Ronald M. Reagan
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