Finished in the back, they took off again, and flew across the street, darkening the sky once again. These are a fraction of the number. Starlings. They must be starlings.Big, ugly, noisy, frightening - thousands of them, screaming.
When I say I hate birds, dead or alive, people laugh - but I am serious. Starlings invaded my town when I was about 11 years old and there were so many of them, the sky was black and so was the ground. The cacaphony was deafening. There were dead birds everywhere you looked - on the sidewalk, in the street - big, black things you had to step over or around as you walked to and from school.
The town couldn't get rid of them and finally put owl recordings in the trees all over town, which eventually worked. I have hated birds ever since. And no, I never saw the movie; I didn't have to.
9 comments:
I agree with you Rayna. Horrific experience! There is a bird in a tree in my front garden that dive-bombs me regularly. It totally freaks me out!
This is a difficult posting for a bird-lover to respond to.
On the other hand, I know very well what a phobia means, being the one who has to remove the dreaded beings. According to a vow, I cannot kill them. Sounds funny -- but it helps to see the beings as "persons" with a right to live (not in my flat or garden, please!!), not as objects, but as beings with fear, desires and the pursuit of happiness.
Spooky!
Your post reminds me of Hitchcock's famous movie: The Birds
I saw that ages ago and the only thing I remember was the angst I had long after seeing the movie.
Like you I am afraid and also intrigued by birds. Here on the island we have a kind of brazen bird that is very fond of our ecologicy built house and they love to make their nests here. There is a special place above our main entrance door and I have to clap my hands before going in or out, at least make a lot of noise to chase them away. So birds, I think I know your feelings about that, Rayna!
Love,
Regina
I hate starlings with a passion! I travel with a bird book. I love my native birds, but I hate the black horrors! We have a native Blackbird here - a very gentle soul it is. The starlings hunt it out of its range!
I HATE STARLINGS! They are ugly and nasty!
Ooops - sorry - vented!
hugz
Sally
Wow! See, I hate crows, but we have flocks of blackbirds that come here called 'Cow birds', and I dearly love to watch them and hear their song! But I can truly imagine the fear and horror you must have felt as a child from that invasion! Glad you stayed inside this time...
Oh Rayna,
I can relate! I feel exactly the same way about birds. I wear large hats whenever I go to the beach to ward away the seagulls who may attack, and I used to run for cover on my way to and from the mailbox in late fall from those horrible starlings, too.
E
I wouldn't have thought this was possible. For me it was just Hitchcock's movie. I can imagine how frightened you were
Oh, Rayna! I hear you. That same black mob descended on our pecan grove when I was 11yrs old,after I had seen the movie. I rode my bike thru the pecan grove on my way home, startling a huge swarm of black birds; I have never been so frightened. I wrecked my bike, as I was screaming bloody murder, which caused me to bite my tongue when I landed! (yes, I was a bit dramatic. . . ) To this day, black birds, which we call "caw-birds" for their incessant noise, make me break into a cold sweat.
So, I hear you, Rayna. I am also an avid bird (&nature) watcher.
Suzanne G in NC
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