Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Bye, Bye Blackbird
Every November through March, San Antonio is beset by grackles: noisy black birds that don't so much flock as swarm. Business owners have tried to get rid of them by hanging plastic owls, blowing air horns, and even more outrageous tactics. One Riverwalk restaurant even gave out hats to its patrons to catch the bird poop. (The hats were marked with targets.)
But now a new method is getting attention: falcons. I like this one.
My most vivid grackle memory is of Christmas several years ago. I was on my way to my aunt's house for dinner. It was twilight, there were few cars on the road, and everything was very, very still. At the stoplight, I looked around. The huge parking lot on my left was black with wall-to-wall grackles. I looked up, and they outlined every rooftop, every utility pole, every power line.
And the grackles were all quiet.
# posted by Peggy @ 7:11 PM 
