The Birds

I'm not exactly sure where my fear of birds started.  Maybe it was when I watched Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds."

All I know is that for as long as I can remember I feel like I am a target for birds to mess with.

I have been pooped on by birds multiple times in my life.  Twice at school, and one of those times the poop landed on my head.  That day I had a job interview right after school so I faked being sick and had my mom pull me out of school so I could go home to shower.  It is like that bird knew I had to be somewhere right after school.

My relationship with birds has only gotten worse since I arrived in Australia.

Every time I am at the beach a seagull either fly's over me at way to close a radius or one walks way to close to my towel.

Henry the Gull

 However, since coming to Australia, it is not just seagulls that like to terrorise me.

Our first week in Australia we traveled to a zoo where there were hundreds of parrots that would fly around and land on random peoples heads.  I really did not like the thought of  a bird landing on my head so put my sweatshirt and my arms over my head, not caring if I looked like an idiot.  There was NO WAY I was going to let one land on me!

Don't they just look so vicious!?

These parrots are not just at the zoo, they are EVERYWHERE on the Gold Coast including at school and sometimes they will even land on our balcony!

They are also VERY obnoxious and wake me up almost every morning.  But they are pretty to look at!

Another bird here in Australia that is not so pretty to look at is the Australian White Ibis.  This bird has a beak so long and pointy it looks like it could stab you with it!

Not a great picture but you get this point!

The first time I saw one of these birds I was sitting at the bus stop and one came waddling up next to me.  It freaked me out a little bit and I had to get up and move.  

Though these birds look scary, they are harmless and usually just walk around looking for crumbs of food on the ground.  But they are EVERYWHERE in the Gold Coast just like the parrots! 

The real terrorisers are the Magpie's!  According to Wikipedia, spring in Australia is magpie season, when a small minority of breeding magpies (almost always males) around the country become aggressive and swoop and attack those who approach their nests, especially bike riders.

Magpie at school

At Griffith University this sign is posted during "swooping season."

And let me tell you, the sign is necessary!  One day I was sitting at a table at school doing a little reading before my class and suddenly a bird swooped down and pecked my head!  I thought maybe I'd imagined it but I looked to my right and the girl next to me said "did that bird just peck your head?" I instantly knew that in fact, yes, a bird had just "swooped" me.  I wasn't even walking!  I'm a target I tell you!  

Magpie getting ready to swoop

In September a little girl in New South Wales was attacked by a Magpie and the police decided to kill the bird because of it!

No joke, as I was sitting here writing this post, a Magpie came and landed on our balcony!  Unfortunately, as I went to get my camera to take a picture of it, it flew away.  I think I must give off some kind of aura that attracts birds to me, in a negative way.  Hopefully I won't become like the little girl in New South Wales or Tippi Hedren in "The Birds."  Tippi's character, Melanie Daniels, dies at the end of the movie because she is so badly attacked by the seagulls.  I think they should make an Australian version where the characters die from being attacked by Magpie's.  Oh wait, people actually do get attacked by birds here!  I guess it would have to be a documentary!

Anna