I am a great fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies. When I was in college I spent an entire quarter studying Hitchcock movies.
Yesterday brought back memories of watching the movie “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock. I looked out my livingroom window and saw the lawn covered with black birds. I think they are grackles. When I opened my window the birds all took off and flew up into the trees in our yard. Then after a moment or two they flew back down to the ground covering it once again.
They were busy eating something in our lawn. I was just thankful it wasn’t all the grass seed we had just planted. Something spooked them once again and they all took off and flew over our house and then began eating again on the south side of our home. Everywhere I looked I saw birds.
In the early 70’s I lived in Minneapolis, MN. I was about 12 then. We had an entire summer of evening entertainment. All the Dad’s spent the summer trying to move the grackles from our neighborhood to the next.
They were successful in moving them a block or two away but then just a few nights later the grackles would be back again. It reminded me a bit of the antics in the Caddy Shack movie of trying to get rid the golf course of gophers.
As fast as the birds came, they left.
Flying Gma's Blog 
esmeowl12
September 22, 2011 at 2:06 pm
What a great photo! I, too, spent a whole college course on Hitchcock. I see his movies everywhere!
nrhatch
September 22, 2011 at 2:17 pm
That’s a lot of birds!
Love your front lawn . . . I’ve only seen it buried in snow before. 😀
We love all the bird life around here . . . but the other night I looked up and 30-40 vultures were circling over head. A bit disconcerting, except for the fact that they are “shy” and easily spooked.
We went to Jekyll Island, GA once and started to have a picnic. The birds swooped and soared, dive bombing our heads. We finished eating in the car.
flyinggma
September 22, 2011 at 4:29 pm
I think if I saw 30-40 vultures circling I’d be checking my pulse to see if I was next on their menu.
Thomas Stazyk
September 22, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Nice picture–were they noisy?
What is your favorite Hitchcock movie?
flyinggma
September 22, 2011 at 4:34 pm
They were very noisy. Just a constant chatter while they were there and then the sound of wings flapping when they decided to move.
My favorite is still the original Psycho movie. I love Vertigo and The Rear Window too. It was one of the more interesting college classes. I used to love watching the Alfred Hitchcock show on TV. I love his dry sense of humor.
Thomas Stazyk
September 22, 2011 at 7:37 pm
It’s a tough decision they are all so good in their own ways. The one I’d probably most want to see again is The Birds!
belleofthecarnival
September 22, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Eeekkks! I would have run away screaming!
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 12:12 am
They were not a pretty sight for sure. I’m glad they didn’t stick around for long.
nrhatch
September 22, 2011 at 6:12 pm
You might be interested in Linda’s last post ~ The Flock:
http://booksphotographsandartwork.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/2827/
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 12:16 am
What an awesome picture! Thanks for sending me her way.
Booksphotographsandartwork
September 22, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Nancy just pointed me here. Beautiful picture. Those are wonderful trees and I love these funny birds. They are so pretty and make an interesting noise.
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 12:17 am
Love the picture you have posted of “The Flock” especially with the church in the background.
Carl D'Agostino
September 22, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Never trusted birds after that movie. Really don’t trust sea gulls and the stupid jerk tourists that feed them on the beach. You know why of course.
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 12:20 am
I know what you mean Carl. We saw a lot of Pelicans when we were in Florida last winter and I always felt like they were giving me the “evil eye” when I looked at them or took their picture. I would love to know what they are thinking. I didn’t feel like I should turn my back on them.
Just today there were several vultures feeding on a dead skunk in the road. They wouldn’t move until you almost came to a stop, not wanting to move off their dead skunk.
harrisonjones
September 23, 2011 at 8:06 am
As you know, birds and airports are not a good combination. Airport authorities try to move the birds to the next neigborhood too. Most major airports have nosie makers installed along the runways to scare the birds away. The device sounds like a shotgun blast and sounds every few minutes. The noise makers offered little comfort to me because shortly after takeoff, I would be over the next neighborhood with the nose up and engines wound tight. Sometimes you never see them, but you recognize the little thud when you hit them (usually a lot of thuds) and immediately scan the engine instruments. It’s amazing how many airports are located next to landfills (birds), rivers (fog), and cemeteries (…)
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 10:32 am
I’ve only had one bird strike since I started flying just after takeoff, continued around the pattern and landed to check for damage. Thankfully none!
dhphotosite
September 23, 2011 at 8:44 am
Yikes!! I think that same flock was at our house last night. There were thousands of birds in the trees all around us making a heck of a racket.
flyinggma
September 23, 2011 at 10:30 am
Glad they moved on to your neighborhood David:)
Christine Grote
September 26, 2011 at 7:53 pm
I’ve felt the same way about The Birds. Sometimes it’s creepy.