The Birds

Do any of you remember the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds?

My father worked at the studio where the movie was filmed and brought home some of the bird "extras." Pretty little birds like what you find in craft stores these days but it was my first exposure to to the little fakes. Just a little creepy.

And the movie was pretty scary too! Thousands of birds aggressively attacking humans. You would never look at a flock of birds the same again.

Hilton Head Island is a bird lover's paradise. From stately Blue Herons to Cardinals, Bluejays and Carolina Wrens, there are birds everywhere.

And then there are the birds who stalk you when you eat at one of the outdoor restaurants. If you mistakenly hold up a french fry and hesitate before taking a bite you just might lose it to a dive bombing bird. And once you vacate the table, they swarm over it in a race to gather the leftovers before the table can be cleared.

But there is no bird greater at finding food than the inimitable sea gull. Just stand on the beach, hold out your hand with a cookie crumb and they will come.



An even better picture would have been the sea gull who grabbed our orange rubber baseball and flew off with it in his beak. Fortunately little Tai's Daddy was fast enough, loud enough and threatening enough that the gull dropped the ball before he flew out to sea.

Or else the bird just figured out his prize was inedible!