Friday, January 03, 2003

Flipping the Birds

How can I resist posting a link to a story that has a quote like this: "Would you really like to eat your supper if a bird came up and took a dump in the middle of your T-bone steak?" That's how farmer Jerry Seimers feels about starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), which have invaded his land by the thousands. The flocks have resisted every attempt to scare them off, from loud music to fake owls, and now the USDA has stepped in to help Mr. Seimer get rid of the starlings by feeding them poisoned food pellets. No one's happy about having to poison so many birds, but the farm is already benefiting from the reduced starling populations, with native birds already starting to reappear.

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