Monday, May 12, 2008

The Birds ... The Shock

This morning a met a couple of WonderMommies and their children at a play place so the kids could run off some steam while we enjoyed coffee.
It was a wonderful morning. There were no calamaties. We had a nice chat. It was a good day.
And then it was time to go.
It was one of those easy departures. Matt was tired and looking forward to a break in the van. Chloe was asleep. We got in the van and got settled when we saw a hoard of seagulls flying toward us. I think there were 5. For some reason it caught my attention and suddenly ..
BANG.
Something slammed into my windshield.
Logically it was a seagull. There was a big gob of red right on my windshield. It was horrifying.
And then suddenly I heard it. Major noise on top of my van.
I almost had a nervous breakdown. There I was, in my van, with a half-dead bird on my roof.
I didn't want to roll down the window for fear of a half dead, or potentially dead bird, falling or flying in my window.
Matthew was in the back seat asking what the noise was and where the birds went. I didn't quite know how to explain to him that a bird was dying on our roof racks. What if the bird got stuck in our roof racks?
By this point I had tried to call my sister (who was across the small parking lot) to solicit her help, but she was in conversation with our friend.
And then two teenaged boys walked past. They looked like nice kids. The kind I hung out with in school. The kind I'd like Matt to grow up to be like. They didn't seem vicious or crazy. But, they suddenly looked at my van, pointed and LAUGHED. I was horrified. Kids these days. Laughing at a dying seagull on my roof.
I tried to ask them about it, but when I refused to roll down my window and I pointed at my roof they almost fell over laughing.
And then I realized I could just drive to Becky and Kerry. Maybe they could help.
Instead. They laughed. They both started laughing.
Finally Kerry convinced me to roll down my window so she could explain. I did. A bit. Just enough that I could hear her and yet no birds could get in my van. (by this point I was actually shaking).
It turns out there was no flailing dead bird on my van.
What happened was a group of seagulls had found a half piece of pizza and were fighting over it when they dropped it on my van window.
One of the seagulls retrieved it and it somehow ended up stuck in my roof racks where the pigeons were fighting with each other - hence the banging noise.
When I drove over to Becky the seagulls followed me and were again attacking the pizza.
That's why everyone was laughing.
I chose not to get out and look.
But halfway home a piece of pizza went flying from my roof.
Is it any wonder I'm a little tired these days?

3 comments:

Multi-tasking Mommy said...

Oh, my! What a story!!!

When I was younger, a little bird hit our windshield and got its head stuck in between two pieces of the windshield wiper. We were on an interstate driving to Florida and couldn't exactly pull over, so we had to look at the poor thing forever. It still makes me sick to think of it!

Glad yours was just pizza!

citygirl said...

OMG! You poor thing! I would have been freaking out too! But when it turned out to be pizza, that made me laugh.

So funny how what we imagine (flailing birds dying) versus reality (birds duking it out over pizza) is so different. Happy to see it was the latter!

Montreal Mama said...

Oh my! I think I'd have a heart attack if a bird slammed into my windshield! That is just insane! Thank goodness everyone is okay!