Seasnake's Aviation Page

How To Catch A Blackbird

 I know that hundreds of species and millions of individual animals all catch birds as part of survival necessity. Still, I consider it odd that I do, too. 

From childhood, I have had the strange ability to surprise and capture birds by hand.

Early in 1993, I walked up to a squawking argument of blackbirds. Several were on the ground in front of the warehouse where I worked, with more of them hopping on the ground at my feet.  

I decided/selected and struck at one of the birds that was paying attention to the other birds.

I snatched him out of his group with enough speed that the other birds didn’t even fly off.The bird was totally shocked, and took a second to realize he was indeed captured.

My co-worker's mouths dropped, and my embarrassment was pretty immediate once I saw how weird they thought it was. 

I walked out into the parking lot, admonishing the chagrined and loud blackbird to be more alert. With an overhead Aesop's toss, I flung him back into the air to return to his bewildered chums. 


It just seems bizarre to me that a soft, civilized man like me would be able to surprise a bird...

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Copyright © 2009 Gordon Permann

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