Swoops, Attack Bird Chronicles

June 12, 2009 4:57 PM

Stressed out San Francisco Financial District workers have been helped by a stimulus of a different kind for the last week — a free show at the corner of California and Front streets. Dive-bombing bird takes aim at Financial District. Swoops, a Brewer's Blackbird, now has his own blog.
posted by nickyskye (14 comments total)

SFist has a fantastic photo of Swoops on the attack. Original is on Flickr.
posted by Nelson at 5:48 PM on June 12, 2009

Only a matter of time before someone lands a lucky swat with a newspaper and then gets lynched by the angry mob....
posted by The otter lady at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

Used to be they would just terrorize people, you know? Swoop down, scratch faces, cause car crashes, gas stations would blow up, and they'd make you leave town.

Now they have blogs?
posted by jabberjaw at 6:45 PM on June 12, 2009 [1 favorite]

> Now they have blogs?

It's no crazier than a shark having a band
posted by mrzarquon at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2009

Somebody should walk down that sidewalk wearing a spring-loaded hat. Give the little bugger quite a scare. Or if they're feeling less humane, they could wear a hat with a strip of flypaper or a mouse trap on it.
posted by ErWenn at 7:11 PM on June 12, 2009

Pretty neat, actually, and it's not as if the corner of California and Front doesn't need some signs of life. I mean besides the guy selling Street Sheets.
posted by blucevalo at 9:14 PM on June 12, 2009

This bird scared the crap out of me last week. My reaction made strangers laugh. Sigh.
posted by samthemander at 10:00 PM on June 12, 2009

Cool! My mom's in town right now, and I've been wondering where to take her!
posted by brundlefly at 12:15 AM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

The bird is burning lots of energy that should be going to survival and feeding offspring/mating but I guess it will make up for it with Adsense earnings.
posted by srboisvert at 3:27 AM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

SF is a good place for street theatre: There's a guy on Fisherman's Wharf whose "human bush" startle-and-laugh schtick is pretty much identical to Swoop's. Except he asks for donations.
posted by anthill at 8:25 AM on June 13, 2009

Except he asks for donations.

And belongs in jail.
posted by Nelson at 9:01 AM on June 13, 2009

Brewer's blackbirds don't mess around when they're guarding their nests. There was one in the Outer Sunset district of SF a few years ago that did the dive bombing thing to me. It's an odd and disconcerting thing to be walking down the street and suddenly feel something pulling at your hair.
posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 9:47 AM on June 13, 2009

This showed up on the local news. The minute or two of swooping & reactions made a friend & I go "why didn't they just warn bystanders" & "oooh, great reaction."
posted by Pronoiac at 12:50 PM on June 13, 2009

There was one in the Outer Sunset district of SF a few years ago that did the dive bombing thing to me.

One got me in front of the Stanyan McDonalds a decade ago! It sort of hurt but there was also sort of this ecstatic feeling about being communicated to so directly by a wild animal. I liked it. If it hurt more I bet I would have liked it less, but it's innocuous enough that I think there is something nice about leaving the surprise instead of warning people.
posted by ioesf at 10:08 PM on June 13, 2009