Tuesday, June 23, 2009

One More Newscast On Swoops To Take Us Back For A Moment!

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=6862777

4 comments:

  1. Hey, you were on that newscast ABChronicle.
    (video #2)

    I can't believe KGONews got Swoops' name wrong.
    (It's Swoops not Swoop)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My story about Swoops:

    Swoops and family have moved in downtown. Amid half-empty high rise monuments to decaying moneyed institutions, the blackbird and his mate occupy a single short scrawny tree on a busy sidewalk.

    Swoops perches above and across from the tree on a gray aluminum awning that graces Lee’s Delicatessen. He is wary and watchful for the nest, but not for the usual predators – cats and curious, spiteful 10-year-olds. Those predators don’t find much of interest downtown.

    No, Swoops is on alert for the bankers, lawyers, office workers, and cable car-riding tourists headed for Walgreens at the corner. Zooming down on passersby, he flutters his wings madly just above people’s heads, and if you look particularly threatening, he will give you a sharp peck.

    Swoops is exhausted after several weeks of this guard duty has launched him into international fame and the resulting price. He’s been on YouTube, all the local TV channels, CNN and even The Daily Telegraph in London. He’s now an international star and flocks of people stand across the street taking turns running towards the nest to get a rise out of him for their own individual snapshots.

    Poor Swoops – his only respite is the dark, and the nights are getting shorter in the summertime. He didn’t ask for this job, but he is compelled to do it. He’s afraid he will drop dead from his responsibilities before the chicks are able to fly on their own. So, this is where he will make his stand. Maybe his last one, but for now this nest, this tree, this street, are his.

    C. Cornell

    ReplyDelete
  3. C. Cornell,

    Thank you so much for your story, I had a tear at the end! I have been so sad this week, I suppose you could call it post partum depression ;-) I will never forget our little Swoops family, never!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this KGO video. Video #3.
    Go to 1:15. The abject panic and screaming is priceless.

    ReplyDelete